The daily Alaskan., 1907-02-07
IDENTIFIED
[OrlgInal.l

] kQe SDEluA Ol lgtNf T ANAA 'AA party of northern people who were coming up from Florida and had stop ped over to visit the historic capital of the short lived Confederate States of America. There were two very pretty young girls. Bessie and NIargc Hicks, | rnder the care of their aunt. q SpinSter, Miss Reyes. A couple of young fellows had attached themselves tO the Misses Hicks. and the chnperon had all she could do to keep the young people with in conventional bounds.
 Aunt Lenie," protested BeSs when taken to task for some mild indlScre- ton. why cant you remember that you were once young yourself? You act as if you'd never had a young man attentive to you. don't believe you ever had or you would know how to sympathlze with girl
 We visited the museum in the presi- dents mansion, the site of Libby pris- on, and one morning drove over the ! fields of the battles which had resulted in the driving back of MCClellan's l army from the envirOnS of the city. It was q sunny morning, and the Nays l and girls were in merry mood. One | would not suppose that they were wis Iting scenes in which a generation be- fore laughter would have been diScord- ant. in which at every vOlley of mus ketry, every discharge of cannon, poor | fellows were laid low and those who loved them were made to mourn
 At one of the hattledelds the guide who conducted Us was very garrulouS 1 He had been born on the ground and taken part in the fight, After It was over he had helped bury the dead, and | years later had been in the employ of the United States eXhuming and identi- fving the bodies which now lie in the 1 little cemetery near by.
 There" he said. pointing, was a 1 trench in which were tfty-hve bodies. | From under that tree I took up Cne body of a young man and have got the | trinketS 1 took out of hlS pocket yet, hoping that l might identify him by them. There were a pOcketknire with bone handle little comb and 8 silver heart"
 By this time the boys and girls had Quieted under the guides pictures. all the more affective since he had seen ! them with his own eyes. Aunt Lenie seemed to be living again in those | days when thousands at home were scanning long lists of killed and wound | ed. drcading to sec what they looked ! for. I was looking at her when the guide was naming the articles he had 1 taken from the soldiers pocket. and l when he mentioned the silver heart | saw the blood leave her cheeks as if taken out at the first stroke of m air pump.
 Sometimes" continued the guide. "I took things off the bodies that had something on 'em to identify the own CT. such as initials of regiment and company. This silver heart I spoke of had initials on both sides and date, but no corps.
 Where do you keep such things?" asked
 At the house usually. This one I've made pocket piece of"
 He drew flat silver heart from his ] pocket and held it up for Us to see. l happened to glance at Aunt Lenie. There are no words to describe her ex- preSSion. but knew by 1t that the bit 1 of silver was a connecting link between her and dead past. In moment she had regained her self control and cast a quick glance at her nieces to see if they had noticed her emotion.
 "On this side" the guide went on, "are the letters J. R and on this 1 IL. K. Sept TO- lS6l'"
 A silence fell on us all. We were standing among the pines that had sprung up since thirty years before to shade the graves of those who still slept there. We crowded around the guide to read the letters and the date. Aunt Lenie was standing back.
 We were startled by sob.
 AS we turned to look Aunt Lenle turned also, so that we could not see her face, but we knew the sob had come from her. In moment she was herself again.
 The grave" she where is the gruye?"
 The guide led Us To the little plot with ltS uniform white hcadStoueS and stopped before one marked "Un. known" Aunt Lrnie knelt beside It.. We men uncovered, and the girls. go- ing to their aunt, kuelt one on each side of her. with an arm about heS waist
 MotioulnG to the men of the party to come, 1 moved away, and they fol- lowed me. l bought the articles found on the dead soldier of the guide. He offered them without price, but l thought that Mss Reyes, for whom I Intended them, would prefer 10 pay.
 Later learned the stOry-a story as old as the peninsula on which these men fought and as fresh as the tiny wild flower that springs up over the soldiers graves. Tom Ray. a young ster of twenty. loved LeOnore Reyes, a girl of nineteen. He enlisted in the