Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-01
MY CORRESPONDENT.


yard from tip to tip. l rather fancied
all that sort of thing was for women
and girls and perhaps [ might have
thought so still if I had never been tC
the army, and had never come back, to
sit, hour by hour, for weary days doina
nothing Then L began to read works
of fiction, and to wonder as / found
the ones l liked most We're the truest
whether my left hand writing might
not be turned to some account in jotting
down my memories, and mixing them
up with my fancieS, as they say story
writers by profession do. and as [ think
probable.
1t was patriotic as most fellows, /
nope, but when [ marched away [ did
think of riding back General Bagnet-
Wen say Bagnet; it's as good u name as
any other. L could see mothers eyes
sparkle and Sister Jean clap her hands
for joy but [ didn't think as much of
that as of what Miss Stockton would
think Of it all. To tell the truth she had
driven me away from home. l was
desperately in love with her. That might
have kept me, you say. But you see
she was the belle of the place, and her
people were very fashionable and lived
III a great country seat, with Il host of
servants to wait upon them, and we
were only farmers, and in busy seasons
mother and Jean did their own house
work, and [ knew | was rough and I'M
polished and not fit for her, and under
stood that though she never took airs
SHE felt as much above me as though
we were not ali free and equal" So
L said this to myself: III never pine
and whine about it. AS / am / couldn't
win her; I'll go away with the boys and
fight as a soldier should, and I'll make .
name even she might be proud of, and
come back, God willing, to try my fate "
So Rachael Stockton did drive me from
home, you see, and make Il soldier of
me without knowing it.
l shall never forget how mother took
it. She was in the kitchen peeling
onions when l went in to tell her.
She said:
Paul, what brings you home so early
You're not sickY'
No mother" said l, I'm well
enough, but | thought I'd spend the last
afternoon with you. Pm off tomorrow
off" cried She Where Paul."
TO the army" said L I've en-
listed"
She dropped the knife she held and
sat down, the great tears rolling down
her cheeks.
They say we mothers should be glad
to send our boys from u.s." she said,
but it's hard to hear. | shan't ever
see you again, Paul. | know that well. >
why mother" said l, what Il
fancyr
But fancy or not, she stuck to it, and
kept sobbing softly to herself as though
l were dead. She got everything ready
for me, but she never once stopped
crying, and | went away leaving her in
tears. l never saw her smile again, for
n month afterward she died. A fever
broke out in the place, and she was the
fourth who fell its victim. When the
news came | wished almost that | had
put away all my dreams of glory and
fame and Rachel Stockton, and stayed
at home, but it was no use wishing, none
in the world, and l was growing fond of
Il soldiers life-fond, although | began
TO understand it better, and to know
that every brave man did not become
an Otficer-althOugh that fancy of being
some day rich and renowned enough
to make even Miss Stockton proud of
me began to seem no more substantial
than the fancieS of Il dream.
One day when l was rather low sphit-
ed, for we were in camp and there was
nothing to do but think, my friend Jack
AmmOn came to me laughing.
DO you want some fun?" asked he
Fun" said !. is there any,
Yes said he. Join the postoftice
club"
What's that?' asked l.
"A dozen of us have formed a club, -
said he. Were going to correspond
with any charitable young ladies who
will take pity on our forlorn situation"
Nonsense said l.
Fact" said he.
We'll" said l, in the first place I'm
no writer. In the next place l don't be-
ieye any girl l should care to cor
respond with would write to me-"
Nonsense for YOU" said he. The
girls think Il good deal of the soldier
boys, L can tell YOU
They put an advertisement in the Hay
Hill Journal, and each of them had d
letter. Jack showed me one. read il.
1t was Il school girliSh thing, but pleas
ant too Certainly there was no harm
III it. SO l joined the club, and wrote d
letter to whoever chose to answer it.
The girls, whose real names were hid
den, were told of it, and one day an
answer came to me signed Leah.
1t took my fancy. l wrote again
Pretty soon l began to wish 1 knew who
my correspondent was. Some of tht
fellows had their suspicious who wrote
to them. One discovered, [ remember.
ed, that it was his own sister who had
been hoaXing him. l had no cIeW tC
mine. l grew more and more interested
with every epistle until at last I quite
forgot Rachel Stockton in my unknown
friend. While we were in our winter
quarters the postotfice club was well
sustained, but by and by one dropped
off and then another. Some We're toe
busy to write. A hard days fight takes
fun and romance out of a man.
Jack AmmOn was shot. l remember
the bullet that killed him passed through
the last letter he had ever had from tn,
school girl who wrote to him. vii
Brush died of a fever. One by one al
the correspondents ceased their Letters
except myself and this mysterious