Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-12-21


| agreed to take care of the girl at an ex-
pense to John Saxton that was little less
than frightful. He bore it heroically, how
| ever-money being far more plentiful than
| any other desirable thing-during the two
weeks that ensued until Johns regiment
! was ordered back to Knoxville.
The day after the arrival of the regiment
at Knoxville Sergt. Saxton found himself
| promoted to be a second lieutenant, the
| command having lost, heavily in the cam
paign. Many vacancies had occurred among
the officers, and the regiment, which had
"veteranized," very much needed filling up.
So, added to Johns honors, was detail to
so home on recruiting service.
Samantha was now as healthy girl as
| there was l.. East Tennessee, and che was
| exceedingly pretty, withal. Besides, she had
good native wit and as much cultivation as
! the country s. hools of her region were able
to give a girl of her years.
Lieut.. Saxton took Samantha, who was
quite alone in the world, to his Illinois home,
! where his old father and mother and his
| two young sisters welcomed her with cor
dial hospitality and informally adopted her
as one of the family.
Of course, lmpressionable and romantic
| John Saxton fell in love with the girl. and
! went back to the army with his recruits
| and cherished promise from his war-waif
that she should await his return, whole
hearted, as to Others. So John was happy
| and faithful.
He joined his command at Chattanooga
| and went safely through the campaign in
Georgia until the very last battle about At
lanta, which was that of Jonesboro, COM
paratively a skirmish, but there John re-
| ceived mimic in the left arm, which, how
ever, only put the stricken member in a
sling, but it placed John hors du combat and
| sent him home on furlough until the wound
should heal
Meantime Samantha's beauty and vivacity
had made her much-sought belle of the
! countryside, and John was aware of pang
when ne found that she was not near so af-
fectionate as when he went away.
On an adjoining place was dark skinned,
handsome fellow, working as a farm hand,
who had already begun to dread the coming
| cold weather, for he had been "born and
raised'' in the ardent climate of Porto Rico.
Moreover, this handsome young West In
dian, with the musical name of Jose Rodri-
guez, had become deeply enamored Of the
tronze-haired Tennessee girl, and she re-
turned his passionate suit with such fervor
that when Jose took his departure for his
home in the far-away "Gem of the Antilles
Samantha's place in the Saxton household
| became vacant. She went with him, and
John was left with great blank place in his
loving soul to mediate upon the paucity Of
gratitude and the enormousness of fickleness
! in the maiden heart-so far as he was in
formed.
This was the only girl John ever loved.
but in the years that came he found one
that he loved with better reason, and he was
glad that the other affair turned out as it
did.
II was homely," said John, land growing
oald already, and so didn't suit poor little
| Samantha, but hope she will be happy"
John succeeded to the ownership of half
of his fathers farm, and thriving village
grew upon one of the quarter sections of the
two sections that we're willed to his sisters,
who are yet wholesome matrons in the vii
lage, wives of well-to-do merchants there,
and mothers to many cousins of the Saxton
progeny.
Johns son John is gallant fellow of %,
and he was brought up half town boy and
half farm boy-an excellent combination,
foI many reasons.
John, Jr., went to Cuba with the first
volunteer troops that were sent by our
':Uncle Samuel to teach the Spaniards
some lessons in humanity. He seemed born
to repeat his fathers course in many ways
! and to improve on it in others, for he. too,
was sergeant who brilliantly won shoulder
straps of single bars. He got his, however,
al Ell Caney. Moreover, while on detail
with detachment near Ponce, Porto Rico,