The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-05-26
nv narrow environment.

my narrow environment Olympia
was the ocean to "the-rsver of my
thoughts and all my hopes and de-
SireS centered in her. ...rI
About the end of January Mr.. lie
Moyne told me that his son, who was
Il captain in the Confederate seryice,I
had been wounded and was coming
home on q leave in a few days. He,
as We'll as myself, knew ii would be at
least embarrassing We're we to meet.
My cheek mantled with shame when l
thought of my comrades lighting the
battles of their country, while |, an IN
truder uuOn the hospitality of the enc
mics Of the cause l loved, was passing
my time in happy but inGlorious ease:
Il at once sought Olympia and old
her would be compelled TO leave on
the day following. She exhausted all
the resources of a fascinating ana
beautiful woman to diSsuade me, but
seeing that all her arts were in vain
finally CAV a reluctant consent.
But o to get away and rejoin my
regiment was now The problem pre-
scented to my mind. | could not escape
by way of Nicksburg, and, for any
thing l knew to the contrary, the banks
of the YaZoo might be in possession of
the Confedcrates and their vessels in
stead of Union gunboats might be pa
trolling the river.
JUST AT lllS lullclu1t Il SCoutlllS
party of Union troops from one of our
gunboats appeared upon the scene.
Among the number | was delighted
to see m boon comrade and tent mate,
John Douglas, who greeted me with a
warmth and enthusiasm which did not
require the evidence of fearful eyes to
convince me of their earnestneSS.
My dear fellow he exclaimed. his
face aglow with surprise and pleas
ure, 1 thought you had gone to the
land of the shades, n here l find you
by the side of a beautiful girl in an
Arcadian paradise which seems to have
arisen by magic amid the sWampS and
bayous of the IaZoo river. | let your
family know of your disappearance and
my fears as to your safety. Now you
can let them know that my fears We're
groundless and that you are still liv-
ing II ready to fight for he union,
unless he continued laughing. the
beautiful confederate who just now left
your company has converted you to the
cause of her people,
while we were absorbed in our
greetings, Aunt Dinah, a domestic of
the household, came hurriedly toward
us from the opposite side of the farm.
Seeing me, she rushed forward and ex-
claimed e~xcitedly:
"'Massa, massa! De confeds are
comm Shua-a whole regiment. Youse
habe time yet to 'scape, if yuah lebe
now
Though doubling the accuracy of the
faithful creatures account, so far as the
strength of the enemy was concerned,
we deemed it prudent to avoid enCoun-
ter with them, is possible, as our party
numbered but twenty-one.
Il sought Olympia and babe her a
fearful, heartbreaking farewell, consol-
ing her with the promise that would
return to her after the war. This prom
Use l faithfully performed. We were
married and ave lived for over thirty
years in the cottage where she nursed
me
las we We're entering a narrow path
on the verge of the rising ground lead
ing to the nearest of the causeways
we saw the COnfederateS rapidly ap'
preaching and in such numbers tha'
there was no possibility of our coping
with them. SO we rushed along at oul
utmost speed, our progress being mucl
impeded by interlacing vines, which II
some places had fallen across the tracl
and in others hung from the trees JUS
low enough to entangle our heads il
their meSheS. .r
las we reached the causeway ther,
was no indication of the enemy, ant
we began to hope that they had no
discovered the route we took. We die
not Slacken our speed, however, an
when we had covered most of the dis
lance to the river we saw them fol
lowing at full speed. HencefOrth it wa
a race in which the stakes We're dealt
or captivity and safety. AS our leading
files had eache the bank of the rive
a confederate bullet fired at long range
hit me in the leg, and | fell helples
into the bushes by the Wayside. Gu
men then fired a Volley at the foe, wnicl
did some execution and checked thei
advance.
Soon after ! fell John Douglas wa
by my size and raised me to my feet
1t was impossible for me TO walk o
even to stand alone, and | begged hil
to leave me to myifate ana saw him
self from capture OF perhaps death
, But the whole hearted fellow. not list
lrening to my circumstances for a me
ment, picked me up in his poWerfu
: rms and bore me to the bank of tn
river. Our comrades h in the hurr
of boarding their boat had not prof.
ably missed us. were now beyond hal
!, ing distance. Fruitful in resources, m
=, companion rushed to a part of the ban
, where he saw Il plank and, returnin
at once, placed me on it in the water
| Attempting to go on it himself, b
f found it would not bear US both, SO h
CAV the plank q vigorous push an
, said:
Try to paddle in the. direction {
the gunboat. They will soon see yo
r and come to your rescue. | car swim
I " Following his advice and using m
-haIads-as~ paddleSr-I-had mrde SON
progress toward the vessel when l sa'
q a roWbOat coming to our rescue. NJ
heroic, self sacrificing friend still kel
!. me company. The boat approache
7 nearer and nearer until she was onl
two lengths away. Then ! turned an
looked for my friend, and | saw II
q head disappear beneath the water.
threw myself from the plank into II
n water in an agony of despair, wishin
!, to share the fate Of my comrade, bl
r l was soon rescued and taken into II
boat.
q Can you wonder now" he continue
U while tears flowed down his pale cheek
:, that l cast a flower wreath on II
q dark waters of the Yazoo on Memoirs
q day?"