Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-09-08
RIDING OVER THE yELDT.

I had been married only a few months,
and was very, very happy.
"One morning while we were PLAYING
tennis u telegram was handed to my
husband. he requested permission OF
she queen to 60 and send a reply, and
one of the other men took his place
In the game. AS soon as L could 1 hur-
ried away and into the hotel and found
my husband throwing some things in
q great hurry into n travelling bag.
Instantly L realized what the tele-
gram meant.
I am going, too said, for it was
suddenly made perfectly clear TO me
without my being told, that Pet was
going home, and that the war had be-
gum
! After reaching their home in South
Africa, Mr. Van Aarndt offered his
services to President Kruger, who sent
him on to Cronje. Mrs. Van Aarnds
stayed for time in Pretoria, and then
went to her farm on the border between
Cape Colony and the Orange Free State.
1T was one Sunday morning that she
heard the coming of the British so.-
oilers who stopped at her place for
rest of five hours, as they told her, aft
er taking the breakfast from the stove
that the maids were preparing. Very
quickly the bright little woman real
hzed that they were planning sur
prise for the Boer soldier, and she
racked her brain with the thought:
"How can get them word?" Pretend
Ing to go TO the milkhouse to get q
drink for one of the Officers, she man
aged to secure saddle, fastened il on
horse and was soon speeding away
with her message, never stopping I'M
I'll she had carried the warning to Gen.
Cronie. 50.
. Mrs. Van Aarndt remained among
the fighting Beers until after the death
of her husband
Zone day." she recounts, AZ saw three
men carrying a figure so familiar to
me that ut sight OF it my heart almost
stopped beating.
"The dying comrads that they bore
was my husband.
"He was quite unconscious. He had
been cut by a lyddite shell and his skin
was all a bright yellow, and could
see the blood dripping from his hand,
which was hanging down. 1 started
20 run to him, but stronger arms
pushed me back into the trench Just
ns shell struck, and then q wagon
famed up.
I'VE made room and they brought
my husband to our. trench. He was
still unconscious, and we were afraid
how 1t would be when he saw me, for
be did not know I was with the army.
But when he opened his eyes he was
not at all surprised that was with
him, and did not ask how had come
there until afterwards.
AT night ! carried water, which was
the only comfort he had. The heat
was so terrible that we could have
done without anything better than the
water.
The shells were bursting out in the
camp every minute, Uur We were USED
TO them, even when they burst on the
very edge of our trench ana ratified the
sand down.
I'VE knew these were the last hours
we could ever have together, for the
British were coming nearer and the
firing was stronger.
Ns NJ" pNaJCU IuaL nc Inl84J
pass away from 1t all before the ondi
But we were neither Of US sorry we
had not stayed in Holland.
The horses which had Brought us
SO far we could not protect from the
awful firing, nor the wago4s.
AT night the men dug ono grave,
as long as they could, and others laid
into it those who had died during the
day, and when we stood by we all
knew that any of Us might soon be
among the ones who lay so still on
the ground, and not among those who
tried TO sing last hymn to the dead.
"One morning my husband kade me
good-by. All dag sat by him in the
crowded trench, holding his dear. dead
hand
TT was the day after thas 9 Nstls
group Of Britishers with . white Gag
eams ipto camp. and we hid o sAsrt
Fsst fron Eho Afiag. Tia Ransral
sent wore fAst no wanted % ace sfl
eAs xsnsz. az& ne Nsus a BE epAs.
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