The Detroit times., 1914-06-09
~.
What Was Going On in VIRGINIA.

WHat w do 1OinH vi w .NlISiVlds
Well. ii had been unsettled on the
border, even before the election or Lin
coin. and six months after Dave Went
away 10 college in Virginia, the war
trouble broke out in earnest. II was
about even down our way, till after
the battle OF Bull Run. Then there
we're many more secessionists than
Unions. There were three fights in
side OF three weeks at the store, and
in every one the Unions got licked. |
was in the frst one. That's the rea-
son | wasn't in the other two.
Dave used TO write funny letters
from college, about rebels and Unions
and we'd all laugh at EN-. But
little after Bull Run he wrote one
which worried me some He said
that his class--all but him-had voted
To go into the army OF Virginia, but
that he'd told EN- he'd have TO write
home 10 find out whether he was
Union or Democrat. They didn't like
that. He hoped we were Democrats
so that he could go with the boys and
have good time licking the Black
Repu blicans II was all he could do,
he said, 10 stay behind when the boys
in the shckest uniforms he had ever
seen, mostly made by their sweet
hearts, and with twenty or thirty
gold-and-blue officers TO each regi-
ment had gone and taken Harper's
Ferry and the navy yard at Gosport
with no deaths. Every one was
separate hero, and all the sweethearts
left behind Ca good many went along)
took the first train TO Harpers Ferry
to tell them so. Couldn't he 90 along
when they took Washington (which
would be next. Maybe he could find
a sweetheart. And, when they had
philadelphia and New York, he'd stop
TO see how we were getting along be-
fore taking the oath OF office as presi-
dent OF the Confederate States OF
America-formerly the United States
OF Ditto-just In fun, Of course, as
you can see.
But l got Evelyn. who was a better
scholar than |, TO write back that we
were all Union to the backbone and
that We were mailing Maryland down
so that she couldn't get out OF the
Union, and not 20 bother about wars
nor rumors OF war, but study hard,
as he was too young, anyhow, TO fight
with anybody but me and could lick
him any day-also In fun.
Evelyn was kind OF shy and dis
tressed. and finally said:
Daddy, dear, you oughn't TO ask
me TO write that.
"Why?" says /.
Because / amt Union to the back
bone" says she.
ITO be sure" says |. "Not quite
through. | forgot. You are most two
yards OF rebel up and down. They're
the most dangerous--the lady rebels
expect you'd like TO be making funny
flags and sticking them up ON female
colleges like they're doing In Dixie
The womens terrible lighters
/ laughed but Evelyn cried Il was
hard for her to see a joke Women
amt funny, mostly.
Yes" she says dropping tears on
the letter, 'just girl rebel. And yes.
they are terrible, thank God And I
shan't forget who murdered my faith.
.er' a woman's vengeance is not like
a mans. II never sleeps or dies. And
the slayer OF my father shall suffer
or his brethren shall-for him."
Well never saw Evelyn like that,
/ didn't think she had Il In her. Just
La nice young girl-till ! stirred her
up. And remember, Henry really
wasn't her father though, rememb Der
again, she'd never known any other
father or course. as have told you.
DON'T wonder that she loved our
Henry a lot Everybody did that got
near him Dave--happy little Dave.
always reminded me OF him She
scrubbed fiercely at the letter. drop.
ping more tears, and ! sneaked away
for. as / told you ! am no kind OF
a father
i could see next day that she was
scared about it--and 50 ! scouled her
a little I was never afraid TO scold
her-when she was scared