Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-02-10

= ~ 80 hS1<SI /
WINTER
his fist. I'VE must drumhead and
shoot EN-" says Fred's new command
er, land I'll hang the first man of my
staff that 1 catch"
''The winter of our discomfort" in
deed! With gloomy heart and sad
anticipation Benton rides away through
the leaf1ess woods to the old familiar
scenes about Fredericksburg Word
from Washington has brought him lit
tie comfort. Rumor of his command
er's sayings has filed him with fore
boding. DR.. Chiffon, to whom he had
written on almost any provocation and
who had gratefully and promptly an
swered his Sharpsburg missive, giving
young Pelham's message, now wrote
not at all. HE seems sad and brood
ing said Jack, in the one letter that
young gentleman had managed to
send through since his incarceration.
Jack was we'll enough to resume duty
and most eager for exchange, but ne
gotiations hung fire unaccountably, so
said he, and Benton thought he knew
the reason why. Lounsberry had been
back again in Richmond over six
weeks now, exchanged and restored
to his old and influential post in the
war department. Lounsherry could
be counted on to lose no chance to in
jure the Chiltons, father or son, and
SO long as it was possible he would
block all plan to exchange Jack Chill
ton, thereby lending color to the stories
spread about in Virginia that poor
L-s- L. =, -
stay caught, such hard fighting as his
fellow Virginians had to do being little
to his taste. It would have burned
his heart out with fury had he known
it, but few of us begin to realize the
half of what is whispered to our detri-
ment, else there would be deportation
of sensitive souls or deserved destruc-
ton in the army of detractors. Jack
was nearly mad with misery when told
of Stuart's impudent dash at Cham
bersburg and the second circling of the
Army of the Potomac. He was then
just beginning to stump around quite
comfortably. Elinor and the squire
had returned to the west, the former
with red-rimmed eyes and pallid
cheeks. No one knew how she had
sorrowed over the sad news about
Ladue. 1t was that, though, that
seemed to break the ice of Rosalie's
reserve, for now, for the first time,
the Virginia girl read the secret of her
Wisconsin would-be friend, and melted
to her instantly. 1t was that, though
they rarely spoke his name, that led
to the letters now passing frequently
between them 1t was through that
correspondence the sisterhood began
that despite trial and trouble, proved
eventually so sure an alliance in time
of need.
But though ElinOr wrote in many
page of her brother, and in only few
referred to Paul-and then only as
"he" or "him'-Rosalie would write
only of the latter Ordinarily this
would have led to resentment and a
breach. Now it did not, for what Rosa
lie had to say was stirring new hope
into the somber current Of the western
girls monotonous life. Rosalie had
amazed and rejoiced her. about the end
of October, by the assurance that she
believed Capt Lamar to be totally mis-
taken. 1t was true, she admitted, that
Paul Ladue had not been seen with
Ewell's division, but neither had Ew-
ell, as yet-for the latter had not be-
come accustomed to a cork leg-yet she
had tidings from t'friends''-whO, she
would not say-that Paul Ladue was
still alive when borne from the awful
front of Gibbons guns, then belching
canister in double rounds. More dead
than alive he looked" said her inform
ant, but while she had no tidings OF
his present whereabouts, neither was
there any record of his death.
All this was presently sent to Fred
on the Rappahannock, and made him
the more eager to communicate with
some one across that modern Rubi-
con-some one who could speak adj
yisedly. But though there were places
near the fords up stream where the
cavalry vedettes sat long hours in sad
die, facing, and often within hailing
distance of each other, the orders
against communication of any kind
had become exacting, for it was evil
dent that Burnside was marshaling his
grand divisions for a move.
In the early summer time. when he
hated to leave the front and 1onged to
push on to Richmond or Charlottes-
vile, Benton had been summoned to
Washington. Now, when he longed to
go to Washington, there was prospect
of a midwinter dash across the Rap
| pahannock- News of the Chiltons was
sorely disquieting. Rosalie would not
write Jack, in prison camp, could
not, except to kindred, and the doctor
evidently shrank from writing 1t
was a winter of courts-martial at the
| capital, and several such tribunals
were in session, trying officers OF vari-
GUS grades. Many new regiments had
| o-6 xrora held about the CITY