The National tribune., 1902-12-11

Settling into Camp at Fayetteville Sending
the Spells Home-The Mail is Distributed.
Mrs. Wimplc had suppcd on sorrow
through the long years of war till she had
grown almost apathetic,- and had lost
| much of interest in life. \ sweet Chris
;an woman. about whom refining in.
tluenccS had always been thrown. she had
not, until her marriage relied much upon
her own resources. and even then had been
projected by her young husband as much
as was possible. After his death in the
Wilderness. Mrs. Wimple's one desire was
to return to the home of her girihood,
with her two children, Marie and Cal
hoGn.
She had really. never taken root in the
Southern home TO which her young nus
nand had carried her. The bitterness of
the coming war WIS then developing, and
determined as she had been to like all the
eople for her husbands sake. she was
never able to forget that she was a
stranger in n hostile land. where those
around her hated the country and the
people whcnce she had come. With her
husband had passed away all that inter-
ested her in South Carolina--all that made
life there tolerable. She had tact enough
to keep sccreted in her heart the joy she
felt in the steady approach of the Union
armies. The least hint of this would have
converted the cold distrust of her neigh
bors into active persecution. She really
Sympathized, in sweet Christianity. with
the misfortunes that befell them, though
she could not help feeling that their
niisfoltunes were judgments, and when
her home was burned. accidentally or
otherwise. in the confusion of evacrlating
Cheraw. she determined to seek the shell
ter of the Union camps. making her way
to that Of the first Indiana regiment she
could find. She thought her fortune joy
ful when she heard that she was near
one commanded hy her old playmate and
her husbands classmate, Col. McGilli-
cuddy. and hastened .thithcr as rapidly as
she could.
She had been very brave under her
trials. hut now that she felt herself so
near to leaving all the trouble and woo
and worry behind. she had all but broken
down. and that woman's refuge. tears, was
helping to ease her ovcrburdened heart.
Marie and Calhoun. knowing little Of
the horrors and caring less, had entirely
recovered from the reserve which had
been over them much of the time since
their advent into the life of the 200th
Indiana. Mrs. Wimple had wisely kept
them in check. and much of the time had
housed them up in the wagon when the
boys were in camp. for she feared their
adventurous little legs would carry them
into mischief. if not into bodily harm.
Now. while she mas immersed in self. the
children had an inning and they proceed
ed to make the most of it.
where is they doin', Tal-loon:' asked
wee Marie, whose big, blue eyes had
winked on three short years of life, as
she watched from under her thatch of
yellow curls the wild scramble of the men
for the landing, toward which the big
steamer was heading. "O-oc." she
screamed as she began to dance about on
her little fat legs, dust hear that 'plendid
nOith!" The same being the screaming
whistle of the side-wheeler, which was
waking the echoes halfway to Whining
ton.
Calhoun looked furtively back at his
mother, then said with five-year-old im-
pOrtance, "Mr. 81 said it was the mail
coming in. Let's go down and get Mann
mas letters for her. Mree, like we used
too in Cheraw. Come on. quick. for if
mamma sees us she will be afraid we
will get lost" Suiting the action to the
word, Calhoun grabbed Marie's hand. and
half leading. but a good deal more drag
ging her along. sped for the landing, and
was soon in the midst of the melee of
men and mules, negroes, soldiers, horses.
officers, carts, and the movable plumber
that always littcrs mp the wharyes at
river landings. In the mad rush. Cal
houn lost his grip on Marie's pudgy hand,
and in an instant they were separated.
Calhoun set up shrHl cry of dsmay
which was drowned in the general hub
bub. Then finding that he was heng
pushed further away from where he had
lost Marie, and that no one there would
heed his frantic. appeals, he wormed him
self back through the jam of excited men,
to tell his mother what had happened.
Mrs. Wimple had just missed the chill
dren. and had started for group of
wagons a short distance away to see if
they had wandered over there. when Cal
hOun appeared, his cap gone, his face
black with dust and dirt. except where
his copiOus tears had made streaks of
white through the CRIME.
'She's lost" he howled as he ran into
his horrcr-stricken mothers arms.
"Mree's clear lost. Girls never did have
no sense bout taking care of themselves.
She's bound to get mashed down there.
She had't no business to go. nohow," he
asserted as he emerged. Il very sorry look
ing object. from his mothers skirts.
But where is she lostY' asked Mrs.
Wimple, almost frantic with fear. "TeII
me this minute Calhoun? What did you
do with your little sister?''
"How do know where she is lost to?'
he cried, breaking out into fresh howIs.
Wouldn't l a'5rOught her back if 1
knowed!"
''Weil, where did you go? What did
you take her for? Tell me, quick, or |
will shake you good" cried the ex-
asperated woman. moving toward the
landing with the boy as she spoke.
Wei was going for the madam
a-and l told M-m-'ree she could come
along, a-a-nd she come. Girls is ALWAYS
tagging" he added savagely, as his
mother frightened her hold on his hand
and ran toward the wharf There was
some kind of unusual commotion there.
which the poor mother could not fathom.
but she feared the worst. and rushed
breathlessly into the midst of it. The
sight that met her eyes gladdened her
heart, and at the same time almost made
1t cease beating, so suddenly was the
weight lifted from it. High up on the
shoulders Of big cavalry Captain. whose
left arm was in a sling but whose strong
right arm held her fast, sat Marie, her
wide, blue eyes taking it al. in as she
occasionally removed her fat thumb from
her mouth, to ask or answer a question
Right from under the heels of q big
Government mule, the officer had snatche5
her, as she rolled and tumbled around I'M
der foot, the jostling men not having dis.
covered the tiny figure She was too
young to know her imminent danger, but
was wofully frightened when the gigantic
tholdier-man' swung her up to his shoul-
der. Then the blue-coated boys began to
surge around and question her.
I'm Mree," she replied to the aues-
tion, "an' I'm losted Won't you fin me
please?"
ssXVhcre do litfIa miSs;a b.Jon,Sv ,s