The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-02-13

TWO CAPTAINS AND A BEAUTI-
Full WOMAN.
Handsome Csptaia Tom who courted
Dssth Among Bullets sni Found
IL In Broken Heart
The Other Captain.

OF our company, says writer In the
Detroit Free Press. ! hadn't known
him as q civilian but as his first luff''
when ! was assigned TO his company I
had right to expect something like
friendship and confidence on his part
The captain ranks his first lieutenant
of course and when he stands on his
dignity he is the superior officer. I"
but when of parade there used to be-
no question Of rank among company
officers. Captains and lieutenants
were .chums" and partners and
pretty we'll posted on each others
private affairs.
Captain Tom was less than 80 years
old. and handsome dashing fellow.
only he was distracted and melail-
choly. He shut himself up like a
clam and kept you at a distance. He
never sang. nor whistled nor entered
into conversation outside OF military
matters. Now and then / walked in
on him when his thoughts were else
where, and there was either such sor-
row in his face as to make your heart
ache. or such look of devilish
ferocity as to make you chill.
Down in the ranks there were whis-
pers that he had been married to n
beautiful young lady; that after a
year or SO they had quarreled; that
she had gone from his home one day
and mover returned--gone with a man
she loved better. / caught some OF
these whispers. as did the second lieu
tenant though we never mentioned
the fact to each other. We held our
captains sorrow to be his own. and.
while we thought him a bit too ICY
we did not seek to break down his re-
serve. ~
knew more about him after our
first fight knew that he was utter
ly reckless of life--that he courted
death. When our company was de-
tached and advanced as skirmishers he
held us right up to the work until the
enemy's battle line fairly walked over
us, killing or capturing half our
strength. They must have fired at
him fifty times. but he was not even
scratched. After that knew that The
story must be true, and that he no
longer cared to live. / knew it and
pitied him the more.
At Frederick burg as we marched
against Mayres Hill, fragments of the
same shell wounded both OF us and we
were carried back across the river and
sent to Washington. My hurt was in
the side, his in the right leg. 1t was
something to keep him in bed for
a few weeks, but nothing really seri-
Gus. Our cots were side by side. but
we had little to say to each other. He
had grown even more reserved since
the fight When the surgeon came to
overhaul him and told him that it was
only a question OF few weeks. he
seemed disappointed. think he had
cherished the hope that he was NOR
tally wounded.
Well. one day after we had been
there about fortnight l lay looking
at Captain Tom. who was asleep, and
wondering il the sunshine would
never come back to his life. Our feet
were toward an aisle or passageway.
and just opposite his cot and perhaps
ten feet away. was that OF a captain
who had been wounded in the same
fight The room was large. and so
full OF wounded officers that no one
paid any attention to any one else un-
less he was comrade. / just simply
there. and that he was badly hurt
As i lay looking ut Captain Tom
heard the voice OF woman in tbs
aisle and turned my eyes to behold
lady OF about rs, richly dressed.
and with one OF the sweetest faces
man ever looked upon. Some one
had brought her to see the captain
across the aisle and as she reached
his cot she uttered a little cry OF sur
prise and gladness.
1t was that cry that woke Captain
Tom. As his eyes opened his fuce
betrayed scared and puzzled look.
Had he heard arightp Was that q
familiar voice? Had he dreamed OF
hearing itp The lady bent over the
wounded officer and kissed him and
called him her darling. and now Cap
tain Tom struggled upon his elbow
and looked at her.
In ten seconds his face was whittier
than any dead mans. He shut his
teeth. uttered a Kissing noise through
them. and such look of suffering aud
despair as came over his face | hope
never to look upon again. ! was be-
wildered for a moment but was about
10 cry out when he fell back. gasped
once or twice. and knew that he was
dead.
They took his body away. and tho
lady never looked into his face nor
learned his name. An hour or two
after she had gone away. smiling
through her tears. the surgeon came
to dress my wound. He asked what
l had seen and heard. and l told him.
.Ah! That explains!" he said.
Captain Tom died OF broken heart
just that and nothing else!'
They Both Painted.