The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-28
NEWS FROM THE FRONT.
A War Story of Today.

BY ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL
Copyright, 1898. by S. S. Mcclure Coz
There amt anything short of a cy-
clone coEd get Judith Talbot and
Achsa Halves within speakin' distance,
and then they'd have to, be blowed to-
You think they'd speak then, Uncle
Purdy? l don't
Uncle Purdy wheezed gently in lieu
of q laugh. He felt over the arid waste
of his head for his spectacles. and,
adjusting them, peered through at the
two women going by. They were on
opposite sides of the street. They car
ried their heads rigidly erect, and both
their lean, tall figures forged ahead
with resolute swings of stiff black pet
ticoats.
Queer how them two women look so
much alike murmured one of the
other loungers on the postofice steps.
That's all the likeness there is
'twixt en-" chuckled the joker. who
never neglected small opportunities for
want of greater.
They're both real good women-real
good women" said the little man in
the blue jeans, mildly. The remark
was we'll received, for it was known
that he claimed relationship to Achsa
Halves through the devious winding
ways that blood can run. Naturally it
could not be expected of the little blue
jeans man to call Achsa's sworn en-
/ envy a real good woman" The loung-
ers all appreciated the magnanimity.
'Oh, yes, they'll both go to heaven"
| Uncle Purdy said There amt any
/ trouble with Achsa Howes and Judith
Talbot's bringin up in the right place"
only they'll cross over the golden
streets when they see each other COM
! ing along" the joker murmured, decis-
! lively.
The two women were out of sight
| now, down the sunny street of the lit
tie town. They were still abreast, with
only a. narrow stretch of dusty road
way between them, but there was not
the slightest turning of their heads.
Boys in blue on parade could hardly
have tramped on more infeXibly erect.
"Shes got on her best black skirt,
too" thought Judith Talbot. Il can
see it out OF the tail of my eye. |
wouldn't be a mite surprised if she's
put it on for the identical reason 1 did
mine Achsa's dreadful fond of Ivory.
l suppose she takes it real hard
"Judith's dressed up in black, too
across the street Achsa Halves was
musing; its that same black bomba-
zine she wore to Jerome's funeral. That
dress always means mourning. Judith
Both women drifted presently into
neat white houses at the extreme end
of the sunny street. The houses were
as much alike as the women, but they,
too. had the same rigid, uncompromis
ing aspect toward each other.
IT was the beginning of the war, and
the little town of Priestley had but re-
Gently sent away its generous contri-
button of boys Two of them had
gone out of the neat white houses at
the end of the sunny street.
1T wore this dress to big Jerome's
funeral too" the mother of one of the
''boys" was thinking beside her win
dowful of gay geraniums. Her thoughts
were wistful. It seemed such a dread
full little while-one way One way it
seemed such dreadful long while
since big Jerome across the way died.
She remembered just how little Jerome
looked. He and Ivory had walked to-
gether in the procession, in their little
decorous black suits, and Ivory had
slyly wiped little Jeromes eyes with
his wisp of white handkerchief. Judith |
had insisted upon Achsa's going with |
her, she said it was such comfort
Dear landr murmured Achsa aloud. |
She sat up Straight, looking wistfully |
back into the time when a worn white |
thread of pathway led between the /
two houses, and little stubbed shoes !
were continually traversins it. How |
fond Ivory and little Jerome had been |
of each other! And now-what were |
the boys doing now? Dear land, dear
land.
In the other house little Jeromes /
mother rocked beside her window and |
remembered toe. She was not wistful |
and sad. She was thinking of the bitter |
time since the grass had grown over
the little meandering path and she and
% a
the street. The old grievance ranked |
harder than ever in her breast.
IT did think" Aunt Purdy had said |
when the .'bOys" marched away in |
their gallant %blue, that now Achsa |
Halves and Judith Talbot would make
up-both their boys a-going to the war
so. But they haven't, and now l guess
they never will
Nothing short of Kansas cyclone"
agreed Uncle Purdy, "and even then
it's got to be Achsa that starts in. Ju-
dith Talbot WON'T.
mo, O., no; Judith Talbot won't"
One evening the news came that the
Twentieth regiment had been called TO
the front. The boys from Priestly were
in the Twentieth Achsa Halves boy
and Judith Talbot's little Jerome had
tramped away to the Twentieth drum
beat They had been called to the
'front.' A desperate battle was being
waged and many reinforcements were
needed. The men at the postoffice talk
ed it over eXcitedly and through all
the little town ran thrill of horror.
1t was so much worse when the Twen-
tieth was called to the 'front.'
Dear Lord, dear Lord" sobbed
Achsa Halves on her knees. All night
she travelled in the throes that moth
erS feel when their sons are 2 2 the