The National tribune., 1899-04-13

~ wonder If this is the place" said the
elder, hating.
ayes, this must be it," said the other,
taking from her pocket letter to which
she referred for confirmation. "Hampden
Wilson says in his last letter:
"I am so glad you are going 10 look up
and mark poor Randolph's grave, before
1t becomes impossible 10 do so. l wish
could go with you and help you. But
will never accept the favor of a parole,
or anything else from the Yankees, into
whose hands / have fallen by Pember-
tons internal incompetency, and / will
rot in this prison before | go out, except
by an escape or a regular exchange for
some captured Yankee officer of equal
rank. We buried Randolph where he fell
while nobly doing his duty. He sprang
upon the works TO snatch flag which
had been planted there, and was shot
through the head. You cannot mistake
the spot. Two hundred PAGES from the
jackson road is fort. About halfway
between the junction of the salient angle
and the gorge is gabion that stands up
higher than the rest. Under this is Ran
dolph's body.
"Your affectionate cousin.
"Hampden Wilson,
military Prison, Camp Benton,
st. Louis, July IS, 1853"
"Now we have found the Jackson road,
OF rather we knew it all the time; we
must find the fort 200 PAGES from it, and
follow the crest OF the directions. Dear
me, wish these military men wouldn I
use so much iargOn. It's ever so much
worse than the dressmaking terms the
men make such Il fuss over. Who can
tell what's salient angle, or shoul-
der angle, or 'bastion, or any Of that
borTld STUN.
az supposed, Artemcsia, from The man
ner in which flampden wrote, that you
would know all these confusing things
the moment your eyes would fall on
them said the elder woman in a hope
less way. "Im sure If you can't make
them out after being around camps so
much, and studying up about he war as
carefully as you have, there is no nope
for US"
"Why, Aunt ] can't understand how
any woman can hc expected 10 know what
part Of these ridiculous banks is ga
bion,' or 'gofee,' OF some other topper
fectIy absurd l.anlc for anything. II he'd
said in the thisd Scallop, just where the
with longpoint, he might make himself
ineligible
40. dear. IL too bad, and after coming
away oct hrrc in Tic hot sun, too. feel
as ii / should melt Let us walk along
the bank; maybe we can find something
that will give us an idea"
"1Iow awfuliy il smells. The odor must
tOIitt HUH tii' EtflNto" II > ID'4tisfIy oIIh
ening. It 5 dangerous to Stay here"
W've no doubt OF that, dear. Every
breath seems charged with poison. We
ought to go back at once"
"No, Aunt. II the men who are buried
here could endure TO die for us, we Ger
tainly ought to be willing 10 take little
trouble and risk to find and mark their
graves. Think how poor, dear Randolph
would feel TO know that we turned back
so readily from searching for his grave"
"You are right. / am reproved. We
will stay here until we accomplish some
thing. We cannot go back without some
thing definite TO tell his mother"
They set out on their toilsome walk
through the trenches, which were now
repulsiye with the thousand signs of
wreck and ruin that always ma X de-
serted Notifications. The paths once
worn smooth by The daily passage of
thousands OF feet were now cut up by the
drenching Summer rains. Hats and caps
with terribly-suggestive holes in their
fronts and blood-stained garments lay de-
caying in their path. Rank weeds Of
fresh growth, whose unwholesome lux
uriance suggested the nourishment OF hui
man blood, frequently blocked their way,
and over all was the deadly eiIluvia OF a
recent battlefield.
They pushed on, stopping from time TO
fine TO compute the distance from the
jackson road, and try TO gain some idea
scribed in the letter.
At last they entered the fort. The sound
OF their voices reached a young Union
soldier who was seated under the shade
OF a small tree, resting, and adjusting a
bandage on his head. He rose in agita-
ton. and looked eagerly at the ladie
They had thrown back their vaiis, and
the younger one showed features en-
graved on the soldiers heart. He started
forward impulsively 10 speak, and then
recoiled as he remembered how they had
separated the last time, and how hope.
less would be any attempt TO renew the
acquaintance on the old basis. She in
turn gazed at him, but without sign o
recognition in her eyes. Both women
were startled by the apparition of one o
their foemen, where TIE dead silence o
the sultry day made them believe they
were alone. At first they turned away
as If In resentment at the intrusion q