The National tribune., 1904-03-31

"1hat ought to make it very sacred soil.
whatever it was before remarked Maria,
who was taking in everything with deep
interest. Just think how many young
Isweethearts and husbands there must have
been among them, and how many broken
hearted girls there must be back at home. =
And she gave a little sigh Of secret con-
tent that Fate had been SO much kinder
| to her than to many of her sisters.
well, you young ladies haven't any
| thing to complain Of" said the Adjutant.
| Not two girls in 10000 have got such bus
| bands as yours. But think of poor me. |
had TO 60 through the war without any
welcome me back"
.Too bad, Adj laughed ST. Couldn't
you even get up sweetheart through the
| Correspondence wanted columns of the
papers,"
Il tried that even. The first letter
| wrote / forgot myself, and put 'Adj'f af-
ter my signature. The girl mistook it for
agent and wrote back wrathfully that she
! thought she was corresponding with gen
! tleman, and who'd write his letters him
| self. and not hire an agent to do it. She
didn't think much. any how, of man who
You gave up entirely too easily
| laughed Maria. Faint heart. you know
90 after I saw you young ladies'" an
swered the Adjutant, with a great show of
| sadness. Il had no farther heart for it.
! The Sergeants and Colonels have caught
| all the really frst-class girls, and l can't
be satisfied with any other"
''Thank you, sir" said Maria gravely.
Wed get up and make courtesy. if the
car didn't pitch so: and threaten to throw
| us on our noses if we tried it. We've a
young sister out at home who isn't bespoke
| yet
"Yes." broke in Shorty, ''if you like the
| samples you see so we'll. come out home,
and look over the stock still on hand"
| swered the Adjutant gravely. as he made
memorandum in his note book. We'll, here
| we are in Alexandria-old Alexandria. n
| town that was bigger to the people in
| George Washington's time than Baltimore
| or Philadelphia are to us. They say the
| to seed long before the war. was thought
| of. Look out there: you can't see a build
| ing anywhere less than 80 years Old
Most Of the moss on those roofs We see
| was growing when JEFF Davis was in
| roundabouts." confirmed Shorty.
| what really killed Alexandria," con
tinued the Adjutant. was the building of
ried the grain and other produce to Balti-
more or Philadelphia. where big ships
| could come in and take it across the ocean
much cheaper than the little ones. Alex
andria was dying 40 years age. when they
thought the cause was that the city had
| got an act through Congress giving
| Alexandria back to Virginia. but the place
went Oh drying up worse than ever. while
Baltimore and Philadelphia were growing.
1 Right over there you can see the old church
| that Washington used to attend. That
| building there with cupola is Jackson's
hotel where Ellsworth was killed. At the
| depot where we stop is where the LIST Mich.
| surprised and captured a company of rebel
| cavalry. which was quite little feat for
| infantry at that stage OF the war, or any
| other"
81 should say So" remarked 81. "But
| those Michigan boys were all handles. !
| tell You Never was better soldiers, than
| them Wolverines in our brigade"
"Look at that fort up there continued
| the Adjutant as the train left Alexandria,
and began running M the valley of Cam
was one Of the first built. and it was one
of the strongest in the whole chain around
Washington. You see it commands from
! that high Hill this whole creek valley. 1t
| cost an immense amount OF work to build
Whenever l look at any of these big forts
around Washington, | sigh to think how
much patriotic ardor they must have sweat
out Of the young fellows who had to build
them. Ardent young men. full of heroic
determination 3 encounter the enemies of
| the country upon the field of battle en-
listed and were rushed OF here to Wash
| ington. expecting to be immediately led to
the bloody conflict. Their fathers, mothers
and swsethearts mentally followed them
with beating, anxious hearts, believing that
| the next news would be that they were
dead. wounded. or had performed some
shining deed. Instead. they were camped
out on these hills. apd for weeks and
months alternated drilling with working
with pick. sheysl and wheelbarrow On these
red clay banks.~