The record-union., 1894-09-01

| through my dreams, whispered encour-
! agenent in the very ping of bullets
beside my head, hung like the flaming
! Virgin III the rapt pictures of the mas
ters tioated spiritlike within and above
the smoke of our cannon and took on
| dolorous and awful forms in every grew
some change of cloud hung battle.
Never did old Charles hoofs ring out
such impatient staccato as when he bore
me TO the ancient mansion where l had
found Signor Bellini's conservatory to be
located. Never did his laggard hoofs so
drive despairing echoes into riders heart
as when we turned away from the place,
now transformed into army engineers
headquarters, where's mart sentries were
pacing the broad portlco or lettering be-
side the silent fountains.
Then followed weeks of fruitless, heart
deadening search.
The tuEter OF every woman's gown, the
| flash OF every woman's hand the half
caught glimpse of every woman's face,
startled me on and on with the thrill of
| hope which ever ended in desolate pang
of utter dread and loss.
Back at the camp, where had bscome
haggard, moody and silent, one day Cor
poral Ez Carter stopped his tender num-
bers of DAISY Deane'' long enough to
| remark in a melancholy tone TO some
comrades near:
The campaign was too much for Lit
tie Buttons. He's going off all in a
| heap!'
| Then the boys began to regard me more
| closely. The rough fellows would edge
up to me with cheery and sympathetic
| words. Some brusquely took from me
various portions OF nay work. Even the
best of our poor food found its way to my
! plate at mess.
| They piled me with all manner of faith
erly questions. While the tears wellei
into my foolish eyes l could only remain
stubbornly silent. Then by a little ruse
they brought me to the DOCTORS attention
at sick-call.
"Shamming! Bah! Shammingn' was
| his pleasant dictum with an oath, as he
| mounted his horse and with his assistant
rode away; but that brigade surgeon
would never have returned to head
quarters with whole bones had not his
good steed taken him at lively pace out
OF the clutches or the lighting boys of
! Battery ID.
Faith it's shamers ye all arep' indg-
nantly remarked Sergeant McGee. Cant
ye see it's th' ache o. th' heart for tn
| home behind that's attn th' life out o.
| Little Buttons?'
| And SO it stood at homesick ness with
Inc men; ana Ez Carter, loyal soul that
| he was, sang himself hoarse and whistled
himself parched and dry from his efforts
| 10 enllVen my spirits with the saddening
! sgalns OF Daisy Deane," and even big
Andy, with protruding eyes and bulging
| cheeks, worked beside me for hours out
OF The very goodness of his honest Ger
man heart, with his ear-splitting bugle's
| blare, while Manzel Burr. Freem Har-
| ford, Doc Lewis and Seed Rogers. from
as many different squads-and bless their
| generous tenderness 10 the end OF their
civilian days-endeayored to win me
| back TO comradeship through cards, in
the adroit bestowal upon my fortunes of
various tempting Jack pots"
But l carried my secret and my hurt
alone, the sorrieSt way on earth to carry
a grievous load.
Added TO its crushing weight was an
other momentous secret which almost
lrenzied my boyish heart.
| AT department and corps Headquarters
] my frequent visits had made officials and
attaches unmindful of my tiny presence.
| had seen enough and heard enough to
dimly comprehend the coming scatter
ing of Atlanta's inhabitants and the com
| plete annihilatlon of the city by fire.
Whatever depths OF dolor this life NAV
have IN store for me, there can never
again come the dread, the actual despair
/ aud the agony OF compassion which |, as
that boy soldier, constantly suffered until
this measureless brutality of pretended
military necessity was partially COM
! plete.
Contemplation of the monstrous in
| humanity, coupled with its certain ex-
! tinction of my last hope to succor the ILL
lated Beatrice, SO maddened my childish
soul that l would almost have committed
| murder to have averted it. For the few
days between the PRONUNCIATION of the
order for the city's depopulation and this
! saddesJ exodus OF modern history. | was
half beside myself with impotence and
grief.
! The highway leading from the city to
| the Confederate lines above Loyeioy's
! trailed alongside our camp. Sherman's s
/ huge army wagons were utilized to trans
port such as had no other means of con-
| veyance. y double line of Federal
guards fenced III the highway to point
where the flags of the Union and the Con
| federacy, with the white emblem OF truce
between, stood side by side.
Here, Confederate guards carried on the
| bristling fronts of soldiery to the picket
and main lines of the Southern army.
Nearly thirty thousand human souls,
| driven ruthlessly from their homes were
| forced through this infamous Highway
| of Despair; and with flashing ewes and
| heart of shame for my country and it's
cause, l believe l looked into the face of
every refugee that passed that way. MAY
God spare the world another such fright
/ full panorama of human Woe!
| Toward evening on the third and last
! day Of the dreadful exodus, all but half
score wagons had passed our camp.
Interested and curious comrades, in
solemn-faced squads, from time to time
! had kept me company.
"Come on to mess, boys. That's the
last of 'em ~ cried one of the artillery
men; and all but myself, who was watch
/ ing the cavalcade to the last lagpard
refugee. and Sergeant McGee, who was
regarding me graVely and quizzically,
! departed hastily for their suppers beside
/ the campflres.
l had risen from my seat on the old
stone wall abutting the road to return
TO my tent with Dennis; but at that
moment l saw two faces which set IN Y
/ little body trembling.
One was the dark face of a man of Latin
blood. Jolted from side to side by the
heavy wagon, he was wheedling and
scowling and half supporting as best he
could the slight figure of a maiden. The
other, when the violence of the wagons
! jolting had for an instant tossed her curls
aside. l knew was the face of Beatrice.
''Ye have a bad Chill" said Dennis
/ curtly, turning toward the tents. Come
along, Little Buttons, and WE'LL bate
| that agy wild drop o th' rale right sortp'
/ In the moment his back was TO me
had sprung into the open end OF the
wagon behind the one containing SIgnor
| BelIini and Beatrice, a wagon filled with
| singing and wailing negroes, and in an
other moment Sergeant McGee and the
pleasant camp of Battery ID were shut
from sight by the binding dust of the
road.
All roads may be alike to the madness
of youth. but the road that led to the pos
sible rescue OF this helpless girl was the
only one then open on earth to me.
All the transport wagons belonging to
General Sherman had been rapidly re-
turned. The last few which were being
hurried forward belonged to the enemy.
l could see, from occasional glances as