The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-25

-, ", w. no one but himself knowsil
!, u costs him. The first time that
l pentufed to think and feel, Twas told /
Win snperiuous blasphemy. but unltn.
pvashaple truth. thnt 1t Waah't my
pusiness TO think or feel. but to do what
! was told. But Il lln't possible FOR ali
men 70 suppress their feelings, md very
1lten think y must have cursed war
from the bottom OF my heart, when /
was 10 the very thick OF Il. ifi1fl,, iI5
40 me spring OF 'c2 rejoincd my reg-
iluent at Paducah and went with Sher-
u,ah,s expedition up. tho Tennessee. Our
s,snteen transports, car, ying four brig
aues. were stretched out! ina long line
lor nVe miles, churnlng The river and
sifeaklng the heavens with recedlng
pillafs OF smoke. Everything on shore
sWas peacefully inviting, for the coun-
Wy seemed TO be deserted. Whenever
p q, ooat stopped at aswood.pile some OF
.he men got ashore and began forag-
f,ns; one afternoon we ran Into q bank
ana a gang OF choppers was called for
70 Iell trees. The captain said we could
young lieutenant OF the Fltty.seventh
Ohio, who was a capital artist. slipped,
his sketch book Into hls'f pocket, and
gave me and n n,essrnnte the wink To
put our pistols In our, pockets and fol-
low him ashore. ~ ,G5s i{
All three OF us wanted TO get foot
loose for awhile In what was 10 us I, n
new country. and the Lieutenant had
seen the glcam OF Corlnthian pillars
away up the slope. Nothing would do
but we must make n call at that house.
we stroUqd up through the trees, no
ticing the stiffness ana desertIon, until
we came to an opening looking out ON
what had once been a well,kept lawn.
ana there we saw an old-fashIoned
southern home, With Its white gallery
ana green blinds flanked by two enor-
nous Juniper trees, Gand at one of the
upper windows we're huddled three or
Tour strained women's faces, looking
with pale wonder and suspense so in
tently at the ominous pageant toillng
UP their qulet river, that they did not
see US, There was no reason why tho
lieutenant should not leave his card and
snow these terror-stricken women that
tue bnrbarous Yanks carried a little
chiValrg With them. I remember how
icaVernous the sound OF that old knock
or was when the lieutenant struck Il
against the door. We waited some time
and raped again, and finally we heard
rusty bolts withdrawn, the door was
timidlv opened about a foot, Pond there
stood an old lady in antique black silk,
the pink spot In her thin face wildly
FACILITATING, and her gray side curls
shaking a little In spite OF her dignity
and self-composure OF went our hats.
and the lieutenant assured her OF our
friendly call. 80 - Ssifi's-.
The. old lady only bowed her head
slightly in acaulescence, as IL she meant
to say. I'VE are helpless, but civil" But
her; lip trembled little. Then she lei
us into the big hall and called, In
brave. thin voice. TO Louise" and we
all looked up the broad. dusky stair
case, expecting. to see a proud southern
beauty come dlsdalnfully down. But
Louise. who was no doubt listening on
tiptoe In the hall ove,-decllned to put
in an appearance, and the old lady had
to open the pnrlor door, and ask the
tlieuteIantsto be seated. while. I and my
companion stood on each side OF the
front door like sentinels or deputy-sher-
IFS. RI
She told US that they had only one
man servant left, an old negro. too rheu-
matte to run away, All the men were
at the front except Eustace-"He. you
know, was murdered at Donelson."
Poor old dear, she, thought the reproach
of 1t must be ranking in all northern
breasts! Then she assured usithat she
could not be as hospitable as had been
the custom OF the house, but she would
offer. US glass OF wine, and Off she
went upstairs, mainly intent, I believe
on assuring the group above that there
was no danger. 4. r.
When the old lady came back. she
brought With her a decanter half filled
with homemade wine, kept. unques-
tlonably, with sacred self-deniai for
these occasions. We none of us had
the henrt to drink. and were Instantly
and magnanimously total abstalners.
But with woman's disregard Of sham,
she poured the three little wine glasses
full and handed them to us, and the
Lieutenant. with effusIve gallantry,
snid: Madam, we drink TO the brave
women o. the south who are mothers
and sisters, for we know what that
means" To which she made q slight
nod of acknowledgement very much as
one might dodge -love-tap, and then
wanted TO know how many boats there
were behind. and why. the commanding
officer had not stationed "a gunrd 10 I
protect the property. Louise's mother,
she said, vas an aged invalid, too sick
to be moved, or they would have left
the river front long ago, much as they.
were attached to the place. To nll OF
which the lieutenant made the best and
most assuring answers he could, and we
came away. ~,
Afterwards on the boat. he said to
me, thoughtfU!ly, The --th Illinois Is
on thef Hannibal. isn't it?" "Yes,",5I
said, "'and she's nearly at the end of the
line" IT. was rough crowd and / knew
what was In his mind
Towards evening, Swhen we had got
about four miles up the river, and the
sky In the north was growing dusky.
and the long line OF furnaces behind US
began to throw thei: red CLEANS into
the darkeni?g waters, the lieutenant
came to me once more Come here"
said he, "cuick!" He took me up on
the upper deck and pointed to a red
glow In the sky. Take my Nlass," he
said. I looked through It and saw the
two Juniper trees on the crest OF the
distant hill With the puts OF smoke
shutting them out ut intervals. and the
scarlet tongues Of fire leapins up above
the uneven horizon OF the timber. ,.g
Good God!" I said; tits The man
sion"
"1'm afraid It Is" he replied. Don't
shy anything. There's hot work ahead
for us. wonder IL thes got the mother
OF Louise out"