The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-22
Quite So
Continued from Page seven.)

rumor of today refuted the rumor of
yesterday, and the Grand Army did not
move. Heintzelman' corps was con-
stantly folding it's tents, like the
Arabs, and as silently stealing away;
but somehow it was always in the same
place the next morning. One day, at
last, orders came down for our brigade
TO move.
.We're going to Richmond, 'boys!'
shouted Strong, thrusting his head in at
the tent; and we all cheered and waved
our caps like mad. You see, Big Bethel
and Bull Run and Ball Is Bluff (the
bloody BIS, as we used to call them)
hadn It taught US any better sense.
| Rising abruptly from the plateau, to
| the left of our encampment, was tall |
hill covered with a stunted growth of |
red-oak, persimmon and chestnut. The |
| night Lefore we struck tents | climbed |
up to the caest to take a parting look
at a spectacle which custom had not
| been able to rob of its enchantment. |
| There. ut my feet, and extending miles
and miles away, lay the camps or the
Grand Army, with its camp-fres ;e-
fiected luridly against the sky. Thou
sands OF lights were twinkling in every
direction, some nesting in the valley,
some like firefiies beating their wings
and palpitating among the trees, anu
others stretching in parallel lines anu
curves like the street lamps of a city
Somewhere, far off, a band was playing,
at intervals it seemed; and now anu
then, nearer to, a silvery strain from
bugle shot sharply up through the
night, and seemed to lose itself like
rocket among the stars-the patient,
4 lc&o G,tAHonlU q hand
laid upon my arm.
sd like to say word to you,' said
Bladburn.
With little start of surprise, I made
room for him on the fallen tree where L
was seated.
81 mayn't get another chance, - he
said. f'You and the boys have been
very kind to me, kinder than deserve;
but sometimes l we fancied that my not
saying anything about myself had given
YOU the idea that all was not right IN
, my past. want to say that l came
down to Virginia with clean record
: eve never really doubted 1t, bad
burn.D
eff I didn' write home" he con-
! timed. ssit was because I hadn't any
home. neither kith nor kin. When L
: said the old folks were dead, / said 1T.
Am I boring you2 If / thought l
| was
"No. Bladburn. / have often wanted
YOU to talk to me about yourself, not
from idle curiosity, I trust, but because
: I liked YOU that rainy night when you
came to camp, and have gone on liking
Won ever since. This isn't too much 20
4 say, when Heaven only knows how, soon
: I may be past saying it or you listening
to ito
: HThat's it, said Bladburn, hurried
"; .'that's why / want to talk with
. YOU. I've fancy that sha n t come
: out of our first BATTLE
. The words gave me queer start, for
I had been trying several days to throw
: off a similar presentiment concerning
!, hinl--a foolish presentiment that grew
Z out of dream.
s.In case anything of that kind turns
up.' he continued, I'D like you II
have my Latin grammar here-you ~.
seen me reading it. You might stick !,
: away in bookcase, for the sake OF old
e times. 1t goes against me to think OF
e it falling into rough hands or being
kicked about camp and trampled undei
: FOOT
i He was drumming softly with his
1 myers Oh tHc NOIu11tC Ii sAS NS~S--N
l. his blouse.
81 ssI didn It intend to speak of this to
f living soul,' he welt on, motlonlng mi
not to answer him; "but something
sr took hold of me tonight and made MI
20 follow you up here. Perhaps If L tol'
ii Won all, YOU would be the more willing
lg TO look after the little book in case l
i'd goes i'll with me. When the war brok
ont. was teaching school down i
j. Maine. in the same village where m.
n father was schoolmaster before me. In
old man when he died left me quit
- alone. I lived pretty much by mysen
l. having no interests outside OF the dlS
triet school, which seemed in manne
. nv personal property. Eight years ag
n last spring a new pupil was brought t
the school, slight slip of a girl, with
~ sad kind of face and quiet ways. Pei
1t, hans it was because she wasn't yer
strong. and perhaps because she WASH
n used over well by those who had chare
III of her, or perhaps it was because m
life was lonely, that my heart warme
nv tn the child. 1t all seems like dreal
d. now. since that April morning when II
tie Mary stood in front of my desk WI,
10Y her pretty eyes looking down bashful
let and her soft hair falling over her rae
One day L look up, anu SIX years no
- gone by--as they GO by in dreams.a1
&c. among tie scholars is tall girl of 81
a teen. with serious, womanly eyes WIN,
in. cannot trust myself to look upon. II
rs. old life has come to an end. The chi
lth has become woman and can teach Il
nd master now. So help me Heaven,
&C. didn It know that l loved ner until tn
$40 day! -
rn. sLong after the children had go
home l sat in the school-room with u
face resting on my hands. There W
her desk, the afternoon shadows faliIl
IN across it. 1t never looked empty a.
le cherries before. / went and stood
W. the low chair, as / had stood hundre
ase of times. On the desk was a pile
Ie' books. ready to be taken away, a
uuu among the rest small Latin gramm
. which we had studied together. WI
little despairs and triumphs and hap
hours were associated with 1t! L TO
it up curiously, as if it We're some G.
tle dead thing, and turned over
pages. and could hardly see the
Turning the pages, idly so, came &c