The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-06-08

again. II In time you will JOIN your family
and tell them that strangers heart can
be kind. DO not let your mother worry
about your being captured or killed. If
any part of our army comes here | can
hide you in secret chamber. Ii my
father or brother comes | can apDease
them. Tell your mother that will nurse
you carefully until you get we'll, and send
you home well and strong. Give my love
to her. ..n Y 7's..-... !
Il have heard nothing of the war, as /
have been here out OF the world for
months. ....z !
There has been great deal Of worry
in my mind as to how I can send this
letter, but my guardian tells ME that it
will reach you all right.
4 will now close, hoping and praying
that this letter may reach you and find
you we'll '.''' '-'=.- :
Remember me to my friends and give
my love to Dick and father. Your son,
i ; E-...s.' ms-s .-.,, HIRAM"
News Of the seige of Richmond, Of the
battle of Five Forks, and finally OF Lees
surrender, and the disbanding OF the
Confederate army reached the Crossley's
but no news from Hiram What had
become of her boy? The mother could
but guess All, what weary DAYS of un-
certainty for her! Yet she was sustained
BY hope that Hiram was still alive. but
something either prevented him from
writing or prevented his letters reaching
her She kept telling the neiglbors OF
her boy and how noble he had turned
out to be, always concluding her story
by saying that she expected letter every
day from her dear, brave, wounded boy.
This story of hers, with its pathetically
hopeful ending, was told SO often that
people came to regard her as slightly out
Of her mind" and to shake their heads
wisely when speaking about it to one
another .-s.i.5,,....
Il did not take on so abou: Jim when
I heard he died in the battle of Cold
Harbor," said one of them. u don't
quite understand it, :
mo, Mrs. Danforth,," replied Mrs.
Hensley, NOR didn't, when heard that
my John was killed at Atlanta but maybe
we didn't think just the same Of our boys
as Mrs. Cross1ey does Of hers. | have
always heard them say mothers set more
store by their bad boys than by their
good ones. Seems to me she would take
some comfort Of her boy at home, WHO
has always been good to her"
j: So they. talked, but. Mrs. Crossley
seemed to- think that she had perfectly
good grounds for her belief that her son
was safe. She kept On talking 3about
bin nd.sthegAGghbors kept=ep t2lIksllrg
got II that sic hadsbeconse ,iAsHanasaab!e
and that Mr.. Crossley intended sending
her to lunatiaasylum. People avoided
her.. Mrs. Danfortf, who had not been
to see her for a month, summoned TIP
courage to gos.and see her. When Mrs
-Danforth arrived at the door OF the
Crossley homestead she cautiously open-
fd it and entered upon receiving an invl-
tations to do so. Seeing strange look
on Mrs. Crossley's face, who was bend
ing over something in her lap, she half
made up her mind to retreat, when Mrs.
Crossley looked up and said: '--' =
d :" haye just received letter from my
son, WHO is coming home pretty soon.
See what IA fat looking letter he wrote
me. | will be 50 glad to see him. It will
be almost like receiving one resf!rrected
from the dead. l can almost imagine
how the widow felt who had her son
brought to life by Christ. Dear me! /
don't know what to say or do am so
happy!" s
Il am glad to hear it." interposed Mrs.
Danfortll When s-ill he be.llotne ?"a
''In about month"; Mrs. Crossley an
swercd. Wont you stay to tea
No; ] must 80 oysr snd see ,,-..s sally
Jones about making my dress, and see
how Miss Dixon is" "sly.aa4 H...t
Mrs. Danforth wanted to be the first
so she Immediately backed
out Of. the house and walked rapidly
down the street. ........ r.
The letter ran as follows: ~ -,
Dear Mother When / sent that last
letter to you l never. drcamed that l
would be inlperillng any ones life to
have it sent, especially the life of one
grown so dear to zTee, ,-n,y guardian angel,
Of whom spoke in my letter.
"After gave her the letters in the
morning, / waited all day until way in
the night for her to come. back. l
dropped asleep at last, from mere exllaus-
ton. When | awoke it was nearly noon
the next day. waited anxiously until
far into the next night. Still she did
not come / then began to realize that
| must have let her 60 on a dangerous
niission. Wl1en I fully realized this t be |
gan to cry like baby. i! imagined her
killed or worse than dead Distracted
with these fears, raved and reproached
myself with all kinds of horrid names.
Finally-it seemed as though ages had
one bent over my bed and
simply said, TITS all right now
at was my guardian angel. I tried to
express my sorrow for making her so
through. such great danger. and to ex-
press all of my JOY. at seeing her safe |
again.. -: s+.;;t a.. s..s.'
:. The danger was not SO great, con.
,idering the plea sure that the letter will
zive, your mother hope to. give her
greater JOY by sending you to her. SOON.
-..Thea. i-tried to tell her tflat-it would |
yive you twicethe pId sure if could only |
take her with ME as my wife. Then |
would be happy and begin a new life;
Otherwise l did not know what would |
become of me. =, IN
.she simply said, Wait until. | have
considered it well, and see what time will
,ringr. ae. .iz.vy,F,, ~ :, ,=,!
Il asked her about the war; but she