Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-04-15

flag that hateful old flag that means
nothing now but oppression and robbery
to the South" Ginnie exclaimed scorn-
fully. "But go If you must. You know
1 said it would divide us and it will! 1
want no further communication between
us. I will never write you line-don't
expect it, and" she added with increas-
ing passion, "when the war is over don't
come back to me-"
Cotton stared at her for moment
could he believe his own ears? But as
the meaning of her words came to him,
for the first time since he had known
Virginia Harwood, his spirit was fully
aroused. He looked at her in silence
for minute or two, his clear steel blue
eyes meeting her angry ones with a
steady gaze so full of reproach it must
have shamed her, if she had not been
beside herself with anger.
Every well, Ginnie," he remarked at
length with compressed lips, 'it shall
be as you say. If am alive when the
war ends, shall wait for my wife to
call me back"
| He went to his own room and gathered
up few things, among them daguerreo-
type of Ginnie with their one year-old boy
in her arms. 1t had lately been taken
in the city of Keokuk Then he went in
search of the child and found him sitting
up in his crib, just awakened from his
morning nap. He was beautiful child
with unusually winsome ways, Colton's
pride and Joy. AS he snatched him up and
folded the warm living sweetness in his
arms, the calmness he had maintained
till now gave way and his tears rained
over the moist brown curls, rs he
covered the little face with kisses.
But lest he should be totally un-
manned, he set the child down again,
and with one long, lingering kiss on the
rosebud mouth, turned away, not daring
70 look back.
| He found Ginnie still sitting proudly
erect, very pale, but dry-eyed, too angry
in fact for tears. Perhaps, too, she had
been partially stunned by the sudden
shock of Colton's decision. He hesitat-
ed moment, then went to her side.
The yearning of his heart overcame him;
he would make one more effort to soften
her anger.
"Ginnie," he said gently, sit can't be
possible you meant what you said just
now. 1t would be too cruel, for you
know no man ever loved wife better
than have loved you. You will think
| more kindly of me by and by. You
| will see some time, think, that l am
only doing what believe an imperative
duty to my country and my God. But
if motif | must lose your Affection
then God help mer' He paused to
wrestle with the agony of the moment,
lest it should overmaster him, and his
voice was husky as he added hurriedly,
"You told me not to come back to you,
Ginnie-you know the chances of war
perhaps can't come back. Won't you
kiss me good-bye?"
Ginnie neither spoke nor looked up,
though she was trembling violently; but
as he leaned over her, she turned her
face away quickly and shook off the
hand he had laid upon her shoulder.
Cotton waited no longer, but left her
with hasty steps, and shortly afterwards
he had mounted his horse and was on
his way to Keokuk. He realized that
only swift obedience to the call of duty
was safe for him; if he fingered, his
resolution might fail. But as he took
his last look of the wife who had refused
him a parting kiss, and of the home
where they had spent those two happy
years, was it any wonder he felt, as he
drew his hat down over his eyes, that
for him the bitterness of death was
past? He was offering up on the altar
of his country the most precious thing
in all the world to him--his wife's love-
Other men went into the war with
wife's blessing and the assurance of her
prayers-his had told him not to come
back to her!
After Cotton had gone, Mr.. Jim
lounged into the room and found Ginnie
still sitting by the window, white and
fearless, oblivious of all that was pass
ing around her.
$50, Gin, the Professors lit out in
hurry-gone to join Old Abe's hirelings,
has he?-thinks there's one Yankee can
fight and show the other white-livered
fellows how. Humph! Much fighting
he'll do, you bet. Never handled
shooting iron in his life, l dare say.
His courage will run into his heels when
the bullets begin to sing around his
ears"
Ginnie was effectually aroused now,
"
eyes. ~ can tell you one thing, Jim
Harwood If all our men had been
drunken, no-account fellows like you,
the Yankees wouldn't have needed to
run. They might have chased you half
way to Richmond. And don't you
flatter yourself that Harry Cotton won't
fight. He'll die in his tracks before
he'll run-he's one of that kind. And
YOU NAV be sure there are good many
other Yankees like him. Perhaps we'll
not find it so easy to whip them after
ALL"
"Pon my word, Gin, one would think
| to hear you brag on the Yankees that
you'd gone over to the 'blackies your
self. But that comes of having a
| sblackie' for a husband, l reckon" he
added sneeringly.
"Blackie' or not" flashed out Ginnie
with intense scorn, 'tthere's more cour-
age in one of Harry Colton's little fingers
than in your whole body. He could
whip half dozen of you if he cared to
stoop so low. Pshaw! could give you
whipp'n' myself if l had a mind-l
could sOr'
And Ginnie looked quite fierce enough
lust then to undertake the job. She
had strong suspicion, Notwithstanding
Colton's disclaims, that Jim's taunts
had something to do with his sudden
decision, and her anger against Jim was
at white heat.
Besides it always angered her to hear
her husband called 'blackie', although
he sometimes playfully applied the term
to himself. 1t was not often that lazy,
easy-going Jim braved one of Ginnie's
tongue -lashings; but that extra glass at
the grocery had set him up more than
common.
But Ginnie did not stay to hear any
thing more. She rushed off to her own
room and fastened herself in. When
she reappeared few hours later, al
though She had carefully bathed her
head and face, there was suspicious
redness of her cheeks and about her
eyes. Ill.
Jim was afterwards heard to grumble
to other members OF the family-"lts
mighty curious, say. Gin was mad as
a hornet at the Professor when he went
off to enlist-wouldn't say goodbye nor
nothing-and now if fellow just men
tions the word Yankee or 'blackie' or
ANYTHING of the kind, she's ready to snap