Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-07-25
AN ECHO OF THE BATTLE.
Carrie Elizabeth Loaan.

Copyright. 1902, by w. R. Hearst.)
After the first day of tie battle OF
Gettysburg we came in with Genera
Meade to take part on the bloody stage,
so lately green and peaceful valley.
In the white moonlight we mustered sill
emily among the hills and changed the
destinies of North and South. The fol-
lowing night was branded on my mem
ory forever. Heavy smoke Of battle
hung over the valleys and bullets still
hissed and ploughed into the ranks OF
the fallen blue under the trees. lay
groaning with bullet in my right leg.
"Comrade," said a man who had lain
so gtill that 1 thought him dead, "are
you done for?''
mo. don't think it's mortal. It's
my leg" -.
"Can you take a message to my lit
tie grip"
"Tll do my best"
II live in Washington. My little
motherless girl is with my sisterinlaw,
who isn't exactly kind to her, and she'll
have a hard time when l am gone. /
did not trust the woman. Here his
! voice began to grow faint and his mind
| wandered. It's low ceiled room, with
heavy wainscoating. Back of the-side-
board-panel-money. Press rose and
| leaf
| / waited. What is your name, COM
| rade? AT that moment ii seemed that
the forest fell on my shoulder and l
| knew no more.
| A couple of years after the close Of
| the war my wounds helped me to Sc
| cure position in the treasury depart
| ment in Washington. / boarded with
Mrs. Blake, and promptly fell in love
with her pretty daughter Maude The
| daintiness of the young girl attracted
| me. She looked like a Dresden shep-
| hnr1nacc W har fnt nd in.
nocent blue eyes. Her simplicity in
| dress satisfied the demands of my soul.
The only disagreeable factor in the
! Blake house was the presence of Lor-
eta Blake, maid of all work, and niece
of Mrs. Blake. She was a girl of 16.
| slovenly and sulky, who went around
with gloomy face and eyes that
showed much weeping. Patient Maude
sighed when she came near and shook
her head sympathizingly in her moth
ers direction
Yes, Mr.. Dunlop, poor mamma has
had so much trouble with Loretta S
| sullen disposition, but che is an orphan
and would be homeless if we turned
her out"
She might at least be grateful" |
said, and turned my disappearing eyes
on the slatternly girl.
Spring in Washington is very delight
full. | noticed the young leaves peeping
lOIln ana tTOCuSpS rearing lnblr SOlOtn
heads as l took n stroll through Lafay-
cite square to have a quiet smoke and
dream of Maude.
A young girl on a bench in an obscure
corner attracted my attention. She was
evidently in great distress. AS | APP
preached | recognized the lachrymose
Loretta.
Miss Blake" said, gently, "can I dc
anything for you?" Her dress was i'll
slipped in ragged shoes and the hands
covering her face were scratched and
coarsened by toll, though not i'll
shaped.
She stopped crying in surprise, and
raised pair of pathetic brown eyes to
my interested face.
why do you cry?" / asked, as l sat
down on the bench beside her.
Because / am unhappy. Because my
father is dead. Because l have no one
to love me-"
Your aunt is good to you. Where
would you be if it were not for herr"
Every one says that said the girl
impatiently.
II am sullen, ungrateful. lazy. Yet ]
work like dog, and am treated worse. ;
/ had considered Mrs Blake a charit
able woman. hut l would look into this
case a little. Loretta, do you go tc
SCHOOL,"
No. Aunt says that drudgery, moi
books, is for the dull and stupid"
This was bad. Mrs. Blake should
certainly send her to school why Dc
you not mend your Clothes and TAX,
rare not to soil them?"
II did not tear this dress nor grease
It. 1t belonged to the washerwoman."
This evidence was stunning me
could you not wear Maude's clothes?'
They are too fine for me. Aunt sends
them to the church for the Christina!
box"
Surely, your cousin, Maude, is goo(
to you?'
She looked at me with wise, sad eyes
You like Maude, and l shall not tel
you" Then she caught my coat in he
hands. Don't tell Them" she pleaded
Aunt will beat me. and l am too big.
GO home, little girl, and come som,
other evening to talk to me here. l cal
keep a secret
On second thought I should not pro
pose to Maud until l was satisfied o
her attitude to this child with haunt
ing dark eyes.
Poor Loretta! Nagged by her aun
md sneered at by her cousin, she hat
led n miserable existence since tn
battle of Gettysburg deprived her o
her father. Every device that woul
degrade a sensitive girl had been prac
Used by Mrs. Blake and her daughte
while posing as martyrs to charity
Finally | decided to take Loretta t
her uncle, a physician, in Georgetown
| She dressed in her poor best and me
4 me in Lafayette square at our usua
trysting place. l had grown to low
this lonely girl, and only her tende
uge kept me from disclosing the stat
of my feelings.
AS soon as l entered the Blak
homestead | felt a strange sense O
familiarity. "A low ceiled ROOM Side
board. Panel. Money" echoed in m
brain, accompanied by the roar of can
non and the groans of the dying.
You shall never go back. Never
daughter" said the doctor when Lor
eta told her story.
In the course of the evening l of
fered to tell them a story of Gettys
burg. Loretta fixed her bright eye
hungrily on mine. AS l told them o
the interrupted message l seemed t
speak with a tongue of fire tina
aroused both the senses and the spiri
of my audience.
Mr.. Dunlop, 1t was my brother,
said the doctor, but Loretta wept.
We moved the sideboard. We presse
the rose and leaf in the papered wa
just above the wainscoting. The sprin
moved, disclosing recess, and pack
age was before US.
! Loretta's father made her independ
ent and provided means for an excel
lent education. My dark eyed wifi,
with her deep, passionate, loving sou
is more to me than any dainty, orna
mental piece of femninity.
A Hard Job.