The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-11-09


amputation case?"
"The one who died in the night?'
yes. He talked to me before he
died. 1t seems he knew you
"Knew me?"
Yes. He was in the Fifty-fifth. He
was, he says. Captain Renneslyer's
orderly"
Il wish l had talked to HIM! He
might have told me something about
Hendricks"
He did tell me- He says he saw
him, at Culpepper."
"At-Culpeper But that was after
Charlottesville! Ann put both hands
on the doctors arm to steady herself.
"Was he-himself? Did he know
what he was saying?"
Il think so. But, of course, 1 can't
be sure of it."
Gould they have made such mis-
| take?"
The first casualty list Of every bat
tie is incorrect. You know that"
But, Doctor Small how can we find
out?"
You can telegraph"
That's useless. We've been tele-
graphing ever since the message came,
| trying to get particulars of Hendricks
DEATH"
Then you can only wait"
/ Wait? Doctor Small, l can't wait |!
If my guardian were at home he would
find out, if he had to go down to the
Army of the Potomac himself!"
The doctor nodded II suppose so,
but as he isn't here, we must be pa
tient"
AIMS thoughts were chaotic.
If Hendricks lived her guardian would
be happy again. Every one would
be happy. She remembered how
old and broken her guardian had
looked, there on the dock before he
sailed; she had cried looking at him.
She felt she must send the good news
to him as quickly as possible.
Il must write to my uncle" she
said. II must let him know at once"
Doctor Small put restraining hand
on her arm. 81 wouldn't do that" he
said gently; "wait until you are sure.
You will only make it harder for him
If you encourage him to hope, and
then disappoint him."
This was good advice and Ann nod
ded sOberly as she received it. She
went home at once. 1t was she lecid.
ed, imperative that she find out
whether Hendricks lived or not. There
must, she thought be some one who
could go to Virginia.
AS she hurried through the streets
she tried to fix her mind on the per.
son, but in vain. She knew enough of
conditions near the front to realize
that it required intense personal inter.
est to accomplish anything there: il
was not an errand which one could in
trust to a clerk. Hendricks
father was ill-he had had bronchial
cough all the late winter, and ha(
finally allowed Mrs. Rennesfyer tt
take him over to Washington for 6
cure in that more balmy air, with the
result that he was miserably laid ur
there, in the hotel. All the
young men she knew were off fight
ing. 1t was a pity that she
was a girl. She considered
for a moment, putting the matter be
fore Mrs Cortlandt, and urging her t.
take the trip, but at once she knew
that lady would only echo the doctor:
sane judgment that all they could de-
was to wait. Ann felt that it would
be more than she could endure if sh,
was forced to hear that unanswerabl,
statement again. Her tired nerve.
shrank miserably from the prolonged
emotional crisis into which her new
would plunge the women of her fam
lily. If only she might go her
self to look the matter up! She hal
, paused, breathless with desire, at thu
idea. Once at the front, too, i
would be strange if she could no
make some connection with hospita
there. She had no conscious
plan, yet time seemed curiousl,
precious, and when she reached Wash
ingtOn square she broke into a run.
AT the door Joseph told her tina
, Mrs. Cortlandt and Fanny had re
sponded to a call from the Sanitar,
, commission ladies, and had gone Their
to work. Miss Fanny, she say to tel
+ you to come too, Miss Ann. They's