Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-07-12

dS du equdl uuluuei III oluCi So'aiiy
regiments at our post. There was little
or no lovemaking. No man dared abb
sent himself long enough from the
picket reserve to attend to business Of
so serious nature. nor could he easily
find opportunity to speak to damsel
alone. If father or mother or grand
parents Glanced 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.
1t was great fun. however, for the
girls. Not one of them would have
married a Yankee had he been Apollo
and Crnsus combined. but 1t wasn't
unpeasing 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 q 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 a 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 q burst Of confidence
| that she was more than half glad that
| the house servants had run away and
| given her and her mother chance to
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 arterward learned. each Of the girls
was already engaged to some good or
| bad fellow in 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 rs proper as that Of any northern
girl. as the more impudent of our fel-
lows discovered when they proposed q
kiss at the door. The experience Of
one Of these fellows was quite inter
esting 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 q little Vir.
ginan. 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,
although there was no sign of blood.
shed or struggle. AS soon as this
was reported at the reserve a squad
was sent out to look for him.
Inquiry was made ut every house on
the road. and at one we learned from
the hcartbreaking beauty just referred
to that he had stopped there two hours
before and announced that he was de-
serting to the Confederacy.
Almost half n year afterward the
rxlr guard of one of our scouting par
ties was harasscd for tie last two
miles of its return by shots from q
small mounted force. which scattered
and took to the woods whenever we
turned and attempted to charge them
Our commander arranged Il strong am.
buscadr of the advance. with Il 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 4 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 ut the house.
then pointed the weapon at his own
breast. fircdand fell from hiSsaddle. We
were upon them in a moment. and I'M
der the cap of the man upon the ground
we saw the face of our handsome de.
scrtcr. He gaSpcd before he died that
he was as loyal as ever. He had de-
serted in IL wild desire to kiss that girl.
Now. seeing her at the window. he had
fired to kill her and hoped he had sue
ceedpd Then he had killed himself
rather than be shot rs traitor.
He had missed tho pretty mark he
had aimed at The girl was unhurt eX-
crpt from 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
therca ftcr as the result Of those two
deaths.
"War Is hellp'
TO BE CONTINUED.