Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-06-03

some word from him. He hac
changed his regiment, and had beet
put on special duty near one of the
generals. lie might even be a gen.
eral himself, if the war lasted long
enough. He was a captain now.
He had met her father, and they
were friends. when this cruel wal
was over. was the burden and re-
frain of all their letterss Fate
could not be so hard as to part
them.
As the months went by, there
were changes in the positions of the
two armies, which made .Brownton
sssrassgie-peint of-impertanee.
Correspondents began to speak of
it in their dispatches, and to say
that the Soutberners had made a
great mistake in giving up their po-
sition there.
One night, about dusk, man in
tattered blue army overcoat
knocked at the Miller's back door.
All was quiet about the house.
Aunt Cely, the cook, had finished
everything but the waffies for sup
per, and Was singing softly to her
self, while she buttered the irons.
Onewould have supposed that a
hungry Yankee soldier would have
gone on to the next house, where
they we're giving dinner party,
and where every window shone,
yellow with light, through the trees.
The soldiers knew that the Aliens
were Northern sympathizers.
Aunt Cely let the light from the
kitchen candles fall on the strang-
er, with mis- bearded face, and on
his blue coat.
'G'long way frum heah ! she
said. I'VE amt feedin' no po'h
white trash
is your mistress ut home p
None yo' business.
will you take her this button,
and ask her to buy it? need
money
1t was worn gold collar button.
Cely took it, and shut the door.
She had seen that button before.
A moment later she gave it into
Rosie's hands as she sat scorching
her face before the wood fire, read
ing.
'Thar's news from yo' pa, the
negro woman whispered.
Tell him to come here
AS the bearded, blue-coated man
entered the door, he took off his
hat and stood smiling in the light
of the fire. Rosie gave little
gasp.
Harry 2 she said, and few to-
ward him.
'Your father told me to come
here to you, but will not stay.
Nobody knows what the consequent
ces might be if a spy were to be
found in your house..
'You are safer here than any
where else
You are not. | should be a poor
soldier il could not take care Of
myself almost anywhere.
Il will not let you 60 out into
this town, camp of wolves
Suppose they were to trace me
here? The servants must think
that ! was your fathers messenger,
and that | have gone
They will not trace you here
But he was proof against persua-
sion.@ He must go through the
camp; he must know how strong it
was. What a grave, serious man
he had grown to be Upon him
rested the decision whether a con-
siderable force should be brought
here to push the Union men back.
That night Rosie sat all night
long at her white curtained wind
ow, and looked at the camp fires on
the hill. Somewhere, holding his
life and her happiness in his hand ,
Wrenn was going about his work.
Every night she saw him. He
would slip through the garden aud
find her in the rose bower, cold and
wet enough now, where he had first
told her he loved her; and she
would bring MIN food and all the
news she wss able to collect. How
he did his gork she never knew.
One night ,Wrenn spoke Of Rose,
for the first time since that night
in the early summer.
Il heard today that she was to
marry the colonel Of the Northern
regiment here be said carelessly.