Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-06-10

ship. They could be forbidden to eat
with the elect, but the elect would not
forbid them to pray. Even III the sane
tuary. however, only hostile OF averted
looks were youchsafed 10 Col. Sweet
and Capt Vinton when first they sought
it's doors; bat in the course of few
months the women found shat their sol
diers-their husbands, brothers, or low
ers, whom the war had spared-wer-
actually fraternizing with the Yankee
invaders. and that between those who
had done hard and honest fighting on
either side there was springing up firm
and honest friendship. The irreconcil-
ables were limited, apparently, to the
noncombatants. When the squadron
was ordered elsewhere after a six
months sojourn at Quitman, the popu-
lace was astouished to find how much
the troopers were missed and really
needed; for even Yankee custom hal
been acceptable In the stores and Yam
kee contributions welcome in the
church. business had brought Col.
Sweet to Summers office, and in the
course of frequent visits cordial rela-
tons We're established, and Floyd Wall
tor could hardly treat with disdaIn
soldier and gentleman whom his
patrons welcomed, even had he long
retained the disposition to do so.
The command had not been gone
week before men were unaccountabIy
wishing it back, and when it reap
4 4 IL - rH-sae1
actually welcomed by people who would
have secuted the possibility of such
thing the year before. This time Col.
Sweet announced 10 the rector that his
wife aud daughter would speedily fo!-
low, and were even then in New Orleans,
awaiting his instructions TO come. The
hotel was no place for ladies in those
rough days; the rector went TO Mrs.
Tower, and Mrs. Tower no longer re-
sisted the Inevitable. Floyd Walton,
going to tea one hot June evening, was
astonished to find himself in the pres
ence of two ladies', one Of them pretty
girl Of perhaps is, and TO be presented
10 Mira. ard Miss Sweet. Within n
week the young fellow was spending his
evenings at the Towers, and within the
month was hopelessly in love. Then
came trouble. lie hadn't a cent in the
world. She was a soldiers daughter,
and presumably poor. Whether she
was poor or not, be, at least, had moth
ing to offer, and, having nothing, held
his tongue, though he could not hold
his peace. That was gone.
That was wretched summer and
autumn. The fire ragged along the gulf,
and cholera swooped upaa the garrison.
Sweet got his wife ard child away to
the mountains They left suddenly.
while Floyd was on brief visit to his
mother and sisters. II was December
when they came back. Meantime Judge
Summers had abandoned practice and
gone to live at his old home at Sand
brook Mr.. Todd could offer young
Walton no help; there was 10 money
In law business just then. Matters
at Tugaloo were going from bad TO
worse, aud Walton found himself abso-
lutcly without money 70 pay his board.
That made no difference to Mrs. Tower.
She told him his mothers boy was az
welcome as her own, and made him well
come where fascination all too strong
already held him. Something In Jen-
ME Sweets gentle manner had changed
She was nervous, i'll at e2ae, and sought
TO avoid him. Something In her
mothers manner, too, was very differ
ent. And one day the truth came out.
The frequency with which letters be-
gan chasing one another from the north
explained the whole thing. Jenny Ind
met her fate that fatal summer among
the Virginia mountains, and was en-
gagged TO be married. Mrs. Sweet re-
ferred 10 the happy man ns "a wealthy
gentleman from Philadelphia, few
years older than Geneyieve, but q most
charming person." Geneyieve herself
said little or nothing, but looked none
too radiant. Col. Sweet said less, but
looked much at her,
Then Floyd Walton found another
boarding place, and one where the In
nuenccs were worse. lie threw up his
position In the law Office and took an
humble clcrkship at "A store. II paid
him enough TO board and lodge him,
with drink, he got 10 serving himself,
and TO associating with a regular set,
some young townsmen, some soldiers.
There were stories OF gambling and
quarrel even before Col. Sweet found
that Jenny, the apple of his eye, was
dropping In that southern climate, and
sent her, with her mother, north "for
good" The next thing heard OF Floyd
Walton was that he had gone 10 New
Orleans with discharged soldieri and,
even while gricying over her boys in
frequent letters and evident hopeless
ness and depression, Mrs. Walton re-
ceivcd u missive one day that left her
PROSTATE. She went nlone TO Quitmnn
ms coon as able to move, and came back
within 4s hours looking years older,
and both the girls soon knew that she
bad parted with the diamond earrings
that were their fathers lagt gift 10 her
in the happy, prosperous dayB that pre-
ceded the wnr Floyd had written that,
gtarving, drunk or druRged, and des-
perute, he hnd been led by his associate
before a recruiting officer, had been
sent with others az reckless as himself
to sober up at the quarters Of cavalry
command near the city, and that, the
next thing he knew, he With IA squad OF
gevcn recruits wus on his way 70 join
troop stationed within few miles OF
his home, instead, ns he had been as-
surcd would be the case, Of being sent
10 the Fourth cavalry on frontier duty
against the Indians In Texas. "fhey
broke their con trnct," he said, "nnd i
broke mine" lie had deserted. and, ~
captured, would be sent 10 hard lnbor
Mt Baton Rouge penitentiory or 10 the
Dry Tortugns.
Such stories leak out despite every
effort 10 conceal them, but not until
Just before Lnmberts coming 10 join
Company q did Mrs. Walton dream
that Esther knew OF her brothers
peril. A sudden outcry in her garden
one day brought her In haste 70 the
spot. and there were drunken soldier
and her qundroon maid Elinor he de-
manding liquor and she the return Of
u pitcher which he had evidently
matched from her hand, Madam Wnl-
toms stately presence and her impcrlous
order that he leave the premises ~ once
only partially sobcrcd him. Ho gave
her TO understand that IF she reported
him he could bring shame upon her