Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-20
DAILY SHORT STORY
HOW PROPERTY WAS SAVED.
fOriginaI I

| had fed. Our mother, looking out
| them coming. and, running down
| stairs shouting THE Yankees" we all
| rushed pellmell from the house. No
! one stopped to take up Il single piece
/ of jewelry or silverware.
| At niShtfall we reached Colonel Wig
| gins plantation and were so tired that
| We could go no farther. The colonel
| kindly took us in and sent several of
| his colored men. on whom he could de-
| pend. back To watch the roads and give
us warning if the Yankees were com
| ing As soon as we got settled We call
ed the roll and found all We're present
| except Kathleen O'Rourke. Kathleen
| was mothers maid. How she had
! drifted from Ireland TO South Carolina
| no one knew. Mother picked her mp in
! Charleston and. tak>=lg fancy Ia her.
! put her quadroon maid into the kitchen
| and installed Kathleen in her place.
! We stayed at Colonel Virgins a
week. and since the Yankees did not
| follow us our fright gradually left us
and we began To think that we had
| acted unwiScly in not staying on the
| plantation and trying to protect our
property. l proposed to return and see
how things were going, but mother
would not hear of il. She said that no
daughter of hers should place herself
in Il position 10 be insulted by north
ern vandalS. However, l determined
to - and one morning stole away on
my little mare.
II n IL. 4
GERS coming and going. while Il sentinel
paced before the front door. In the
cotton field across the road were hun
dredS of white tents. / was going in
10 our own home. mind you-when the
deteStablc sentinel blocked the way. |
asked 10 see the officer in command,
and he called. Orderly" \ soldier ap-
pearcd and said the staff We're at din
ner. Walking into the hall through an
open door. | saw half Il dozen officers
seated around a table. and TO my as
constituent who should be at one end
hut Kathleen. She saw me and i'll an
other moment joined me.
"Oh. Miss Camilla" she said. falling
ON my neck in order that she might
whisper in my ear. "whatll OF do?
Oi'vc been tellin' 'em that OTm the
daughter o the house-that Oi'm you,
Oi'vc held on to all the jewelry and all
the silver and
The officers. having finished their
meal rose from the table and came
into the hall.
"Gene~aL" said Kathleen. this is me
maid that has come back to be with
NE again.
Did You ever hear of such impu-
dcncc? Ny ancestors have lived so
long in the south that my skin is.
admit. dark enough for an octorOon.
but for this fair skinned Irish girl TO
Introduce me as her maid-I thought
should faint. However. what she had
told me about the jewels and the silver
restrained me, and l fell in with her
plan. The officers on seeing me were
about To greet me deferentially, but
on hearing Kathleen's story they pass
ed on without word
Well, it dawned upon me that kath-
leen was very bright girl and had
acted very bravely. She had told the
officers that she had been educated
abroad, i'll order to account for her
accent. She was wearing my best
clothes and | confess looked very pref
~ and stylish as well. ! remained i'll
the house as her maid and was greatly
amused 10y the way she had got half a
dozen men by the ears. The general
was in love with her. and, since his
authority was supreme. at least in this
locality. everything in the house was
perfectly safe.
But while servant had Il general
for her slave | had only Il captain.
Louis Written, an aid-de-camp was
attracted In me from the moment he
saw me. Surprising me to have negro
blood in my veins. he sought me only
clandestinely. l confess that the hap
pieSt moments in my life We're in |
watching him suffer. thinking he loved |
one whom he must not marry / told |
him 10 go and make love 10 my mis-
trcSS. but il was he wanted. and the |
gulf between us bid fair to drive him |
crazy. At first | augmented his torture. |
but at last. becoming myself as deeply |
in love with him as he was with me, |
l was panied 10 see him suff II.
For months we were obliged 10 keep
up deception which kathleen had /
commenced. We wFre afraid that if we
confessed the protection afforded by |
the good Will of the general would be
withdrawn and the property given over
10 Ice piundered When the Federal |
troops went up To fight at Pocotaligo |
those in our neighborhoOd went with /
them. The evening before they march
ed i told Kathleen that | would make
my true self known To Captain Whit /
ten. Kathleen made the confession /
herself The look of relief on his face
when l saw him again was replaced by
one OF anxiety to know his fate
atoued for the torture l had inflicted /
upon him by giving him what he called /
the one great happiness of his life
As soon as the troops were gone
Kathleen and took everything of val