The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-22
A Mutual
Surrender
MILDRED PERRY.

ment OF pictures. after a general
house cleaning.
I'D try to see her. ma'am." with
the familiarity of long. faithful SER
Vice. for she has. hurt look in her
eyes"
'Ali right. MARY sitting the i'm
patient remark at being interrupted
at such an ~inoppcrtune time. and /
hastily descended, gave IL few touches
to my toilet. and proceeded to the
reception room below.
Our Southern city was bedecked
with bunting. gay with Confederate
flags and steamers, and filled with
the martial music OF arriving veter-
ans, TO the grand reunion. The Did
Fair Grounds had been transformed
into q tented city. school children
who on the morrow would form an
immense human Confederate flag.
and whose sweet voices would sound
forth the Southern sones they loved
so we'll. were hurrying to and fro.
the streets were crowded with a CAV
an occa -sonai DIVE" raised
the enthusiasm 10 the highest pitch,
and the very air seemed 10 breathe
tho spirit or that heroic struggle Of
the early sixties, As I entered the
room q small brow haired girl aroot.
10 meet Mr. IN a votrs which wSs
distinctly Northern she asked thai I
excuse her for interrupting me. bat
would ! lock at q set of books she
was selling for n Massachusetts firm?
! readily acquiesced. for |. too. had
caught sight Of the hurt iook in her
eyes" and being a student Of human
nature. knew that she was in. trou-
HE. Poor robin redbreast-for with
her brown linen tailored suit. her
little trim figure, her clear olive skin
and rosy cheek and her chirpy ways
she reminded me of that little mem
her Of the feathered tribe. After
giving her my order for n set OF the
hooks. I drew her out to talk about
herself.
''fto~ do YOU like our city Have
Sou heen here long 7 asked.
u have been here all winter" she
~aua~ercd. and ! ike voGr heauti-
fui eit. oh, so much" enthusiast
calls.
Ard her ~peonle7" aueried. de.
termined. II possible. "a get at that
hurt look@in some way,
All" sire answered In her quick.
bright ~3y. while a blush SLOWLY
mounted her throat and cheek. Il
haze made many friends. some Very
dear ones" SLOWLY. and then sttil
more SLOWLY. while the sweet lips auis-
cred slightly. and J have lost a dear
friend Also
Tell me about H." ! aid impul-
siVely. for my heart somehow WAS
drawn to this little creature.
II wonder II l may" hesttatingiv.
'You wouldn't think It presumptu-
Gus Z I burden you, a stranger. with
mS trouble ! have no mother" she
said sadly, while a tear giiste1ed on
her eyelash. and IL you would ad-
mise. nie~--~"
THAT ! will" I answered heartily.
and ! took one of the little brown
ha u in mine. II am an orphan girl,
my home Is IN Boston," she began.
'Ever since | was a child" II smiled
at th,s-she seemed SO young and
childish now my dearest playmate
was a neishbor boy. Charlie Camp
bell. He always called me his wife
and II seemed that II needed no for
mi words for It's 10 know tina, we
belonged 10 each ether. I thought,
ef course, J loved him. but when as
he grew older he became d~isstpated
! was afraid to risk marriage with
him. He was SO fully confident that
nothing couIa alter nay affections for
him that after an unusual long de
haueh he would merely remark that
he needed his Wife to keep him
ST fRF anu tt'dR Bf Nputh pt
changed when once we married. +
decided to come South. OF course. he
opposed il. and there were hot words.
But | came. and the second day after
] reached your beautiful city | met
at my boarding house a young law
yeF~5aL* y III .so. bsaEaasa soya with the,
details. but he soon became dearer
10 me than Charlie Campbell ever
had been. As 1t wal very evident
that the little Yankee lass had won
his love-, too. all went well. When
he asked to place a solitaire that had
once been his mothers on my finger
In oxen of our plighted troth | was
s~upremely happy. But" hesitatingly.
oh. why do yeamSouthern people
cling SO tenaciously to your Southern
traditions? | had been afraid OF this
from the first, but in the first joy OF
cur hetrothal, had eased my. mind
with the thought of our united coun-
try. But now ONE this reunion.
when everywhere / see the flag l
have been taught to ignore; every
where the gray garb OF those I have
heen taught were traitors to our coun-
try. ! feel the gulf widen between
us when see his face light up at
the sound OF Dixie when | see him
rush half way across the street to
grasp the hand OF ar old Confederate
veteran: In fact, to nov how intense
iy Southern he ia in his syrnpathtes
and tendencies. And last evening
the--break-came. He was planning
TO entertain in honor OF his two sis
tiers inc a veteran uncle. who Will
be his guests during the reunion. .
erai Of the young ladies at the house
were assisting him In arranging the
details. The decorations were to be
red and white roses, with fags every
where. And one thoughtless girl in
her enthusiasm suggested hat two
small silken Confederate flags be
worn by each guest. 1 raised my head
and looked, straight into the eyes of,
my beloved. and then-he knew. OF
course. he disapproved OF the flag idea
Mt once. but not before / saw the
hurt look In HE eyes. and I felt as
II I had desecrated q sacred thing.
This could not "a on, and / told him
20. He barred his heart to me, and
It seemed he had sprung from a long
line of Southern aristocracy. some OF
whom had fallen among the bravest
on the field j wanted-Oh! how +
wanted to see things as he did, but
It just couldn't be. and our engage
ment was broken. And now the sight
Of all this gaiety nearly breaks my
heart. / leave for home next week.
And Charlie Campbell7" I asked
Ar~eathlessly.
II shall probably marry him and
Try to reform him." YEARLY.
Poor birdie" / murmured. poor