The Washington times., 1913-08-22
CHAPTER XI.
he Search Among The Sla

q RIADNE spent the afternoon
"A and the next morning in a
state of anxiety unspeakable,
which her kind hosts could not
relieve. About midday q messenger
handed in at the front door an envelope
addressed to her in a strange and pc
culiar handwriting In one corner OF
it were printed the words Executive
Mansion, Washington, D. C." She tore
it open with trembling fingers and read
il with much the sensations that a man
would examine a paper which might
prove either death warrant OF a re-
prieve. II ran:
NV Dear Mrs. Grafton-Sergt. Philir
Grafton of Pickett's division was left
wounded on Cemetery Hill. Colonels
kirkwcod and Manning. who were in
command of regiments that finally re-
pulsed the charge, had him sent from
the field with the first train of wounded
which was unloaded at York, Pa. he
was unconscious and desperately hurt
but alive. If he is still alive-and
pray God he may be-he will be in one
Cf the hospitals in York.
! have secured a pass for you to &c
TO York from Secretary Stanton, which
! inclose. a special train bearing medi-
cal supplies for the wounded at York
and Carlisle and elsewhere leaves the
station this afternoon. Here is a per
NIT to allow you 10 go on that train.
hope you will find your husband on the
road TO recovery. and l know that he
will be the better for your coming.
am glad TO be able to do this for you
Your sincere friend and well-wisher.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The pass and permit would perhaps
have been enough to have carried
Ariadne safely to York, but the kind
letter Of the President, which he had
taken the trouble to write himself,
served amazingly. The officers in
r.F h. ugD1r NJ
the sick had nothing but sympathy and
respect for the beautiful young woman
who was Sseeking her husband There
were other women on that train, North
ern woman, who were bound upon SINH
lar errands. The one touch of nature
brought by q common grief. and a COM
mon hope, made them all friends.
Ariadne found herself listening to the
condolences of a gray old woman from
Indiana, who was coming TO seek her
son, who had had a leg shot off at
Gettysburg A heartbroken young wife
from New York. just able to rise from
q sick bed, leaving a new born infant
for others 10 care for, was hurrying to
the side of her husband, who had been
shot through the lungs and who could
not survive the wound. sad-faCed
woman from New Jersey, shrouded in
black. was going TO get the body OF her
father. Each passenger was upon some
such soul-tearing errand.
The little Confederate had thought she
would be alone amid such an assem-
blage, but when they learned her story
they opened their hearts TO her and took
her in. The slow freight train reached
York quite early in the morning. There
were no convenienCes for sleeping on
that train, but Ariadne could not have
closed her eyes If she had enjoyed every
luxury of travel. She did not know
when she had slept, indeed. OF course.
she had-human nature, even under the
most spiritual impulse, cannot long be
sustained without rest. To sleep, to eat
10 drink-these are necessary-thTOugh
today the heart break and tomorrow We
die. il was not counsel of mere ma
terialism that the apostle addressed to
those that grieved-unless they ate and
drank they could not mourn.
Ariadne was too wise girl to waste
her strength where she could avoid it.
That regiment that she had set before
herself to make herself worth, of her
husband she would not abandon now,
at least until she had satisfied herself
that Philip no longer lived. He was
certainly desperately wounded; perhaps
he was dead. II he were alive he
would need care and nursing. She
must keep her strength for him. To
sleep, that was impossible, but she
could. and did, force down her reluc-
tant throat the good food provided by
the kind officers OF the train, who were
sorry for her and for all the wretched
women.
The bright sunlight Of the clear morn
ing daZzled her as she stepped out on
the platform. With the selhshness Of