Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1899-02-11

you think, he said. laughing, that
am going to return the first present
You Hver gave me? No, indeed! though
I did make it myself And he de-
clared that he should always carry
it next his heart
Well, the following spring we were
married, and then We began our hut
building. Ben planned the house him
self, and 1 went with him to Boston
to select the furniture It was while
we were there that we heard the news
that made our hearts stand still.
Fort Sumter had been fired uponI
We read the announcement in the pa
per, with white face, and Ben kept
saying all day, oh, Kate! this is too
terriblei / never thought it would
come to this!' We went home with
sad hearts. in spite of our carload of
household treasures, for those were
days when private joys and sorrows
seemed as nothing in view of the dan
ger which threatened the whole coun-
try. The governor of our state had
ordered the state troops, and the
militia as well, to be in readiness; and
Ben mustered quite a company of his
friends (the finest and brayest young
men in town., and they drilled night
and day to be in readiness for the call.
And 1 encouraged him in this work,
God knows with what sinking heart,
but Ben never suspected that I was
half coward. Your dear mother was
| a tiny baby then, and 1 used often to
| sing her to sleep with patriotic airs to
| keep up M own courage. And then
at last it came-the call for troops
we were expecting it; but. oh! how
weak was when I heard Ben's voice
| shouting upstairs, Kate, Kate, the
president has sent for u.s.
az was putting baby to sleep (your
mother, you know, dears) and knelt
| by her cradle for just one moment,
| praying for strength. And it came,
for when Ben entered the room I was
able to smile quite bravely, and to help
| him pack his knapsack, for they were
| to start that very night"
Grandma paused here for a mo-
ment, but no one spoke, and she went
on in low voice:
How well I remember that night!
| 1t was raining, and very cold and
damp; but every mother and sister and
wife and sweetheart IN town were at
| the station to see them Off Most Of
the women were crying bitterly, but
1 could not shed a tear, and when Ben
| took me in his arms to say goodbye
| his lips moved, but he could not utter
a word, and 1 could hear the beating
| of his heart. AS the train pushed out
| there were shouts and cheers, OF
course, to keep up the courage of the
4 -
| cheers for Captain Worrelli' and the
| crowd took it up with a will. And
| then I looked up and saw my husband
| for the last time on this earth. He
| had climbed on top of the rear car
| and was raising his cap to the crowd
(they were all lifelong friends), and
| when he saw me raise my head with
| anguish written all over my face,
SUPPOSED, his own face was convulsed
for a moment, and then he tried to
smile, and pointed upwards, meaning,
I suppose, that We were in Gods
hands. And then the train was sWal-
| lowed up in the mist
Again she paused, and again no one
spoke.
Il heard from him many times after
! that" she continued Sometimes not
for months. and then a whole batch of
letters would come at once-always
bright and cheerful, those letters, and
| full of little incidents and anecdotes
which he thought might amuse and in
terest me, seldom a word of his own
| priyations, and even sufferings. / do
not know how we women endured the
long strain of that waiting for news.
If it had not been that your mother
was such very young infant, be-
| lieve I would have followed my hus-
band as some wives did, preferring
anything to the terrible suspense of
waiting quietly at home.
| "And then the dreadful slaughter be-
gan But you, children, must wait I'M
til you are older to hear about that.
zone day 1 was walking restlessly
up and down the piazza of my little
home, my baby in my arms, trying to
put her to sleep as best 1 could with
out lullaby Cfor I could no longer
sing), when d soldier came up the path
leading to the house. l knew him well,
although he was greatly changed, for
he was a neighbor and had been in
| Ben's company. I knew at once that
| he approached nearer I could not
speak, but Just held out my hand He
laid a small package in it, saying,
God pity your and that was the last
1 knew for many hours. When 1 came
| to myself 1 still held the package in
my hand, and when had the courage
to open it, the first thing I saw was
my valentine, torn as you have seen,
by the bullet which had pierced one
of the braEest hearts that ever shed
| its life-blood for our country
There was silence when grandma
had finished speaking; Sister Nell was
crying and Donald whispered,
81 say, Dorothy, let's put away our
valentines until tomorrow"
| Saint Valentines Victim.