Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-23
A WARTIME STORY.

se0 Vi men III Jhe big bay window were
three of them old acquaintance, although
meeting that day in the southern city by
accident. Pond was on his way to Palatka
to join his coast survey party Georpeson
had been down at Key West on a collect
ing trip for the National museum and was
now on his way back to Washington. Mid
dlebrook, college friend of Pond, was Wis
1ting in Savannah with Judge Borden, who
had introduced the trio at the club and was
now, after perfect little dinner, enter
tanning them with story after story of
southern life before and during the war.
The judge was an elderly man, famous as
raconteur, and young in heart himself
was fond Of younger men and never en-
Joyed himself so well as on occasions of
this kind, but he finally stopped short after
yarn about the occupation of Savannah
by Sherman's army.
Don't ask me for any more, boys. Those
were great days, and you may well regret
that you were born so late would hardly
exchange my experience for all your youth
and ambition. Let me see. You're the
Oldest of the three, Mr.. Pond, and yet I'll
warrant you remember nothing of the war"
Pond. n tail, dark fellow of over 30, well
known in scientific circles in Washington,
smiled broadly.
u was thinking, judge" he said, while
you were telling that experience of your
wife's at Nashville Of an experience another
little woman had at the north about the
same time, and while, as you suppose. re-
member nothing of the war myself. | have
vivid personal interest in this event"
Let us hear it," said the Judge. ITS
only fair that the other side should be given
chance" And calling for cigars and a
fresh bottle Of Moselle the Judge settled
back in his easy chair in a comfortable. red
faced way, as good listener as he was a
talker.
4 The little woman in my mind" said
Pond, was living in Baltimore in 1862
She was only 20, but had been married two
years, and girl baby of nearly a vear Or
cupied her time day and night. Six months
before her husband had been sent to North
Carolina and was acting as naval store.
keeper at an important station of the north
Atlantic squadron, and she was left in a
boarding house with widowed aunt.
ut was awfully hard on the poor little
thing to live away from her husband. but
of course it was no place for her down
there, 50 she had TO make the best of il on
his infrequent letters. She actually used
TO put the baby up in her high chair and
make believe that she was Jim, Just back
nom the south, and she'd tell her how much
she loved him and how lonesome she'd been
while he was gone, and what IA good baby
she had been, and how glad he would be to
see her, until she was all mixed up in her
personal pronouns and broke down and
cried over her own poor little game.
''fn fact, it only took about seven months |
TO make her desperate. In spite of Jim s de !
scription of the desolation of the place. and
In fact partly because of it, she made up her /
mind to join him. Three-quarters of Jim's |
salary had been coming to her every month |
from the paymaster generals Office in Phila- !
delphia, and so she wrote to that official and /
told him plainly that she must get trans
portation to Wilmington, N. c., and that |
she would die, or something of that sort, if /
abe didn't.
'In few days reply came on official
paper signed y. G. Smith, assistant stat
ing that it was practically impossible to
comply with her request, but that an CD
portunity might come by some possibility
at some future day and asking further par
ticulars as to her reasons, whether her hus-
band was sick and whether she was strong
enough TO stand such a rough journey.
"The little woman replied in full, and
thinking j. G. Smith to be "A person Of
great Importance made as strong an ap-
peal to him as possible. His reply, which
came promptly, strengthened her idea Of
his Importance, for he stated that he had
been touched by her appeal, and that it was
fortunate that her original letter had come
TO him, for he would be able to do more for
her than any one in Philadelphia
And then more questions were asked.
and the correspondence was continued. on
her part with the single idea that the good
Mr.. Smith was doing his best to secure her
passage 10 Wilmington, while on his part ;
it was a Irritation with little grass wild
oY,' with perhaps something further in
view, for the scoundrel was only a clerk in
the Office and of bad reputation, as it was ,
afterward found.
AT last letter came, written, as usual.
on official paper, stating that the chance /,
had come, that the coal schooner Sarah :
Jane would sail for the station from pier s,
just outside Of PHILADELPHIA. on !
thk following Wednesday, and that the lit =
tie woman should come to PHILADELPHIA on
the train arriving at 8 o'clock Tuesday /.
evening and should 20 to Kruger's hotel
Dn Blank street, where Mr.. J. c. Smith -.
would meet. her and see that she was made :
comfortable and put on the vessel In the
best shape imaginable
Then she was happy she told her aunt
.hao she and the baby were going to join |,
IiiI3, and in spite Of the strongest protesta. n
ions proceeded to pack her trunk.
'asShe had never Travelled except from the
Iative farm down ON the eastern shore to :.
Baltimore, and the old lady insisted that IN
Ter inexperience and with a young baby
he would meet with all sorts of trouble
nd would probably not get there alive.
imith had stated in his letter that there
vas only room in the Sarah Jane for one Ia
passenger, and so the aunt could not have W
one too
"In spite Of everything however, the s.
runk was packed, and with the baby's Il
rib and the pet rockrg chair was put on Il