Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-09-04
The EatterY Passes.

Outside, the softaess of an Apri
night, the verdure OF ret ard lawn
the climbing roses, already far sd
Tanced in that southern latitude
sweetiy silvered in the moonlight
Within the great old house apparentl!
an equal calm
Yet, neither within nor without was
the night absolutely soundless Fal
away 10 the southwark the Cloudless
horizon, easily visible from the slight
eminence on which the house stood
was marked by ~Quivering flashes Of
lurid light, From time 10 time. the
attentive ear might catch the roll, the
roar. the Teverberation OF heavy sound
like distant t~hunder-peals interulin-
gled with sharper decorations The
flashes came from great guns, rad The
rolling Peals were the sound OF the
cannon, the detonations explosions Of
the shells. There was the peace Of
God in the heaven above; there we're
the passions Of men GA the earth be
meath,
Lights cleaned here and there, shin.
Eng through The twining rose foliage.
from the windows Of the old house.
which stood tar back from the street
From a room on one side OF the hall.
which opened from the broad pil}ared
portico OF Colonial fashion, 4 hum Of
voices arose.
a group Of women, with nervous
hands and anxious faces, working
while FhHz rsis-na -r-r-a .,FsI-s-- H.
tearing linen and cotton for ha1daees.
Their conversation was Dot the IDLE
chatter OF othsr days. They told sad
stories of the death OF Hurs!" How
Tom" and Charles" and Allen" and
Page" and burton" had gone down
into the Valley Of the Shadow e.
Death, whence they had not come
back, How this fart had been ham
Jnersd yesterday. the other, the day
before. How So%ana-So's WOUNDS had
been mfnistered 10. How Such-alOne's
needs had been relieved. How the
enemy drawing closer and clos
ssr, and how they were being held back
with courage. which. aiAsl by that
time was the courage of despair. And
much OF their SPEECH was Of their
own kind, of bereft women and father
less children. And ever as they talked,
the busy fingers few.
Upstairs from one OF the front
rooms the light sbone dimly through
"A window partly covered by a half
drawn Venetian blind. One standing
at the side of the house and listening |
would have heard out OF the chamber
low meanings, muttered words from
.feyerish lips and deitrIous brain. The
meaningless vet awful babble was
broken now and again by words OF
tenderness and anguish Soft hands
were laid on the burning brow of the
poor sufferer within, while a mothers
eyes dropped tears upon bloodstained
'Dandages and wasted frame.
And now the gentle wind which
softly through the trees bore
a sudden sharper. stranger sound
toward the old house In the garden.
The tramp Of q horse, the creak of
wheels, the faint sfngiing of arms and
sabers drew naarsr and rose louder.
Sudden words Of command punctured
the night. Here cams a battery. with
ont the rattle or drum or the blare
of bagiess with no soand but Its own
gatloping II rolled down the street
Lean. gaunt borsa5 were ridden and
driven by isansr ard gauaier men in
dusty. worrs ragged, tattered uniforms.
Only the highly polished brass gums
fwelsepounder Napoleons-gieamsd
bright In the moonlight.
The sewing women came out on the