The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-12-15
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| he seemed to be laboTing under the most
intense excitement. His hands were
clenched, and his eyes were fiercely giar-
| ing with passion.
| The next moment woman stood up
| beside him and set little bucket on the
| log, at the same time weeping bitterly;
and as she Strovc to restrain her tears
with her little white hands her bonnet Tell
| back upon her shoulders, and exposed a
beautiful face of dazzling fairness ana
| features of perfect regularity. The man
raised his right arm in an excited manner,
and instinctively, | clutched my trusty
rife, and the thought flashed through my
mind, IF you strike that woman you are
dead man but before had time to
| give il utterance the woman, throwing
! her arms around his neck, fell SObbIng
upon his breast, locked in his loving en-
brace.
THE PATRIOTS VOW.
How deeply my soul was agitated as
remembered how nearly | had come to
rashly firing when the man first raised
his head from behind the log, What an
escape from shedding innocent blood and
bringing a blighting, oNerwhel Inning SCR
row upon that beautiful woman, who was
now clinging so aifectionately to nm
While was thanking God that had not
fred. the woman's voice broke upon the
still m Juntain solitude, and she gave
utterance to her frantic grief:
",
shall not 90. They shall not take you
from me- and drag you away To hght
people who have never harmed us; per-
haps 10 be killed or thrown into cruGi
prison, No, no; yuu shall not go; VIII
feed YOU here in these mountains as long
as | live before they shall take you from
me, " and she nestled closer to his manly
bosom.
Raising his hand again, as before, he
replied:
"Suzie, Suzie, viii not leave you; no,
will not leave you; but | viii hover
around our home and watch over you and
Willie as long as | can; but If the worst
comes, and | must fight, so help me God!
will fight for the Union of the States as
long as God lets me live"
His voice, although chol1ed with emo
ton, was deep and manly, and sounded
through the solemn stiffness OF the forest
until the awakening echoes OF the great
mountain caught up and repeated the
patriot VOW.
His loud. excited tones seemed to rouse
child that had been sleeping behind the
log; fer pretty soon | heard mama in
childish accents and then little, bright
eyed chubby-faced boy, about three years
DID, ran out from the log and caught his
father with infantile affection; and, Wine
ing his little arms around his parents
knees, he looked wOnderingly up at his
mother and said in pleading voice:
%, papa; don't go,'
The man laid one hand fondly on the
child's head and the woman raised her
self from his breast, and, taking the child
up, said TO it,
willie, kiss papa"
AS the child stretched out its arms,
and put up its little mouth, / stepped
from behind my tree and advanced to-
ward the group. At first they were
startled at my footsteps, but when they
saw it was a Yankee soldier they were
treasured and gave me a cordial greeting,
The man then told his wife it was time
for her TO go home, and, bidding her 10
take the soldier to the house and give
him his dinner" he turned up in the
while the woman led the
way out into the valley to her dwelling-a
! eat little log house; and in few min
uLes she laid before ME an elegant supper;
and although il was the last Of August
the heat was scarcely felt al this cool re-
treat.