The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-11

II great deal about him and feeling very
IS very full Of interest and pity and not ,
J. little desire to be Of some use to him il
l. his critical state. She could nt hell
9 wishing it was the proper, the obvious
4 thing for young girls like herself to be
b come tho nurses and caretakers Of war
riors wounded in the line of duty. They
d did such things in romance and fiction,
he but Nathalie had never read "Ivanhoe'
&C and the host OF stories that blessed their
g hero with such sweet companionship
/. and care. She found herself wondering
u very much what Mr.. Maynard's sister
II would be like and wishing she knew her
and could go to see her, and Illuminating
n over all these things Nathalie's step
It was slower, her eyes downcast and her
y round, soft cheek lost the lively flush
that buoyant health and exercise had
given it. There were still some young
fellows left in the garrison, though both
Dana and Hunter had gone with the
field column, the latter in Maynard's
place in Wayne's troop, but something
! told them the tall girl at the Barrys'
! would rather be alone just now, and
noting her pallor and the wistful, any
ious look with which the blue eyes re-
garded everybody who had just come
out from town garrison gossips began
to talk, especially Mrs. Turner.
Then Maynard sister reached Chey.
enne, was met at the train by Major
and Mrs. Stannard and the adjutant and
escorted at once to her brothers. bedside
at the hotel, where communicating
room had been made ready for her. She
proved to be older than the sufferer by
several years, and woman whom grief,
anxiety and care had told upon before
her thirtieth year She was trife cold
and undemonstrative, too, thought the
trio who met and welcomed her, but ev-
cry allowance was made.
"Some of us will be in every day un-
til Mr.. Maynard is we'll enough to be
moved" said Mrs Stannard, $50 you
must BIO sure to let us know of any
thing that you or he may need, and
when you do come to Russell we have
spare rooms in our big quarters, and
you're to come right there, both Of you"
Miss Maynard had no idea how kind
this was Of Mrs Stannard. She did not
realize that her brother had only sin.
gle room under roof that could barely
cover an ordinary parlor, yet that had
to shelter the abodes Of three bachelor
subalterns-two besides himself But
Miss Maynard was very, very glad to
go 10 the STANDARDS when, five days
later, the doctors and nurses lifted her
soldier boy into the yellow ambulance,
trundled him slowly out to the fort
and then bore him up stairs into the
majors front room. April had come by
that time, and warm south wind, as
has been said, played for several days,
and the skies were murky, the air soft
and unusually humid, and Maynard was
presently allowed to sit propped up in
bed, while Grace, his adoring sister,
read to or chatted with him, and the
doctors let him see occasional visitors.
Mrs. Stannard was there by the hour,
and the stern colonel had called and
had been most kind and thoughtful,
and, so far from finding fault, had
praised Maynard's conduct, and still
the patient was not happy.
Ono day after long silence he turned
suddenly. "Grace, what ladies have
called to see you?'
"Why, all of them, suppose, Ronald
ever so many anyway"
mot all, because Mrs. Barry cannot
leave her room, am told," said he.
ono, very true, but she sent her card
and explained it all - Miss Baird
brought it..
"When was she here?" demanded the
brother eagerly.
"Day before yesterday and again to-
day, bringing some delicious jelly Mrs
Stannard is going to give you by and
BY" And then the sister saw the joy
light burning in his eyes and the faint
flush that was mounting to his cheek,
and her face took on an instant shade
of gray. "Why, Ronald" she said, "do
you know her we'll? You like her?'
Then she could ask no more, for all
at once there sprang up in her heart the
question, "What will this mean to Ger
trude Bonner?'
Rising presently and without word
the sister slowly left the room and re-
turned to her own. Stopping for mo-
ment to battle her temples in cold water,
she then stepped to the dormer window
looking out over the bleak northward
prairie and pressed her forehead upon
the cool pane. She had HID her own
sorrows, poor girl. Her own love had
left her after brief, joyous furlough
when she was but Is and rejoined his
regiment just in time for Five Forks.
He had fought CALAMITY in earlier en-.
yagements, had won promotion and
come home sorely wounded to be wooed
back to health and strength among the
kindly people of their Mohawk village;
,ad returned to duty for the last cam.
paign full of hope, happiness love Of
country and of her, and the brief glory
If that campaign was indeed his last
The joy of the news of Lees surrender
was stifled throughout the narrowing
alley at Little Falls by the telegram
hat briefly told them Captain Ralph
Bonner was MORALLY wounded at Sail.
RS Creek. Grace Maynard's life from {
hat time on was taken up in devotion !
0 her own mother and to his, and when
hey, too, were called from earth she
lad still left to nurse her aging father,
imself wounded veteran of the war, !
nd to rear and love were her boy brother
lonald and "his" girl sister Gertrude
'ho fathers ono ambition was for his
he might be educated at West
'oint and commissioned in the army
he sisters main hope had been that
hen Ronald came back to them an
fficer he might look with loving eyes -.
pom the shy little village girl who az {
romping maiden had been the k
laymate and tease of his early boyhood. !
10 had looked kindly, even affection. n :,
tely, upon her, but with the ame 80. |,
enc fondness with which he regarded d
is sister. and then had gone on his n
'ay, after weeks of long talk and corn- y
u with the father, to join his regiment n
, far Wyoming.
In every letter Grace had ,yr;tten =