Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-12-15
dyer az ssis tort. Five troopers, and q
lieutensnt bsd b been lefs e n a eaerd the


lieutenpnt bad been left tto guard tho
psopefty ard the 6rissns and ttey were
the only signsl slof u iife slowi, around the
quarters and ia D sta bies ;pl,e lis9
was Id osose aud ooin u that Ike should
hayS been sci eotssS ss he ono To pin
hehind hrd woe nos aocopnt 70 ia lnnoh
company to 3 the women the first few
days, but gradual he became recon
piled to his iate and sat wit them Soy.
cry evening and talked of the probable
length OF absence OF the aiien and dis.
oussed tho sobabilit ity of sotion.
They sent once % weels for the mail.
Tho frat Letters iand papersg brought
word that the fouiS tro6ps had jjosnad
their regiment, aid the letters >ltsere
sallsd with gossip d oout the Offices and
their families, for d regimen. IS nseght
but one large family. ThoS came days
Of watching aud waiting, and the Rext
was tho movement OF troops ,ttN Santiago,
Then the women knawsthtlt the war
had begun in earnest The full sealiza-
tion Of 1t came homo to them. Tho older
women remembered when it was moth,
ing forStheir husbands to be ordered out
TO- auppress the Indians, while one or
two Remembered the OWL war, but
there wastnothihg of that kind for tho
wife of the second lieutenant to remea-
ber. She carried herself bravoly, how.
ever, and proudly said that she was the
wife Of d soldier and all soldiers' wives
should ,be brave, d 2remark that greatly
pleased tho others. i, %@& =:
Tho womon learned more about her
now that her husband was not present
to monopolize all her time. They learned
,that she was quite alone in the world,
except for him; that she was an orphan
and that tho aunt who had reared her
had died. This increased their sympathy
for her, IL shat were possible, for she hid
their'sympathy already. They could SEQ
chat .her thoughts were all Of her hus-
band, but If they endeavored to speak
words Of comfort to her she replied, "I
am soldiers wife," T.. r.. .'..
Tho news travelled slowly to them.
That perhaps was tho hardest. Their
husbands night have been in battle and
have been wounded or killed; the four
troops might 10 wipod out and it would
be fully a week before they would know
it. When the papers did arrive, there
was a hurried, GLANCE at tho headlines
aud then Sor tho resimental bead.
p, The battle of Santiago had been
fought and won. Tho news had been
telegraphed uIdersea and overland
and the papers had come out with the
particulars under display headlines. 1t
was just week after that tho papers
reached the fort. Tho trooper brought
them in tho evening and delivered them
to the women, sitting under tho cotton
wood trees that slxirted the parado
ground. The wifo Of tho second ieuten-
ant had gone for walk and was not
with them. A CRY burst from the to
lips Of tho women. Tho headlines tuid
them that their men had been in the
thick OF the fight. They glanced down
tho columns, read the account and Of
tho deeds Of bravery Of their men. They
road the list Of tho dead and wounded.
The wife of the second lieutenant
came up to them. She saw tho papers
lying in tho laps Of tho women; she
glanced at their faces, She read the
truth.
"Tho. has been battle2" she said
interrogatively.
eyes" said one Of the women. {:
"And Robcrt?" sho asked
"He was in the thick Of the fight,
leading his mon OH and cheering them,"
answered ole Of hor companions. "Tho
papors speak Of his courage and bravery;
how no struggled on in tho face Of the
deadly fire, encouraging his mon. Some
of tho mon fell, but with cheer on
their lips for him, and then oame an
awful cross hre." !" i
Sho looked out over tho plain, the
changing the grease wood
and sagebrnsb into shadows and trans-
forming tho beds Of all1ali into shining
waves Of silver. 4.
Il knew he was brave" she said,
land he was wounded2"
Eyes; very severely, and".--- the
woman's voico broke.
There was tho sound Of sobbing, and
one Of the women arose and gontly
placed her arm about the waist Of the
younger woman.
MY dear"- began ono Of them.
Sho drew away and unwound tho arm
about her. Her face was terribly drawn.
cam not soldiers widow?" sho
asked.
Then she turned and walked slowly
into her house.--R. A. Eaton in st.
Louis Rennblic