The Cairo bulletin., 1911-05-20
The Veteran S Story
A Southern chi frckad Him,
and the Result
By JAMES D. MOREEOusE
-
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1871,

My meeting with my wife is u Curl
Gus story in itself, aud illustrates the
fact that there is no rufe whatever for
love.
When was in the service. with that
force which was opposing Stonewall
Jackson in the Shenandoah valley.
was sent down to an outpost stationed
Mt d little town some twenty miles
south of our main army with a mes
sage to the colonel commanding there
While waiting for some written com
muuieations the colonel was getting
ready for me to take back young
girl came into his headquarters and
asked for q pass She was as trim a
little body as | ever saw, bright red
cheeks and auburn hair--somethlng
one seldom sees in the south. She
struck my fancy the moment I looked
at her was standing behind the
colonel, who was writing at a pine
table. The girl said she wished to go
north to relatives In Harrisburg, Pa.
The colonel wouldn't give her pass
to do so. She was about to turn away
disappointed when tipped her wink.
You must forget I'm an old .duffer
and picture me as boy of twenty, full
of the old scratch. Il thought what a
pleasing episode it would be for me to
escort the girl north. When / winked
at her it was to convey information
Of plan had conceived to help her
out. Then ] rushed forward and
throwing. my arms about her neck
gave her ssmack. She didn't resent it,
why, Mag" / 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
sinceF
Flows the fDlksT
''Pretty WELL Mothers , in poor
health"
"Why do you wish to go northT
"To do something to make a living.
A girl can't earn anything down here"
Colonel" I said. II wish to intro
duce my cousin, Maggie Allen"
luckily she hdtl not given any name.
The colonel shook her hand and told
her. that since she. was my cousin he
would most certainly give her. pass,
.vouchine for her told him that
we had been brought up together as
children, and knew that every mem
Der Of her family were strong Union
sympathizers He wrote the pass and
in n little while gave me the dis
| patches. then the girl and | started
northwagd on a twenty mile ride on
| horseback.
She was the most delighted girl al
the trick had played You eyer saw
Tier eyes fairly danced with mischief
She couldn't talk about anything else
We rode along for matter Of ter
miles, when. coming to fork In the
road she said that If didn't miilf
waiting for her she would like to gt
and say gpodby to an aunt of hers
who lived half,a mile up the divergint
road / had been riding twenty miles
south and still had ten miles to 20 OF
my return SO / told her that II sh'
would excuse me would wait for he
under d big tree at the fork. She salt
she wouldn't be gone long and started
I dlsmounted, lay down at the foot o.
the tree. lit my pipe and pretty soor
fell asleep.
7 When awoke looked into the face
Of my cousin" standing In the mids
of 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 10
some time to get up into this regiol
with certain information I'd beef
gathering about your army movement
for General Jackson. These gentlemen
have been waiting for me near her
and j just roGe over to delivef my In
formation and tell them that you wer
here with some more Of the same kind
, Please let me have your dispatches"
Ineycr was so completely done up \
my Life. I xcQuldn't do anything .Gu