Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-04-22

knew how she got through with it, fol
she had never travelled alone before
, After having crossed the Ohio River
, there were numerous delays, owing tC
military Notwithstanding delays
when she felt like a Gagged animal beat
I ing and bruising itself against the bars
Oh, what if he should die before she
| could reach him! She had told him once
{ not to come back to her, and now, if he
could never come back, she would want
to die too, if it were not for Buddie.
!, 1t was a pale and haggard looking
woman who reached Fort Donelson al
last. Then there was wearisome
search through the crowded hospitals
At length she got trace of him in a little
town near by where hospital had been
improvised out of an old warehouse
There was a Captain Cotton among the
patients, and busy surgeon who gave
her the information, directed one of the
nurses to conduct her to the apartment
where he was.
Mother Green, as the nurse was called
evidently an amateur rather than a
professional-was stout middle-aged
woman whose face told one at once that
she had big, warm, motherly heart
She greeted Ginnie with great cordially
and began Immediately to gossip in a
confidential manner.
"I'm so glad some one has come to
see my boy" she said. "We call 'em
all our boys, you know, and the Cap'n
is the best of 'em-a nicer gentleman
there never was. Poor fellow! he needs
cheering up. l suppose you know he's
lost an arm-his right arm, too-such a
pity"
"Yes, the surgeon told me. Is he
very-very poorly? Do you think"-
but Ginnie's voice faild her, for now
that she was actually to see him in
few minutes, she found herself growing
more and more agitated.
"Why, the surgeon says his wound is
doing we'll; but somehow he doesn't
seem to raj ly and 1 believe it's just be-
cause he's so low-spirited. Pears like,
the poor boy doesn't care whether he
gets well or not, now that he's disabled
from service. l heard him tell the
surgeon once it was pity the bullet
didn't reach his heart. | suppose, Miss, y
shc added with a scrutinizing look at
Ginnie, "you are some relation of his
a sister, perhaps
81 am his wife,
"His wife!" exclaimed the woman,
stopping short on their way in her as
tonishment and staring at Ginnie half
incredulously. "His wife! Why, | had
made sure in my mind that he was a
widower. l wonder why he wouldn't
let me write to you. When he was first
brought here, he was so weak and low,
| asked him if | shouldn't write to some
of his folks at home to come and see
him. But he just turned his head away
and said he had no home. Afterwards
| used to see him looking at picture
he had-a woman with baby in her
| lap thought, from glimpse | had of it
| once-and sometimes after he'd looked
at it awhile, he'd draw the cover up over
his face. OF course naturally thought
he must be widower."
"Oh, please, please make haste and take
me to him." eaded Ginnie piteously.
Every word of the garrulous nurse cut
her to the heart.
"Well, well, reckon he'll be mighty
tickled to see you. Twill be lots better
than looking at your picture" and the
good woman hurried Ginnie along to a
larger apartment in which there were
many patients, some lying on their cots
with white, drawn faces, others who were
evidently convalescing and were reading
or talking with their neighbors. The
nurse took her to the side of cot in
far corner of the room.
"Why, the Cap'ns sound asleep-for
a wonder. wouldn't awake him just
now. dear" she whispered to Ginnie.
"He can't get half sleep enough in such
a place as this, you know, and it's such
a pity to disturb him. Just sit here by
him till he wakes" and she placed a seat
for her.
Ginnie could scarcely breathe, her
heart was beating so fast. Could that
be her husband lying there, unkempt,
lunshayen, so pale, so thin, with sunken
ewes and such look of suffering even
in sleep? 1t was only minute or two,
however, before the likeness to his
former self became too apparent to be
mistaken. She forgot the nurses IN
junction, if she had heard it; she knew
not that the room had suddenly become
silent, that newspapers had dropped
and many pairs of eyes were watching
| her; she knew nothing, she thought
nothing except that this was Harry.
He seemed, to have been sleeping
heavily; but at last he stirred under the
touch of soft hands pushing back his
matted hair, the pressure of warm lips
on his own, the feeling of a wet cheek
laid against his. 1t was no wonder
perhaps, that when he opened his eyes
he stared in the face bent over him.
unable to decide at once whether he
, was dreaming or awake.
"Oh, darling, darling, don't you kno"
, me? It's Ginnie." :.
"Thank Godr 1t was all he coulo
say, and then the one poor arm that was
left him was wound around her neck.
Mother Green, in describing the scene
afterwards to a fellow worker, declared
that half the boys in the room were cry
ing and she wanted to cry too-she wa'
such fool!
1t was half an hour or more before
much speech was possible betweei
husband and wife. Ginnie was the firs
, one able to talk and while he could onl.
, look at her in a trance of joy too deel
LOT uICeIduCc, Suc DcSsH Ill AZ" "'N
tones to pour into his ear the story o
:, her penitence. AS we have said before
y Ginnie did nothing by halves; she ha'
! repented with her whole heart and he
; confession was very humble indeed
! One would have thought to hear it
+ that she felt herself criminal OF tn
t deepest dye. -,
At last Cotton could bear it no longe
r and interrupted her. Don't talk of it
3 dear. This makes up for everything;
Q is better than thousand letters. Wei
a exchange pardons now, once for all AM
then have done with it. You have some
thing to forgive" he added with an arc
smile. "Remember I've been tghtin
:. against the South"
> "Oh, but have seen that in diiferen
light-as you said 1 would, you know
= 1t was very brave and noble of you to d
, your duty-what you believed to be you
> duty-in spite of everything,-i in spit
'. of my trying in every way | could thin
:, of to hold you back. l honor you for
a u now, darling, more than can tell you,
" " she said softly with an air that was eve
: reyerential. "And oh! Harry, to think
y told you not to come back to met wa