The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-05-27
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Jerky strains Of the Star Spangled
| Banner" mingled with the sound of the
| fife and drum, floated out on the morn
ing air. The notes of Marching Through
| Georgia were caught. echoed and an
swered by columbia, Gem of the Ocean,"
| from the adjacent streets. while the Span
| ish-American war soldiers contributed "A
| Hot Time" Flags and banners streamed
from all windows.
| For it was the 3Oth day of May.
| Rob Mandel a young southerner, enjoy
| ing his first glimpse of l.fe in the northern
states. threaded his way through the
| crowded his way through the crowded
streets, which seemed to him to bear the
air of a gala day. He turned into a street
| where tall trees cast grateful shade on
| the pavement Then his heart beat more
! quickly. A the end OF the block he saw
Joceyn-Jocelyn, sweet and It. and but
very recently his fiancec.
"Jocclyn!'
She turned pretty, surprised face to
his.
Where are you going, Jocelyn? l
called at your house just now, but found
| it closed
Il am going to spend the day with my
grandmother.
"And she is the only member of your
| family / have not met, SO l will go with
| you"
mo, Rob: not today. This is always
| sad day for poor grandma
''Oh, your grandfather was killed in the
civil war l presume" he added, feelingly,
Worse than that, Rob He belonged to
/ the missing" and not missing in action,
| either. You can walk to the house with
me and l VIII tell you about it. Early in
the war my grandfather was taken sick
| In quarters. Before he was we'll his reg
| ment received orders to move on and
commenced their march at night. Grand
pa, delirious with fever. was placed in
| the ambulance.
THE next morning, when some of his
comrades. anxious to his condition,
came to the ambulance, they found 1t
empty and my grandfather was missing.
All search and inquiry proved unava'lins.
| His friends came to the conclusion that in
his delirium he had slipped unseen from
the ambulance under cover OF the night
and that probably he had been killed by
bushwhackers. OF course. the march
could not be delayed, and his regiment
had to pursue their way, leaving him to
his unknown fate.
! He was never again heard from, and
they say the sad tdings would have killed
MY grandmother, but she felt that she
| must live to have removed from the mus
| ter roll the cruel word 'deserter.
| For years she went continually to the
window to watch for him; the doorbcll
| never rang. a footstep never paused be
fore the door, but her heart beat with ex-
Lrectancy. She knew that whatever had
been his fate, he did not merit the cruel
| charge of desertion, for he was a grand
| and brave man.
"Shc worked INCREASINGLY to get the
charge removed, and years after the war
| succeeded in doing so. That lifted her
sorrow slightly, but this Decoration day
y dreaded one to her. She grieves so
to think that she cannot care for his
| Gearing flowers to their dead in the ccme-
| toy"
Rob was strangely silent after listening
! TO the recital of this little tragedy.
1T Is very sad and strange" he said
relectively. ut recalls a war story that
my grandmother has often told me"
Il will have to hear it some other time,
Rob, for this is my grandmothcr's house,
and you must go back.
81 am going In with YOU" he announced
| in determined tones.
"Oh, no, Rob-" she replied hurriedly.
1.-THE fact is, l haven't told grandma of
our engagement. You see you must cX-
pect her be prejudiccd at first because
| you are a southerncr and
"She would naturally feel that way, for
I presume she imasincs that your grand
father was killed by confederates.'
Yes, and today, of all days, her feel
ings would be more keen. so you must
| wait, ROD. ana meet ner under othcf COLI
ditions'
mo, am going in now" he said, res
olutely, as he assembled the steps.
Jocelyn's grandmother met them in the
| hall She looked like a picture grand
mother with her soft white curls and
gown of silver gray.
Jocelyn's heart relented when she saw
how tenderly her young lover clasped the
hand extended in acknowledgement of the
Introduction, She FASTENED to explain
that Mr.. Handel was friend of Brother
Dicks and that he had come the night
before to pay them visit
Where is your home, Mr.. Mandel?"
asked the old lady, politely.
| Jocelyn gave him a beseeching look, but
he replied unf1inchingly
Atlanta. Georgia"
| Jocelyn's grandmother turned her face
| toward the window, and Jocelyn grew re-
| bell.ous.
Mrs Royce said Rob, earnestly,
| "Jocelyn has been telling me this morn
ing of your sad bereavement"
Jocelyn flushed crimson. Had he not
then one spark of delicacy-onc grain of
tact?
Rob rose and crossed the room, seating
himself beside her.
What she told me decided ne to come
| in and relate to you an incident OF my
| grandmothcr's life during the war. She
"
lived on the outskirts of Atlanta. Early
one morning a servant came into the
| house and told her that he had found a
| sick Yankee in the stable"
Mrs. Royce started, and an eager look
of interest frightened her wan face.
Jocelyn's eyes grew cxpectant.
| "Oh, Rob-" she said, softly.
"My grandmother" resumed the young
| man, accompanied the servant to The
stable and found tho report to be correct
! From the clothing and appearance of the
sick man she saw lying on the floor she
knew him to be more than a common sol
| der.
"He was delirious and appeared to be
very ILL., She at once had him carried tc
the house and nursed him with the care
and tenderness she would have gwen tc
her own. He lived but a week"
Rob paused.
ooh, is that all?'
Mrs. Royce gave an agonizins cry.
NO" said Rob, gently. She found II
his pocket u memorandum book, on the
fly leaf of which had been written a nanlt
and address in pencil
And the namc"' gasped Mrs. Royce
tremulously.
THE first name was illegible; the las
name was-Royco-the name of the town
was completely erascd-thc state wa:
Ohio
oh 1t must haze been M: husband. !
I could only be sure" she cried
II think you can be" said Rob. IN,
grandmother was an artist She though
of the absent wife, or mother. or sweet
heart, who would mourn him missing
| and she sketched the soldier as he lay Ill
A very accurate, carefully drawn SKETCH
Have you seen 1t? Can you tell M
how he looked?" she implorcd.
1.-THE expression sad Rob, "Jocelyn's
noticed the resemblance as soon as
recalled the SKETCH"
"And Jocelyn Is the image OF he