Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-09-25

n W J llefe
was not a school in the town or county,
/ cannot describe TO you my feeling at
that time | suppose the excitement
and passion Of the lur kept me from
being lonely. My ag. health and fam,
lily responsibilities kept me out of the
struggle.
The trying moments of the situation
to me were those in which saw some
Of my boys enlisting under one banner,
some under the other. | knew the pos,
sibilites of their meeting in battle. For
a year / carried this cross. l said moth
ing to any one, but / used TO lie awake
until was exhausted thinking of my
boys at war with one another.
At the end of the second year of the
war those Of Us who stayed at home
began rea ing the meaning of war
One night was called into my IL
brary to meet inan whose appearance
Immediately suggested that he was in
trouble. He had come. in out of a storm.
His clothes were ragged and a queer
combination. His coat was of the Uni
ted States cavalry uniform. His trou-
sers, or what had been trousers. looked
like a dilapidated quilt His SLOUGH hat
was in tatters and almost hung upon
his neck lie had but one arm.
Quicker than it has taken TO me to
give You this description, she had told
me that he was one of my boys; thar
he was a spy sent by Gen. Sterling
Price. the Confederate commander IN
der whom he served. He had come to
me for few hours OF rest and because
he wanted to see me.
knew the meaning of war after l
had seen him and had heard him talk.
In the old school ON the hill this spy"
was known Is the gallant of the crowd.
He was our chevalier.
At the time of his visit to me the
Federals held the towr The hills
commanding the place had been con
verted into military camp. 1t bristled
with guns which pOked their hungry
mouths from bastions.
One of the officers in that fort was
also one of my boys. And what hand
some fellow he was. His enlistment in
the Union army, however, had cost him
the friendship Of most Of his school
mates. 1t had cost aim his sweetheart,
spirited Southern girl.
My boy who called upon me as a
spy told me his mission. begged
him to stop before he had said too
much. but knew when he left he was
going to the Federal fort on the Hill.
as a spy! did not tell him his old
ciassmate was an officer there
A few days later the Confederate spy
was captured. He had succeeded in
getting the information he wanted, and
was leaving when he, was taken as a
suspicious person. When he stood be-
fore the commanding officer it was
known from papers found that the pris-
oner was a spy.
One of the staff of the commanding
officer was there. He recognized bis
old classmate, but not word passed
between them The spy was confined,
of course, at once. and 1t was the talk
Of the town, for this was the first incl
dent Of the sort in our place. And the
spy was one OF he old boys of the
town-our che aiier.
My boy from the Federal fort hasten
ed to see me to give me all the particu-
lars. or course my lips were sealed
touching the visit of the spy" to me
before the capture.
Again did | realize the meaning of
war,
The incident was soon relegated to
the events Of yesterday by more I'm
portant ones at the front Once. at the
invitation of my boy in blue, l visited
the one who belonged to the gray. al
though his uniform did not so Indicate.
and who was held as a spy, / messed
with both
After the spy had been prisoner for
nearly six weeks my Federal boy came
to see me one Night hurriedIy. and told
me IN confidence that "the chevafier"
had escaped.
IF he comes here" said the Federal
officer. 'you protect him until he can
get through our lines"
Before | could protest. If had de-
sired, before could realize the situa-
ton, the Federal was Off. heard the
sounds of the iron hoofs of his horse
on the stones until it seemed to me
they would never die out. But much
TO my qualification, in some respects.
the epy did not come.
WAS learning more about the mean
ing of war.
The spy was never captured. After
the war was over he came back to
camp stricken. as many Of them did
One evening went TO his old home
just cut Of town. The Federal officer.
now an ex.. was also there. The old
classmates had lived through the storm
Of battle AMI met again. / was the wit
ness to the marriage Of the ''spy's"
sister 10 the Federal officer who had
held the spy" a prisoner. Every one
Of the three is dead. Perhaps you have
your own opinion as to how tie escape
Of the spy was effected. / never had
any doubt of H. Perhaps because
knew that before the war the girl was
the sweetheart Of the man whom she
married after the war-Chicago Trib-
une.
The Tanotonies of Life.
While the siege Of Nieksburg was in
its most exciting stage aud the rations
Of the beleaguered garrison had been
-,a,-a1,4 e. ,-,tIa roaue aud fTFsur0gJrd