The Cairo bulletin., 1906-08-30

when pressed for n "reminiscences II
have a story that happened TO friend
of mine, but before tell II I'm going
to tell YOU an incident that happened
10 myself, for without the first I
! wouldn't have believed The last
! biyouacked on a farm IN Tennessee
one night in 1862 aud noticed Il com-
try girl looking at me, as | thought,
curiously We marched in the morn.
ing, and soon after | was transferred
10 another field 1000 miles away. Two
years later was back in Tennessee,
where the conditions We're all changed.
One day we were pushing the John
MES, and at certain spot | noticed
something familiar. A countryman
who was talking with me recognized
ME and told me that ! was on the
farm on which | had bivouacked two
years before. Then he told something
about the girl that wouldn't like to
repeat"
"Oh, go ahead"
no: I'll tell you the other story.
The one I've told YOU is true, for 1t
happened TO myself. The one I'm 20
Ing to tell happened to Bill Ravens.
man in my company, and | know he
wouldn't lie. You see. we We're shift
Ing all the time and never could tell
whom we were going TO run. I'D
against. And the girls--I mean the
country girls-lf they saw their fate
or affinity or whatever you like to call
him they would drop as If struck by
bullet
"Bill Ravens was a handsome young
fellow with devll-may smile
that would drop any girl One DAY
when our skirmsh line was feeling for
the enemy we stood at rest near
farmhouse. on the gallery of which
were couple Of girls, Bill sang out: /
'Huuah! We're going TO have n Jolly /
fight" One Of the girls turned pale /
but she gave Bill a look that could +
not quite get out of my mind for some
time. l wished she'd given it to me.
THE Johnnies weren't where we
thought they were and we didn't have /
to fight after all We went into camp I
near by and didn't move for week.
Bill had made the acquant-
ance of the girl who had looked Mt
him and though he said nothing about
it | knew there was a love affair going
On. She couldn't have been more than
;eyenteen-Bill was only nineteen him
self-wore her skirts to the top of her
boots and her hair cut square around
Ter neck, as most of the young south
'rn girls then wore the hair. | knew
t was a bad case of love fever, for
when we broke camp and moved on
Town south the girl was standing on
he gallery and | saw her with my
own eyes drop in a heap just as Bills
waving handkerchief passed out OF
sight
You must remember that the war
asted four years, and all that time
lie armies kept moving here and there.
Jack and forth, places often occupied
~ the Johnnies and rebs successfully.
remember entering n beautiful south
.rn town in 81 and was impressed
With the magnificent trees that sur
ounded IT, | went into the same place
year later after the Confederates had
occupied il and every tree had been
mt down to give a clear 5veep for
rtillcry. | would never have known
was in the same place.
well. about a year and half after
We had camped near the farmhouse
where Bill met the girl we went
through one Of the biggest battles of
he war. After 1t was over the Con-
withdrew, as they usually
id. and leaving men to pick up the
rounded and bury the dead we went
n after them. Bill Ravens was among
he missing He was never accounted
or till he accounted for himself nearly
hreo months Hfterward, and this is the
ccount he gave You needn't believe ,
unless you want to. but there were !
tranger things than even this hap
ened in that war. /
During a charge Bill had fallen.
'ierced by a bullet in the chest He !
ept his consciousness for awhile amid {
din of firing, then tainted from loss J
Z blood. Thr next thing he was con {
cious Of was hearing a bird singing '
nd not another sound. The army had {
moved on; the men left 10 bury the S
cad and sjp.cor the wounded had u
loved on, too. leaving Bill lying under I
ushes where they hadn't seen him y
lcath seemed only put OF 1t might g
. years before his body would lie J
)und (,
wow I'm going 10 leave Bill IL starvc b
, death or die Of his wound aud twist Co.
~ story 70 the girl he had met long
cfore. She was sitting on the gallery
here she h.J last seen Bill. thinking
bout him. o. course. when she heard i
1methiny drop lightly on the steps be. f
,rc her looking down she saw = gold h
atcl chain with a piece Of white p
lper tied 90 il. She picked il Up and y
'ad the pepper. II was written In &
ood and read: Union soldier dying Z v
clip j
She didn't wait % speculate on how u
.e chain GO there: she knew all about y
n battle and rushed OF on a search
Hing ne si,c went. At last she heard
faint answer. and going 10 tho spot
und tho man she loved. 81
"Rill had taken his watch chain. got d.
ocr Of paper f-o,u his pocket. broken oI
7 a tWig and written Tho message u