The Washington times., 1913-09-15

QOrrOf 10 -tne TACT tnat sue woc "Aon
full for the end of 1t ell in order tnat
she might see her husband once more.
She hungered and thirsted for him witp
her whole soul.
Women watched the bulletins Of bat
tie of those days as they never scanheo
newspaper reports before or since. Dut
none in the North watched them with
such agonizing intensity as Ariadne. SO
the slow months dragged away. IN
each one of them those two lovers hvec'
thousand years.
Now ;.:.ilp loved his wife with all mis-
heart and soul, and his heart was great
and his soul was true; but he was q
man and a soldier. and when he looked
into the face OF his captain. sitting
there on his horse alone, on the little
hill, surveying woodland and meadow.
from which the roar Of battle rose
through which the smoke OF battle
wavered and drifted In the fitful breeze
of that beautiful morning. he thought
only of him. Indeed that army, the
cause for which they bed fought bad
become Lee. He typided everything
they had struggled fof. every nope tney
had cherished, every dream they mao
dreamed, every vision they had seen.
He was, as he sat there mat morning.
the South in all It's CORY. IN an its
pride, in all its honor. The south.
broken, beaten down. but Incaunted;
the South, winning eternal fame, eVok-
ing all mems respect and many men
love, in this hour Of defeat
A magnificent picture the genera
made. He was clad In a new and per-
fectly hitting uniform that had seen no
service. The worn gray coat IN which
he had shared the privattons OF MS men
had been discarded. Compelled to aban-
don all personal baggage. each ofncer
had put on his best uniform for last
effort TO break through the grip OF
Grant. This was q uniform that had
been kept for the moment OF triumph
it was destined to grace the day OF de-
feat.
Grafton was as ragged and tattered as
any officer In the army. He had been
absent on service when the baggage mad
been abandoned, and aithoush Iasiof
and yenable had saved him his best
suit. II had been lost In the wild scram-
bIe of the retreat. He was a scarecrow
of an officer save for the purpose, the
intelligence that shone In his face. the
men in that army were not estimated by
clothing. and how soldier dressed ac-
counted for nothing If he fought. II he
served-and Grafton did both.
Lee wore an exquisitely mounted
sword attached to a belt of Russia
leather beautifully embroidered In gold.
His abundant gray hair, soft and hne
as silk. curled slightly on his neck. His
full beard and mustache. trimmed
rather short, covered his mouth. His
ruddy face was bronzed and weather.
beaten by the hard, rough campaigning.
There was a mournful look In his deep
brown eyes which alone indicated his
despair. Yet such was the strength
with which this man hurled himself that
he gave little outward evidence of the
anguish in his soul. Although his heart
was breaking he was picture Of iron
composure.
As Grafton rode up he thought OF how
Lee had looked on that gray morning at
Spottsylvania. when he had str1ven to
lead the charge on the Union line; how
his color had mounted TO his cheek,
how his eye had flashed as with high
look and heroic bearing. hat in hand
he had leaped mis- horse to the head of
the column. And Grafton thought hapt
pier might 1t have been for this man II
he had led the charge and died then
and there on that bloody field. Yet he
was to add the last leaf to the laurels
of his fame by his courageous course
on this day and the days that interviewed
between the end Of the war and the
end of his own fighting of the battle Of
life. Many a man is great In victory.
greater in death; few are greatest in
defeat or that few was Lee.
well SIR" said the general, as Graf
ton halted to deliver his message,
What from GoroonT
He had raced toward his captain as
became a soldier. but now that he had
IN tell the message his lips refused to
frame the words. Indeed. It was un-
thing. Clenching his hands. with a
choking voice he said at last:
General, / will give you General Cor
don's exact words. Tell General Lee
have fought my corps to FRAGILE and
l fear / can do nothing unless I am
heavily supported by Lonsstreefs
corps"
Gordon knew. Grafton knew, every
man in the army knew that Long
streets corps was In like straits to that
of Gordon. There was long pause
Grafton could see the generals lips
straighten out under the pressure he
put upon them. He threw up his head
for a moment, as II seeking strength
from above, then bent down. Presently
he said softly to himself, staring ahead
of him, his look comprehending Grafton
without seeing him:
"Then there is nothing left me but to
go and see General Grant. and had
rather die a thousand deaths!"
Perhaps his mind. too. went back to
that gray morning on the Spottsylvania
hills. Perhaps. he. too. pictured a
great captain at rest on the soil of Viz
ginia with a bullet In his breast. his
hearts blood wettins the earth of the
State he had loved with passion pass
work to do. AS he had welded the
baton of leadership In winning the
laurels of victory, SO now he must bear
the burden of defeat. He must go to
General Grant.
Lee was too great man to delay
when the inevitable was to be con-
fronted. After that one ejacula ton he
turned and summoned a staff officer and
dictated a brief note to General Grant,
asking a meeting for the surrender of
the army. He rode forward to that
surrender at dwelling house In the
little village at Apponattox early that
afternoon. Colonel Marshall. his mill
tary secretary. rode with him. Grg.,-r
had rented the jacket of pIfvase ao;-
dier, which was in q fair stste q rc..
pair. from q man who had rUo600e