Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-07-31

we never feared that we would be cap
tured by skulking Confederates, much
less shot while in natives house. To
tell the truth, | think most of us We're
about as welcome as we would have
been in any farming community at the
north. We could generally tell them
about much that was going on in the
world, thanks to our steady supply of
newspapers; we could give them an
occasional book or magazine, but had
we only our presence to offer it was
gratifying to the people, nearly all Of
whose own men were in the Confed-
crate army and whose women did not
dare to exchange visits over roads
where they might at any time en-
counter marching troops.
At most of the native houses there
were girls, and each girl had about 500
adorers in our regiment alone, as well
as an equal number in other cavalry
regiments at our post. There was little
or no lOvemaking. No man dared alb
sent himself long enough from the
picket reserve to attend to business Of
fHD oNAipdS a. iitAAultf AAOl NpulNI llt tuSlIy
find opportunity to speak to a damsel
alone. If father or mother or grand
parents CHANGED to be out of the room
for moment, some other trooper was
almost sure to be present. This was
misery for sentimental young men of
the class that regards lovemaking as
an absolute necessity of daily life.
yH~n- frrfN hnyr fat
girls Not one Of them would have
married n Yankee had he been Apollo
and CrGsus combined, but it wasn't
unpleasing to get an adoring, heart
broken glance from one not unhand-
some fellow after another and to real
iZe that all the sufferers were from the
enemy's ranks. | used to imagine,
probably correctly, that the southern
girls looked prettier and more vivacious
when we appeared than they possibly
could do at the humdrum routine of
housework Most of them had lost
their slaves, in the usual manner, be-
fore our town became n military post,
and they would remind us of this when
anything in the house seemed to them
to lack proper attention or when they
invited us to sit down with the family
to n dinner or supper, which they as
sured us was not what they would
have given us in other days. They got
so many compliments, however-some
awkward, but all hOneSt-on the skill
of pretty hands and heads that don't
doubt one of them told the truth when
she said to me in n burst of confidence
that she was more than half glad that
the house servants had run away and
have things just as they wanted them.
Some Of these southern girls asked in
Vulnerable questions about the duties
and diversions of our mothers and sis
ters, and they heard enough to make
them open their pretty eyes in wonder.
But all this had nothing TO do with
love. AS was natural to suppose, and as
we afterward learned, each of the girls
was already engaged TO some good or
bad fellow I'm the Confederate army
Their hearts were already disposed Of,
so they could laugh at all would be
suitOrs and break hearts cheerily with
the sublime consolation that they were
weakening the enemy in one of his
most vulnerable points. Their manner
was as proper as that of any northern
girl, as the more impudcnt Of our fell
lows discovered when they proposed n
kiss at the door The experience of
one of these fellows was quite inter-
csting to every one but himself He
was so handsome that he had made
great havoc among feminine hearts at
home and had come to regard himself
As irresistible. He asked little Vir-
glnian, pretty enough to break the
heart of an anchorite, for a kiss, but
she replied:
"Only Confederate lips can ever touch
mine"
One day when this man had been on
post the relief found his place vacant,
there was no sign of blood
shed or q struggle AS soon as this
was reported at the reserve a squad |
was sent out to look for him.
Inquiry was made at every house on
the road, and at one we learned from
the heartbreaking beauty just referred |
to that he had stopped there two hours |
before and announced that he was de- |
serting to the Confederacy.
Almost half a year afterward the |
rear guard of one of our scouting par
ties was harassed for the last two
miles of its return by shots from a
ppppn ytrhJ.h
and took to the woods whenever we |
turned and attempted to charge them. |
Our commander arranged a strong am
buscadc of the advance, with a view
to capturing the entire party, and this
hidden force suddenly surrounded |
them when they were directly in front |
of the house in which the little beauty !
lived. There were only dozen of the |
enemy, and they quickly saw that their |
game was up. As we approached them |
they recognized the inevitable and |
ceased fighting, but one man In gray |
suddenly drew revolver fired three |
shots in rapid succession at the house, |
breast, fired ana fell from his saddle. We |
We're upon them IN n moment, ana un-
der the cap Of the man upon the ground |
we saw the face of our handsome de- |
serter He gasped before he died that |
he was as loyal as ever. He had de- |
serted In a wild desire to kiss that girl. |
Now, seeing her at the window, he had |
fired to kill her and hoped he had sue
ceeded Then he had killed himself |
rather than be shot as a traitor.
He had missed the pretty mark he |
had aimed at. The girl was unhurt ex-
cept from a severe scare. We had lost |
more than 20 men most unaccountably |
from that post. all OF them violent ad-
mirers Of that very girl. Somehow her |
fathers house was burned TO the |
ground that very night. hope the |
pretty girl escaped, but we were told |
she did not Not one of us attended the |
funeral 1t would be hard to tell how
many lives on both sides were lost
a A.