Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-04-27

beyond a doubt, and spent a day there
visiting comrades in the hospital and
renewing such social ties as had been
formed during the Yankee occupation
of the previous months.
GOING TO SEE BILLY.
Some of the shrewd soldiers noticed
that the handsome colonel seemed a
heap more interested in one of the
young women nurses than in poor Billy
Neal, and when they mounted to ride
back they felt like chatting him about
it. But you can't chaff Jesse Phillips
much, and never could. The rebels
didn't care much about Florence, Ala,
just then, anyway, SO they let the fed
erals have The summer and fall of 1863
the colonel took occasional trips across
the country. with the ostensibie object
of seeing Billy, even continuing them
long after that young man had gotten
we'll and gone home. If the army was
busy the colonel was all contentment,
but when the troops lay around with
out employment, simply Watching, he
| would fuss for a day or two, and then
announce that he was going over to
Florence to see Billy. Nothing could
break him of the habit, and moth
ing could satisfy him when he reached
| the town but visit to that same kind
hearted girl who had forgotten all
! North, all South in the greater problem
of suffering men. He didn't talk about
| her much, but his associates knew he
| would give up one of his coal black eyes
| any day for the privilege of possessing
her. And it didn't seem unreasonable
to expect he would win her. She re-
ceived him kindly, she treated him well;
she really appeared to love him.
The rebels had been gradually creep
| ing back into Western Alabama. They
seemed to want the river and the good
towns up there, and Major Falkenburg,
who was in command OF their forces at
Tuscumbia, sent over the river and sta
| toned two companies OF men in the
| town, meeting with no sort of OppOsi
tion. The Union forces were massed at
Decatur now, and all through the fall
the two opposing forces relaxed the
rules of war a little, and traded coffee
and tobacco, bread and meat, and such
| little things as did not give cOmbative
aid or comfort to an enemy. Big stories
about Major Falkenburg came up to
| Colonel Phillips ears from the soldiers
who talked with the Johnnies, and
there wgs no evidence wanting that he
was big man where he was known.
ARRIVAL IN THE FIELD.
One night in October, as private in
| the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry
| was swapping truck with a Johnny
Reb, he was informed incidentally that
the commander of the Confederate
| forces was going to get married.
| Who is your Major Falkenburg going
| to marry p demanded the Northerner.
'Oh, Miss Charity Blank, at Flor
ence She's regular sumner No
nuther such woman in all Alabama
said the admiring Johnny.
The information drifted up through
| the various grades of loyal blue, and
| finally fell on the ears of Colonel Phil
lips.
Fires of Tophet!' raved the colonel;
| she shan't marry him. with a rising
infection on the last pronoun, express
sive of the unfitness of such a fate for
| Miss Charity Blank. But what about
it? He had nothing to say. He walked
around his tent, and tried to think of
something else; tried to forget it, tried
to see some way through it, tried at
last to stop the banns.
MAsTERLY COUP.
The marriage was announced for
Wednesday night at eight o'clock, and
this was Sunday. He fused around
till he got permission to go out with
another detail of 200 men, for it was
well known the Johnnies were again in
Florence. Tuesday afternoon he start
ed, made a mastorly detour, and just
before sundown, faced straight for Flor
ence. He struck a patch of canebrake
about midnight, for the march had
never been abated for darkness. Here
he hid his men, and there they stayed
all night, all day Wednesday, and, just
at dusk, they crept out, six miles from
Florence, and pulled for the town. The
surprise was complete. 1t still lacked
an hour of eight o'clock and when the
rattle of musketry, which told of flying
rebels, had died away, the federals
were in command.
They threw out pickets and sur
rounded a good portion of residence
district, particularly the home of Judge
Blank, where Colonel Phillips had of
ten visited. 1t wasn't as light as a
house of wedding ought to be, but the
colonel dismounted, and knocked at the
door. Just what he meant to do no
body knew. Maybe he will tell by now
but, having driven away the doughty
major, he had Ii tie fears he could win
, the ma jors charmer.
, Judge Blank himself answered the
Il.
had grown too strong to work since the
2 well dressed, and he was a good dea
frightened. But the familiar figure O.
Colonel Phillips reassured him.
: Why, Colonel he said, is it you?
Come in.
< 1t is l. said Phillips gri1nly, goine
in.
3 They entered the parlor and sa
r down. The judge apologized for no
appearing in fuller dress, and after hi
2 apology was accepted, conversation
tagged little. There was nothing il
the rather strained relations of South
ern and Northern to make them spe
cially sociable, yet they had frequently
met on cordial terms, and did so agaiI
, !, this last time. But it soon happened
, that there was nothing more to tall
= about and then Colonel Phillips reveal
, ed the secret of his pre-occupation b.
, asking.
Where is Miss Charity?'
} 'Charity? said the father, q little sur
prised and a little inclined to cultivat'
a twinkle in his left eye, 'Oh, She
married.
'Married!' shouted the colonel, leap
! ing to his feet. The devilp
l TO whom are you referring? asked
= the old man, sober in an instant, bu
; carefully polite.
/ oh, to no one-certainly not to her
1 Who married herY
] Rev. DR.. Brown, of the First Bap
4 tist-'
No; l mean to whom was she mar
> ried?' Colonel Phillips was gettin!
! very angry.
TO Major Falkenburg, of the Con
. federate army. They left the Tuscum
: bia at nine o'clock last night-righ
: after the wedding
The federal officer was an extremel.
> angry, an awfully chagrined man. IL
= could have prevented that marriage
y but some fiend sent him the news tha
the ceremony would occur Wednesda,
night instead of Tuesday. He rave'
: around for time a really pitiable ob
iect, for he did love that little girl, ant
= u he knew he was worthy of her. But h.