The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-10

NJ.
,n the road by which Mcclellan had
started in 1862 for Richmond, and we
we're cheered by quite a lot of letters
from home. II appeared that the evae-
uation had been ordered for an earlier
date. so mail matter for our regiment
had not been forwarded.
No sooner had ] opened one of nv
letters than | began TO be mysthed.
for the writer, my mother. was prais-
Ing me extravagantly for something gal
liant which she assumed / had done.
read rapidly, but enly To be further
mystified. A letter from my father was
equally confusing. IL informed me that
the whole town was ringing with prais-
es of me and that our districts member
OF the state senate had called 10 near
the story and declared that all the dis
trict as well as Summerton was talk
Ing OF me and was proud OF me-
/ called Brainard TO my assistance,
but he was reading a letter from my
cousin May and was utterly unrespon-
sive. so / opened other envelopes, only
70 find congra tulations from old school
mates and even from some OF the solid
men OF the village. What could II meanY
Evidently some other John Frost IN the
cavalry service had done something I'm
particular, and my family and fellow
townsmen. like villagers I'm general, had
not thought that there might be two men
OF the same name.
Little by little I learned from tic let
ters that the deed of which | was sup
posed 10 be the hero was a midnight
ride alone into a country swarming
with the enemy. | had made no such
ride unless Ii was on the night | was
scared back 10 camp by the rattling
trace chains of the artillery horses ihat
Brainard afterward discovered. had
not recovered from my modification at
my failure that night. so OF course 1T
could not be for that affair that all
Summerton and our senatorial district
were praising me.
Slowly IL occurred TO me that some
one of our Summerton troopers had
heard of Branard's successful ride CT
the same night and had known that
started TO make the trip. He nad got
Brainard and me mixed In his mind,
and so / was being glorifed for work
at which l had shamsfully failed. and
the real hero of the affair was being
defrauded OF his right.
Charley ] groaned. He was look
ing idiotically happy when i spoke, but
said afterward that my face alarmed
him quickly toid- him of the con-
tents of my letters and of the only pos
slble explanation.
had concluded do feel easy about
Il, for I'm not a bit jealous" Then he
fell to rereading his letter from my cous-
in May. but l exclaimed:
stop being fool, Listen to me! You
know perfectly well that I'm not going
to sail under false colors. The story
will get pretty soon to the other Sum-
merton of our company, and they'll chan
me most numerically. / must hrd the
h.a rYa n MI
you must help me. and we must make
him correct the blunder before the story
gets back here
For the first time in my acquaintance
with him Brainard looked irresolute.
Still worse, he looked sheepish. Then
he said:
I'm afraid 1 a mthe guilty man."
''You?
''Yes. Don't be angry. Jack when
explain. OF course | didn't suppose that
your cousin May
What has May TO do with it?'
Nothing. That is, she isn't In any
way 10 blame. Say, old chap, / suppose
you'll think me a fool, but-you can't
understand I'm not so modest that l
couldn't see that my ride with dispatches
that night was quite creditable 20 me,
and l did wish your cousin May could
know OF IL and that l might know how
about II, but my pen simply wouldn't
work Somehow l cant blow my cwn
trumpet. Suddenly IL occurred To EIe
that you'd gone through all that l had
the sense OF danger, the loneliness,
the expectation OF running into camp
of Johnnies or at least of being iired
upon at short range. SO | wrote up
your ride just as j knew you felt while
making IL. and l didn't leave out a sim
gle heart quake"
"You internal. blessed hypocritel Did
you make me deliver the dispatch? |
never imagined you could lie, even fer
the sake OF telling a good story. T.
IL didn't lie. / said that despite the
scares the dispatches finally reached
their destination. And, oh, Jack. the
letter she's written I'm reply! I'm TAX
ing all the praise 20 myself, every bit
OF It, but you may read it,"
Read IL? I'll send back a denial by
the first mail and II ever again you
eust "A big hearted, excitable girl with
any story that you don't want known
by the whole world III dump you into
a lunatic asylum for your own protec-
tion and for mine. Can't you see what
an awful position you've put me in? |
shall never dare 90 face the boys again
unless you explain TO all of them, and,
OF course, you can't do that l almost
wish I could be shot or made prison
er. Besides
Heard the news. boys?" asked Cloyne,
stopping a moment I'm front OF our tent
Hamilton has been promoted-a big
Jump. too, for he's made first lieutenant"
Its an insult to the army!" exclaim-
ed Brainard. "Hamilton's a No. ] won't
say what l was going to. but he always
lodges lighting"
Yes, so our captain told the colonel, or
20 they say. hut the colonel replied: 1t
may be that he's no stomach for lighting,
but he knows how 90 care for the stom-
achs OF men who do fight. so he's TO be
regimental commissary and feed the regi-
ment az well as he's fed his company In
war bellies count for as much as bull
let's"
There's something 20 that" said Brain
ard. "and I'm glad Hamilton's found his
proper place. That isn't all I'll go at
once and congratulate him on g."
"Don'tl' said Cloyne. putting an arm
about Brainard and looking down into
the little chaps face with sad. tender.
plying eyes.
''Why not2'
"Becauso--oh. hang tho mysteries 81
this tormenting world--bccause he's got
ten-day leave OF absence. Hell he fool
ff he doesn't 60 10 New York. get into an
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