Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-11-21
Barton, Vermont, November Fl. 1892.

"a mere affair OF OuUpOSCS, WnaU the
devil will be said of them if they should
get into regular pitched battle? Here,
Mr. Adjutant, dump that paper in the
fire, and don't let woman at the post
know anything about it. Know it al
ready? How the mischief could they?'
ssThere were half dozen of them sir,
at Mrs. Hazlett's reading another copy
of that paper as came down. And poor
Mrs Thorpe is crying her eyes out. She's
been utterly upset since the news came
that the Twelfth had been sent out
Good God, sir, she's coming in now!'
1t was indeed poor Mrs. Thorpe who
entered, pallid, her eyelids swollen with
weeping Old Kenyon was on his feet
in an instant and leading her to a chair.
.sMy dear madam, my dear madam"
he began, .'you must not give way SO. l
assure you there is no cause for such
dread and anxiety Do strive to control
yourself.
81 cannot oh. Major Kenyon, | can
not! | have been through so much, such
fearful scenes!' she sobbed, wringing
her nervous hands, rocking to and fro
in an agony of grief. 'sOh, it is easy
for those who have not lived the life we
patience, calmness. / was only child
then, kneeling at my mothers side when
the news came in that widowed half the
women in the post. | spent my girlhood
in the regiment. How many are left of
the officers who were SO good to me
then? Mother was only one of dozen
whose hearts were broken-broken as,
oh, q ID! | feel mine is to be. They took
my father long years ago, now they de-
mand my husband, my babies father,
my all, their all! o God! o Godr'
..Sobbing, rocking to and fro in her
uncomfortable grief, the poor girl chung
to Kenyons hand, and the old fellows
ewes blinked and smarted with the tears
| he could not quite force back. He laid
the other hand upon her bowed and
swaying head.
MY child he said brokenly, s'for
| your babies sake try to bear up. Be
your fathers daughter. | knew and
loved him well-knew you when you
rode your first pony at the old fort up
the Missouri You know well | wouldn't
| try to deceive you. | can't think the
| Twelfth is to bear the brunt of this
business They don't belong in that de-
partment at all. They are only bor-
rowed from here, and surely there are
troops enough there, more than enough.
to overawe that pestilent gang. All that
is necessary will be to surround the In
dams, let them see what force we
have, and they'll knuckle down. Don't
! cry SO, Mrs. Thorpe; don't cry, my
/ child. Let me take you over home now.
Just get the little ones around you to-
night, and I'll bring over some famous
/ oranges that came today, and-why, i
don't believe the Twelfth will have to
pull another trigger. Think how many
other regiments and commands there are
there"
Il do, do. and pray and pray, but
| no comfort comes Did you ever know
time when they were not in the thick
of the fight? Did you ever hear of any
time when the loss did not fall heaviest
on us?''
Don't think of that now, he pleaded
Don't borrow trouble from either past
or future. Come, let me take you home
| there's good girl | tell you it that
band hasn't surrendered they've scat
tered all over creation. and you can M
more catch them than you can-thar
|
strongest smile can think of. Did yor
hem what they were saying about Der
rieu and Brewster" he queried, eager tt
divert her thoughts from her owl
misery.
81 did. Isn't it cruel? But Majo-
Berrien has his wife and Winnie will
him, and they're bringing him home
but if poor George is shot, what Cal
do:"
do? Why, you shall go right to hin
if have to give myself seven days
leave and take you And so, soothing
comforting as best he knew how, tn
veteran major led her home to her won
dering brood, to the laughing, Growing
baby leaping in the nurses arms, de
lighted to see the little mother again, t.
the joyous children romping in the fire
light, innocent of care or fear, and the1
striving for their sake to still her sobs
to dry her tears, he left her to put tn
little ones to bed, to clasp their folde
hands in hers as the wee, white gowne
girlies knelt at her side echoing-Go
only knew with what piteous entreaty-
the lisping prayer for his divine protec
ton for the loved father, the devote
husband, the gallant soldier who tina
very day had fought his last fight an
lay lifeless on the frozen sod.
Over the eastward bluffs, cold an
gray. the morning light had slowly creI
to the zenith Over the sky was sprea
one limitless pail of cloud, cherries an
repellent-a pail so dense that not on
friendly star had peeped, not one rift Q
sunshine now could force its way. A
| below bleak frnwninU and S111lan.