The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-05-26
The Veteran Story
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b JAMES 3. MoREHousE
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation, 1S11.

b JAMES D. MoREHoUsE
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation, 1911
My meeting with my wife Is q curl
Gus story In itself. and illustrates the
fact that there issno rule whatever for
love.
When I was in the service, with that
force which was opposing stonewan.
jackson in the Shenandoah valley, I
was sent down to an outpost stationed
at a little town some twenty miles
south Of our main army with q mes
sage to the colonel commanding there.
While waiting for some, written COM
m~unications the colonel was getting
ready for me to take back a young
girl came into his headquarters and
asked for pass. She was as trim q
little body as I ever saw, bright red
cheeks and auburn hair-something
one seldom sees in. the south. She
struck my fancy the moment I looked
at her. I was standing behind the
colonel, who was writing at q pine
table, The girl said she wished to go
north to relatives in Harrisburg, Pa.
The colonel wouldn't give her q pass
to do SO. She was about to runaway
disappointed when I tipped her q wink.
You must forget I'm an old duner
and picture ne as a boy Of twenty, full
OF the old scratch. l thought what q
pleasing episode it would be for me to
escort the girl north. When I winked
at her 1t. was to convey information
Of a plan I had conceived to help her
out. Then I rushed forward and
throwing my arms about her neck
gave her a smack. She didn't resent 1t.
why, Mag" l cried. How in the
world came you here?"
She. caught on at once. II came
down just before the war opened, and.
I've been trying to get back north ever
since"
"How's the folks?"
pretty well. Mothers in poor
health"
"Why do you wish to 60 Inorth?"
ITO do something to make q living.
a girl can't earn anything down here"
Colonel" I said, II wish to intro
duce my cousin. Maggie Allen" -
Luckily she had not given any name.
The colonel shook her hand and told
her that since she was my cousin he
would most certainly give her a pass.
/ vouching for her. 4 told him that
we had been brought up together as
children, and I knew that every mem-
Der Of her. family were strong Onion
sympathizers. He wrote the pass and
III a, little, while gave me the dis
patches, stIieh the girl and I started
northward on a twenty mile ride on
horseback.
She was the most delighted girl at.
the trick I had played you ever saw.
Her eyes fairly danced with mischief.
She couldn't talk about anything else.
We rode. along for q matter Of ten
miles. when. coming to a fork in the
road. she said that If I didn't mind
waiting for her she would like to so
and say goodby to an aunt Of hers
Who lived half a mile up the diverging
road. / had been riding twenty miles
south and still had ten miles to go on
my. return. So I told her that IL she
would excuse me I would wait for her
under a big tree at the fork. She said
she.wouldn't be gone long and started.
/. Msmounted. lay down5at the foot OF
the tree. lit my pipe and pretty soon
fell asleep. 80
When I awoke' 1 looked into the face
Of :;,myy., cousin" standing in the midst
81 a dozen or more Confederate SOL
diers, She smiled at me and said:
'"I,m sorry to return evil for good,
but the truth is I'd been trying for
some time to get up into this region
with certain information I'd been
gathering about your army movements
for General jackson. These gentlemen
have been waiting for me near here
and / just rode over to deliver my In
formation and tell them that you were
here with some more Of the same kind.
Please let me have your dispatches"
never was SO completely done up in
my life. I couldn't do anything but
give her the documents. which she
handed to an Officer. They. debated
what to do with me and finally con-
Guided that as q prisoner I would only
be an encumbrance. SO after holding
me for q while they let me go on.
i left them. vowing inwardly that
some day / would make that girl pay
for the way she had treated me. But
some day didn't come till after the
closesof the wal. / was retained in the
service and in Virginia for a while in
1856. and one day. getting q leave Of
absence, I went over into the shenan-
doah valley to hunt her up. I found
her. at her home on a tobacco planta-
ton.
4 The most satisfactory vengeance q.
man can vent upon a woman AASy TO
make her love him. then jilt her.
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