Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-12-28
MAN WITH "A WOODEN LEG.
One Of the Hest Civil War stories
Il Ever Told.

Sts,sJs aNfcfs lO1u. j5t(tta
Old Crorone, as he was called,
walked or. a erutch after he lost a
leg In the Civil War. One day he
was at the Macaroni Club In Boston
and was prevailed upon to tell the
story Of the missing member. He be-
gan by relating that there was a
bunch OF Union men, some OF whom
had lost a leg in the same battle and
one had lost both. They were re-
moved to a Southern mansion soon
after the battle.
One day" he went on, word was
brought that woman had crossed
through the lines and would visit us
that day. 1t Is wonderful how wo-
mans visit will spruce up low ebb
courage in sick man. There we lay
watching the door, and at last she
appeared. She carried on her arm
basket filled with little packages
which, she distributed to the cots as
she came along, meanwhile talking
to each invalid. She wasn't what you
would call pretty woman-in fact,
she would be called plain-but the
influence Of the hour and her pres
ence made her appear to me angelic.
| could hardly wait for, her to reach
my bed and hear her low spoken
words of comfort. Her progress was
very slow, and the poor fellows kept
her talking to them as long as they
could. l got to wondering what it
was that she gave each of them as
she left the cots and from the size
of the package guessed that 1t might
be tobacco
At last she came to me.
thanked her In advance for her kind
ness and told her in my plain words
how cheering her presence made us
feel-that If we took new lease on
life we owed 1t to her visit.
'She held her finger up to me in
warning and said she had orders to
do all the talking and not to tire us
out Then she began:
Sometimes trials are given us
for a purpose. Who can tell? 1t
may be that the wise Creator wishes
to soften our hearts and cleanse us
Of our sins. Hardships come upon
us--sickness, blindness and lameness
and they all mean chastisement Of
the carnal spirit. You are all on the
road to recovery, and when you once
more reach your loved ones at home
1t will not be an easy matter to re-
sist the pleasures that have been de-
MED YOU so long. / want you to
promise me something before | leave
your camp. If you do 1t will quite
repay me for the risk and trouble I
have undergone to be with you now
was ready to promise anything,
sight unseen. Who could resist a
woman In tears with a sob in her
throat, especially under such condi-
tions? But she interrupted me
again:
You cannot promise my request
until you know what / am going to
ask you and not until you have fully
understood it's significance. shall
leave this little token with you and
return in an hour. Then you will
know: A pledge to me is sacred and
should never be given unless with the
Intention Of Keeping It,
She left the room solemnly, and
fell to my package with all due haste.
1t was tied with blue ribbon, and
the first sentence on it's printed page
struck me with amazement. I was
hit In a vulnerable spot. The sin she
was asking me to blot out was one I
loved dearly, yet knew before she
returned to that room that should
give her my pledge"
The old mans crutch fell to the
floor with crash.
What was she after?" we yelled
in chorus.
Her crusade was against the
Evils of Waltzing.' | promised her
then and there that I would never
dance again, That was thirteen years
ago. and have kept my word.''--
John Mason, In Associated Sunday
Magazine.