Evening star., 1921-10-23
BOUT twenty miles west OF
Washington-and 1t may be
\ twenty-ono-you will. follow

~ Washington-and 1t may be
n twenty-ono-you will, follow
ing that ancient road called
the Little River turnpike. come to
hamlet at q crossroad bearing the
name Pender. 1t was called after
the Confederate general of that name.
but not with tho knowledge Of the
postal authorities. for the post office
was established there soon after the
close Of the civil war. aYd at that
time the national authorities were
soldier of the lost cause. There was
some appropriateness In the name. for
'Pender's brigade was once In action
at that point. and the Rambler be-
Heves. though he will not set II down
as q fact at this writing, that Gen.
Ponder was wounded near this place.
Fender Is a triffe more than three
miles west by north OF Fairfax Court
House. and little more than two
turnpike forks to the southwest from
tho Little River turnpike. At Pender
the Little River pike Is crossed by
iorth and south road which leads
outh for a lit,la less than two miles
and intersects the Warrenton pike at
road winding through closely
wooded country. and the woods and
the wild shrubbery which fringes
them. grow close to the sides Of the
old road. making narrow way. gem
orally shady whe nthe sun shines,
and full of weird shadows when the
moon IS up. North from Pender this
dirt road In cooperation with many
other old roads it meets on the way
leads To Hunters. Wiehle. Herndon
nd hy,n ~aIS - ~ v,lo fta
country drained by those streams
called Horse Pen run. Sugarland run.
Colvin run, Snake Den branch D.H-
cult run. P!ney branch and Wolf Trap.
TURNING south at Pender, one will
note On the left of the dirt road
q number Of clearings set with small
homes. On the right is broad. deep
stretch Of woods. a quarter Of 4 mile
perhaps It may be few rods
further than that-you come to the
south edge of the woods. and before
you are hundreds Of acres of farm
land. rolling or undulating-that iS
filled with gentle rises and ridges and
equally gentle wales. With the woods
on the right and a few yards before
corning to the point where the wood
tract and the rolling fields meet. is an
Old Weather-beaten gate that hangs
Teebly, on its rusty hinges. 1t guards
u way that was once a road, but
which is now only a trace, memory.
a ghost Of a road. But it is plain
enough for you to follow through the
woods. 1t leads up a very easy slope.
and at the southwest edge of the woods,
d few hundred yards from the gate,
you halt.
You are on tragic and historic
ground. Along the edge of the woods
is a rail fence. gray and warped. Be
yond the fence are the rolling fields.
many acres of them dotted with young
p!nes-almost baby pines-sapIings OF
sassafras. golden rod. blackberry and
other vines and some forage for the
quiet cows and horses that sraZe
there. About Il thousand yards across
the fields the upper story and the roof
of a venerable house standing in
fold of the land are visible. Where
edge and few feet within the gray
rail fence is little plot Of ground,
twenty by twenty feet bound by q
single rail of two-inch galvanized
iron pipe supported by ten thick
granite posts. Within the plot are
two big pieces of granite. about two
feet wide. d foot and a half thick and
three feet tall. as the Rambler car
ries them in his mind. Each of these
big pieces of granite is as like the
other as granite markers can be.
They are eight or ten feet apart and
Set on a line. Each bears u bronze
tablet on its north face. The west