Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-11-27
Civil War Stories
A story OF ,62.

in her mosom as ever an American
maiden owned sat knitting alone in the
parlor one evening; she heard the bell
ring, and knew by the sound whose
hand had pulled the wire. Her fingers
grew unsteady, and she began to drop
stitches. So she let the stocking upon
which she was at work drop into her
lap. She sat very still now, her heart
beating strongly. The heavy tread OF
George Mason was in the hall. Then
the door opened, and the young man
entered. She did not rise. In fact, SO
strong was her inward disturbance,
that she felt the necessity of remaining
as externally quiet as possible, in order
to keep from betraying her actual state
of mind.
"Good evening"" said Mason, almost
gaily, as he stepped into the room
Then pausing suddenly, and lifting both
hands in mock surprise, he exclaimed:
'Blue yarn and soldiers stockings
blue yarn and soldiers stockings! Oh,
Katie Maxwell ~
Katie did not move nor reply. Her
heart was futtering when he came in,
but in an instant it regained an even
beat There was more in his tone than
in his words The clear, strong eyes
were on his face.
"Ha. ha 20 he laughed gaily, now adj
vancing until he had come within a
few feet of the maiden. Then she rose
and moved back a pace or two, with a
strange cold dignity Of manner that
surprised her visitor.
"What a good actress you would
maker he said, still speaking lightly,
Goddess of Liberty! Here is my canes
raise your stocking and the represen-
tation will be perfect"
II am not acting, George"
She spoke with an air of severity
that sobered him.
'You are not?''
''No; l cautioned you this morning
about trifling with things which should
be held out of the region of trifiing,"
she answered, steadily. eff you are
not sufficiently inspired with love Of
country to lift an arm in her defense,
don't, I pray you hinder, with light
words, even, the feeble service that a
woman's hands may render. 1 am not
a man, and cannot, therefore, fight for
liberty and good government, but what
I am able to do I am doing from a
state of mind that is hurt by 1evity.
/ am in earnest; if you are not, it is
time that you looked down into your
heart and made some effort to under
stand it's springs of action. You are
of mans estate, you are in good health,
you are not trammeled by any legal or
social hindrances. Why, then, are you
not in the field, George Mason? I have
asked myself a hundred times since
morning this question, and can reach
no satisfactory answer"
Katie Maxwell stood before the
young man like one inspired, her eyes
flashing, her face in a glow, her lips
firmly set but arched, her slender form
drawn up to it's full height, almost i'm
periously.
''In the field!' he said in astonish-
ment, and not without confusion of
manner.
eyes, in the field! In arms for your
country"
He shrugged his shoulders with an
affected Indifference that was mingled
with something of contempt, saying
blandly, for he did not give himself
space to reflect:
I've no particular fancy for salt
pork hard tack, and mimic bullets"
''Nor l for towards! !" exclaimed
Katie, borne away by her feeling; and
she pointed sternly to the door.
The young man went out. AS she
shut the door she sank into the chair
from which she had arisen, weak and
quivering. The blue yarn stocking did
not grow under her hand that night,
but her fingers moved with unwearied
diligence through all the next day, and
a soldiers sock, thick and soft, and
warm, was laid beside her fathers
plate when he came to the evening
meal. Very sweet were the approving
sentences that fell from his lips, and
they had balm in them for the pain
which had wrought at her heart for
many hours.-American Tribune.