Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-03-11
;opyright lac, by G. w. DillIng ham Co.

/
ing. said Jack, in the one letter that
young gentleman had managed to
| send through since his incarceration.
Jack was well enough To resume duty
| and most eager for exchange. but ne
| sotiations 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. Lounsberry 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
Jack rather tried to be caught and to
stay caught. such hard fighting as his
fellow virginians had to do being little
] TO his taste. II would have burned
| his heart out with fury had he known
| it, but few of us begin to realize tho
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 SGuarts impudent dash at Cham
bersburg ard the second circli,., of the
Army of the Potomac He was then
! inst beginning to stump around quite
| comfortably. Elnor and the squire
] had returned to the west the former
with red-rimmed eyes and palli6
| 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
10 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.
BIT though Elinor wrote in many a
page of her brother. and in Only few
referred to Paul-and then .niy IS
he or "him"-RoSalie would write
only of the latter Ordinarily this
would have led TO resentment aud
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
1 haH Il
Ewelrs 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 ''friends"-who, she
| would not say-that Paul Lsdue 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
| visedly. 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 eXactihg, 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 longed 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 midwinrer 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. It
was winter of courts-martial at the
capital, and several such tribunals
were in session, trying officers of vari-
Gus grades. Many new regiments had
come and were held about the city
until suitably drilled and disciplined.
AS consequence the avenues again
were alive with uniforms, the hotels
crowded, and many thrifty households
were coming" money taking boafders.
Mention has been made of Or. Chill
tons sister, with whom they were
again dwelling after their return from
the summer seaShore. Being only
moderately well-to-do, and besieged
with applications, she had yielded to
pressure and let two of her rooms to
officers sojourning in the city. Then
one of these, ordered west. begged
leave to present a successor, a major
or a new regiment, who, being a
smart lawyer, had been assigned to
duty as a judge advocate of a court
for the trial of officers of rank in the
volunteers. When the squire wrote
that McKinnon had been appointed
major OF newly raised regiment and
ordered with it to Annapolis, Fred