Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-04

lowing -fr were Tne escOrtfng cornpa-
 nies, soon to march to the front them selves in answer to similar calls. The
 troops represented every nationality that made up the composite town. The
 city which had known four 4ags-the
 French, the Spanish, the English and the United States-was now under the
 fifth-the stars and bars borne by the color company in the front of the line.
 As the troops approached her, the sound of the cheering grew in volume until as they passed the place where she stood 1t was perfect roar. Yet not everybody was cheering. Women looked out upon the moving mass with white, set faces. Mothers sobbed, fa- thers trembled. wives yearned; hearts were breaking as the soldiers passed by. They had passed by many a time on one occasion or another, but this time they were going to meet real war. It would be years before any of them came back to that town. Indeed hum dreds of those who stepped gayly to the music in the pride of their youth, buoyant with hope, mad with the ea- gerness of inexperience to fight, would never come back at av The regiment would write it's name high upon the roll of heroic organizations; its chil- dren would sleep till the eternal awak- Rappahannock to the Mississippi. Peace to them! Glory to theml
 Thoughts of this kind rose in the mind of the girl and almost choked her. There at the head was little Colo nel Withers, with Lieutenant Colonel Lomax, and there, looking straight to the front, like the soldier he was, rode her lover. She stared at him so in- tensely that for one brief moment his face swerved and he shot one look at her. The glance was so fraught with passionate devotion, so permeated with buoyant hope, with loving gratitude, with resolution, with determination, that she shrank under it almost as if her heart had been pierced by an ar row. In that one brief glance she saw the soul of that man who loved her as she had never before seen it, and it was good sight. And he carried away with him the picture of her as she stood above him, with her hands clasped across her bosom, gazing at him. He would carry that memory into eternity itself.
 As they looked at each other the flies and drums of the regiment broke into the shrilling of the "Mocking Bird, and with that air ringing in his ear and her picture in his eye he marched away.
 As she turned to go into the house the guns of the battery roared out final salute as the young soldiers, full of hope, embarked on the steamer for Montgomery. NJ
 My dear child" said Judge Amman, coming into the par1or and finding Mary sobbing on the sofa, with little Tempe, very quiet now, kneeling by her side and stroking her hand with that infinite tact which sometimes very small children have. why are you cryingT
 For for - everything, father. I | promised Mr. Bob Darrow to be his wife when the war is over and we have conquered, with your consent, sir. cannot help but think how many of them won't-won't come back" she sobbed.
 ''The war seems to get nearer to us, my child," said the old man solemnly. This Is only the beginning. Alas, our poor country, our poor country!''
 .'Is MT. Darrow going to shoot the | Nunited States, Sister Mary?' asked Tempe softly, in ap awestruck voice.
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