San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-12

with wide gray eyes filled with inquiry.
"When did this come? | never saw il
before" she questioned gravely.
Then with troubled brow, and voice
that grew husky at times, he went over
for her the sad story of the last months
of the last year of that unhappy and fate
full struggle. In the autumn of sixty-four
their brother Temple, lad of seven
teen,, had been taken prisoner, with
others Of his troop, while making
reconnaissance, and they had been, unable
to discover either his condition or place
of incarceration. Mason himself had
been at home ON sick leave, weak and
worn with the loss of his arm and sa-
Der cut across his head. All through
the winter and spring, while calamity
followed calamity with stunning rapid
ity, the wearing anxiety about Temple
continued, made more intolerable by the
contradictory reports of his fate brought
by passing soldiers. Finally, this letter
had arrived and converted dread fear
into a worse certainty.
1t had been handed to Roy Garnett by
Federal officer at Richmond, and Roy
had ridden straight down with it all
those weary miles, feeling curiously GER
tain that it contained news Of Temple,
and sharing their anxiety to the full.
Roy had been stanch and helpful in their
trouble, aiding in the hurried prepare
lions for the Journey, and accompany
ing the wounded man and the pale,
resolute mother ON their desperate mis-
sion. Then came the hideous journey,
the arrival at the prison, the fearful
! questioning, the relief akin to pain Of
the reply: the interview with the blu,
kindly commandment, who took their
| hands heartily and rendered them every
assistance in his power. Then. in the
rough hospital of the hostile prison, the
strange, sad waiting for the end, fol-
lowed by the stranger, sadder home
coming. 1t was a pitiful story, common
enough both north and south, but none
the less pitiful for its commences.
With her head bowed down on her
brothers shoulder, Pocahontas sobbed
convulsively. She was familiar with
the outlines of the tale, and knew vague
ly of the weeks of anxiety that had lined
her mothers gentle face and silvered her
brown hair, but of all particulars she
was ignorant She had been very young
at the time these sad events occurred;
the young brother sleeping in the shadow
of the cedars in the old burying ground
was scarcely more than a name to her,
and the memories of her childhood had
faded somewhat. crowded out by the
cheerful realities of her glad girl life.
When she broke the silence, it was
very softly. Berkeley" she said, 'it
was kindly done of that Federal officer
to let us know. This Is the third letter
he wrote about poor Temple; the others
must have miscarried."
"They did; and this one only reached
us Just in time. You see, communion
ton with the south in those early days
was more than uncertain. If Roy hadn't
happened to be in Richmond, it's ques-
ton whether should have received this
one 1t was kindly done, as you say,
and this General Smith was kindly
man. shall never forget his considera-
ton for my mother, nor the kindness he
showed poor Temple. But for his aid
we could hardly have managed at the
last, in spite of Roy's efforts. We owe
him debt of gratitude I'd fain repay.
God bless him"
"Amen" echoed Pocahontas softly.