Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-04-28
How Jim's Wife Went South.
BY II. o. LELAND.

OafaHuaI, oue evening not loHS ago
The quartet of men in the big bay
window were three of them old ac-
quaintances, although meeting that
day in the southern city by accident.
Pond was on his way to Palatka to
join his coast survey party; Georgeson
had been down at Key West on a
collecting trip for the National Mu-
scum, and was now on his way back
to Washington; Middlebrook, a col
lege friend of Ponds, was visiting in
Savannah with Judge Borden, who
had introduced the trio at the club
and was now, after perfect little
dinner, entertaining them with story
after story of southern life before and
during the war.
The judge was an elderly man, ia
nous as raconteur, and. young in
heart himself, was fond of younger
men. and never enjoyed 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.
l would hardly exchange my expert
ence 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, tall, dark fellow of thirty
odd, we'll known in scientific circles
in Washington, smiled broadly:
'sI was thinking, judge" he said,
"while you were telling that expert
ence of your wife's at Nashville of an
experience of another little woman
had at the north about the same time,
and while, as you suppose, remem-
ber 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 call
ing for cigars the judge settled back
in his easy chair in comfortable way,
as good listener as he was talker
1.-THE little woman in my mind" +"
said Pond, "was living in Baltimore
in 1862. She was only twenty, but
had been married two years, and girl
baby of nearly year occupied her
time day and night Six months be-
fore her husband had been sent to
North Carolina and was acting as
naval storekeeper at an important
station of the North Atlantic squad
ron. and she had been left in board
ing house with widowed aunt.
at was awfully hard on the poor
little thing to live away from her hus-
band, but of course it was no place for
her down there; so she had to make
the best of it 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 from the south,
and she'd tell her how much she loved
him, and how Lonesome she'd been
while he was gone, and what a good
baby she had been and how glad lie
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.
'1n fact, it only took about seven
months to make her desperate. In
spite of Jim's description of the desc.
lation of the place, and in fact partly
because of it, she made up her mind
to join him. Three-quarters of jim,
salary had been coming to her ever,
month from the paymaster general,
Office in Philadelphia, and SO sh,
wrote to that official and told hin
plainly that she must get transporta
ton TO Wilmington, N. c., and tina
she would die. or something of tn,
sort, if she didn't In few days
reply came. on official paper, signet
u. c. Smith, assistant stating that i
was practically impossible to compl,
with her request. but that an oppor
tunity might come by some possibilii,
q. some future day, and asking fur
ther particulars as to her reasons
whether her husband was sick an,
whether she was strong enough t
stand such rough journey.
"The little woman replied in full
and thinking -. G. Smith to be
person of great importance, made q
strong all appeal to him as possible
| He r.,&l,, ,r1;.l, oorna xynro,t -