Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-08-02
HOME FROM THE WAR


years old when I shouldered my musket
to join tie gray ranks Of Lee. The year
1861 had changed to 1865, and Elsie
was IS, while I, without crutches and
with 40 empty sleeve, was back again
in Louisiana and going that summer
day with Elsie to gather for her the
opening magnolia blooms.
The few negroes who had chung to the
fortunes Of my old plantation home
through it all had made with their axes
beat for me. It was dugout, made
from the trunk of a tree. but / had
drawn the pattern and shaped it more
like birchen canoe of the lake Indians
than the common dugouts or skiffs Of
our lagOOns.
From her home, fire scorched and
half desolate like mine, let her pre-
cede me down the narrow path, through
the tall canes to the waters edge, and
there she entered the boat and made it
skim the water where mirrorad skies
and clouds tried TO beautify the yellow
backwater of the Mississippi
Too soon for me we reached the sunny
bank which was our destination, for [
had not yet decided why it was that [
was sorry because the little girl in short
dresses and ruffied pantalettes had grown
into the beautiful and shy maiden who
sat so near me.
We stepped from the boat to the yell
low gravel, and IN truth it was a lovely
place An artist might have made
picture Of it all. Elsie as she then
looked to me no words could tell of
or pencil sketch. So to disenchanted
eyes she would only be Il young WON
an in the picture. l was sunburned and
tall, dressed as the most Of those were
who for years had received their pay
in paper which had scarcely a value in
gold. Military orders from our con-
querors forbade the Confederate uni
form, and was too poor to buy other
clothes. So had put black buttons in
place of the furnished gilt ones and was
il citizen S dress by the change. l had
sword no more, but only long fishing
pole Of the Louisiana cane, with the
line made into loop for reaching the
great white buds of the trees above US.
This the artist might have mistaken
for an immense coach whip 10 be used
il navigating the cameo. Orr boat,
which was not bark, but log, foated
in the still water behind rs.
In the distant background the bayou
on whose bosom we came disappeared
in the depths of the river swamps.
Above our heads were the magnolia
bougks, green with tho summer emerald
of tLe;r leaves and laden with the
white buds just bursting from their
pale sheaths or with the great white,
waxlik9 flowers, looking as if carved
from marble and fragrant as il bap-
tized with all the dews of Eden. In
strange contrast the long gray boards
Of the northern moss flOated in yards of
delicate vegetation from every branch
of the giant tree. as if the dark, glossy
magnolia leaves and pure flowers that
looked immortal III their opening beauty
had chosen to masquerade III the FROST
ed drapcry of age. Beneath them were
the elastic canes, cropped short by the
cattle, while some OF the green stems,
with their slender, fiaglike leaves, had
presumed upon the long retreat of the
water TO seek the soft mad Of the lagoon
and now barely lifted their heads above
the gold tinted surface Of the full river.
Such the picture might have been to
other eyes. To me it held only the fair
maiden Elsie.
Some way the blossoms within our
reach were left unframed, and we
talked of the days when | was not u
man of nearly 50 and whSu she, too in
nocent and young for prUdery, had sat
upon my knee and told so often over all
her causes for smiles and tears. She
stood and listened while I spoke, $50
near and yet so far her skin as pure
as the magnolia petals and her breath
as sweet as theirs, less than five years
ago my pet IL all familiar friendship,
today the vorshired idol that | dared
not touch So holy Il thing is woman
hood! | spoke again Of how her lips,
from tEoir abundant store, had given
me reward for all the little things l
did, even TO the tales remembered and
told from the Arabian Nights" and
with a fear Of something that l knew
not Of and with a sigh that was more the
end of hope than hope L said:
"EIsie, my friend. / fear y5u have !
grown too old to kiss me now"
She hung her head while roses
blushed upon the pure magnolia skin
and answered:
Eyes, am too old to kiss you now,
but we were very happy then" She |
paused and IL lower tone went on,
would it be wrong to kiss me?"
What judge so young as l ever had
such question put by one so fair, and
Judgment gave with no bias or self in
terest? Eve only for an apple wished,
and the world was lost from temptation
less than mine.
I bent my head and whispered, eff
you were promised as my wife, might
kiss Won while Won live and while the