Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-03-11
LOVE THROUGH ENMITY,

aH-eN-ANft y tAAG SAA oOAN1aCt. Ills WIG duO
L. We had been chatting and laugh
ing merriiY. aud then influenced per.
hEps by the caimness of the night
-we. too, became quiet aud thought.
nut And SO we sat watching the
soft moonlight playing over the broad
green lawn and the twinkling stars
peepiag between the great snowy
clouds and listening TO a lonely katy
did calling its mate and mocking
bird warbling softly to its young.
The old soldier looked around
EhoughLfuliy for awhile. then toying
with the buttons on his coat said half
ffloHd and more to himself than to US:
at was Just such night as this
just such a night The moon was
full aud gave soft mellow light.
Ssich q night as it was. couldn t
forget it even though / lived forever.
1t was shortly before the capture OF
Richmond and we were ordered to
burn Banks place and keep the fiery
work up along the line as far up as
fEhe Heath's where one OF our camps
was
When soldiers ara commanded
they must obey. whether to charge a
battery or burn some gray headed
mother out o. a house aud home
White the order sometimes meant
haras alone there wasn't one chance
~ five OF any house escaping after
she barn was fired. Only those troops
detailed TO carry out the order can
realize what il meant and the hard
ships entailed. The order was i'm
Peratiye. No warning was given IN
less the great smoke rising up here
@and there 10 sigaify destruction. were
taken as warnings OF what was to
come
"A squad Of men galloped up the
women and children we're told the
substance of the order aud the match
was applied. An hour later they sat
on the grass housetess and homeless
and nearly dumb with terror. War
brought on a thousand hardships but
this order brought ruin and desola.
. sioR. One might pity. but one could
not protest. On the night of which |
speak Q rode up to the Banks place.
a quaint cd farm house half hidden
among fruit trees There was no
need 70 knock on the door Tor every
ooe being on the alert for anything
and everything. we were seen and
met by a little girl who wore gray
fer her country. but had eyes as blue
rs her Yankee lover coat
Size was trembling so that she
dropped on the steps to keep from
falling. One Of the windows opened
snd the white head OF man raised
up OF of his pillow but through ner-
Sous excitement he fell back without
saying i word.
We told the girl our orders.
whereupon she fell upon her knees
before me and prayed us to have
mercy and leave them their home.
She sobbed, pleaded and prayed till
tears ran down my checks like rain.
Then. taking me by my hand. she led
me into room where lay this white.
haired old man. ill helpless and bed
ridden. then in another room where
lay a girl IN the last stages OF con-
sumption. Then leading me quietly
out on The gallery again she said be-
tween her sobs. still holding my
.haRds between hers and looking into
my eyes;
o leave US our home I've no.
where TO 60 no one to go TO- What
vii ray poor old grandfather do? Lie
on tho grass under that tree and diep
And my sister dying with consump-
zion, shall she breathe her last lying
1ut there too without shelter or foodp
on. in Gods name spare US our home.
spare us spare US.
When told her orders had to be
obeyed she screamed and tainted and
before she came to her grandfather
and sister had been taken out in the
orchard on their beds and the match
applied TO that home but not by my
hands. would have died In nv
cracks first No one Of the troopers
Il id IL but not me. and | couldn't
even look TO see il done. Eesides |
had caught that little girl in my arms
when she tainted. and held her there
tanning her with my hat When she
came to herself again led her out
IN the orchard where her sister and
were.
i found my right hand bleeding
prOlusely Her falling against il had
reOPencd a very contrary wound re.
ceiyed weeks before. When she saw
the blood she tore strip off the
sheet on which her grandfather was
lying and tied it up tenderly. taking
more pains than my mother would
have doae. We had no Time to lose.
50 when the narrow string was
gied whispered a few words OF
sympathy 20 her held her hand in
second ANA saying Just loud
enough for her to hear. All is fair
"a love and war dear mounted my
0orse ana hurried on TO catch my
Il looked back once and just in
time to seq her look first at her home.
almost ii ashe& then at the old man
and her sister after which she bowed
,i0wn her head and sobbed fear'ullv.
Row my heart ached for her What