The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-12-26

poor widow, known for miles around ns
Aunt Sally Her son, n lad OF twenty,
whom everybody called Billy Cochran,
was q great favorlte, especially with
Major Goolsey, wealthy planter.
By Aunt Sally, When, therefore, the
boy was taken as n recruit to the con.
federate army, the major threatened
aud deled the conscrlpt officer but II
wasNot no avail, and little Billy was
forced to 60.
II,
or course, everybody sympathized
with Aunt Sally, ana their sympathy
added to her grief, for she was a tender
bepfted woman. Moreover, when She
found herself the object OF so much CON
dolencp, she naturally concluded that
her trouble was great deal worse than
she had any Idea OF, and she sat In her
humble home and wept, and, like RAJ
chel, refused 10 be O0lnfprted.
But the situation was not nearly 80
bad as Aunt Sally thought II was, or rs
Mai Goolshy expected II would be, The
major himself sent her a little negro
girl TO keep her company and the neigh
boris for miles around contended with
one another In their efforts to make her
comfortable. Not q day passed, except
Sundays, that Miss Mary, the majors
daughter, didn't drive out 10 Aunt Sal
ly'a little place and spend an hour or
two with her Miss Mary was is, as
pretty Us u peach, and as full OF fun as
an egg Is OF meat, She was brunette
with blue eyes, and although they were
laughing eyes, they could look very SAD
and tender when occasion called for H..
She made herself very useful TO Aunt
Sally. She read 20 her the letters that
little Billy sent back from the canS3,
OF instruction at Loudersvllle, ana
answered Thorn ut Aunt sally'6 dicth-
ton. In this way she came 10 feel that
abe knew little Billy better than any
one else except hls mother, She was
surprised 10 tind that, although little
Billy had had few advantages In the
way Of schooling, no could write n
beautiful letter. She took the fact
home to her innocent bosom and Won
dered how II could be that this country
lad had the knRck OF putting himself
into hia letters along with 80 many
other things that were interesting. She
was touched, too, by the love for his
mother that shone through every line
he wrote. Over and over again, he
called her his dear nanny ind tried
70 comfort her; and sometimes he spoke
OF Miss Mary, and he was 20 dett In ex-
pressing his gratitude to her that the
young lady blushed and trombled lest
some one else was writing little Billy'B
letters, as abe was writing his mothers.
And then. somehow. she never knew
how, his face came back TO her memory
and PLANTED itself In her mind and re-
mnined there. Little Billy was no
longer the green. awkward and un-
calmly country boy, peddllng the scanty
fruits Of his poverty about the village,
but hero who had no thought for any.
body or anything except his dear old
nanny.
AZ the cold weather came on. little
Billy wrote that he would feel u great
deal more comfortable In the wind u he
knew where nc could get thick suit OF
clothes and q heavy pairOf shoes But
he begged his dear NANNY not to
worry about that. for he had no doubt
the clothes and shoes would be forth
canning when he needed them most.
Miss Mary skipped this part OF the let
tor when she was reading II nloud to
Aunt Sally, but II wasn't long before
the clothes were made. with the aid and
under the direction OF little Dilly's
moth6ry and the shoes were bought.
costing Major Goolsby pretty round
sum in confederate currency. Ahore.
over. Miss Mary baked o fruit cake with
her own hands. and this was 20 b. put
In the box with the clothes and the
shoes.
The next thing was to end out II any.
body from Marlborough or from the
countryside was going 10 the camp OF
instruction, where little Billy'S head.
quarters were but right In the midst
q NJ ERa 20
Sally fell III. She had never recon-
cIled herself to her separation from lit
tie Billy. Until the conacript law tore
him away from her side she had never
been parted from him day since the
Lord sent him to her arma
The strain was too much for the
motheriy heart TO bear. Aunt Sally
gradually plncd away, though she tried
hard 10 DO cheerful and, at last, Just
before little Bllly's Christmas box was
70 be sent, she took to her bed and lay
there o. helpless US child. The doc
tor came and prescribed, but little Billy
was the only medicine that would do
Aunt Sally any good. So she kept TO
her bed, growing weaker and weaker,
In spite OF everything that the doctor
and the nciRhbors could do.
At last when an opportunity came
10 forward the box. Miss Mary wrote q
note and pinned II where II could be
seen the first thing. She begun II with
Dear Little Billy" but this seemed too
familiar, and she began II with "Mr
Cochran" She told him that his dear
nanny was very III, and II he wanted
10 soc her he would do well to come
home Ut once. II was very pretty LETT
ter. bTiof. simple and sympathetic.
III.
When little Billy arrived at the camp
OF instruction. the first person on whom
his eye fell was Private Chadwick