Year: 1865

DO you believe me exaggerating when
| say that would have yielded up my
life unmurmuring, for my husbands sake2
If you do, it only shows that you have
40 conception Of love like that bore
for Frank. 1t was wrong to love a man,
50, perhaps; bu. oh, l was SO happy !!
He was my all, remember. On him l
lavished the long boarded affection of a
nature whose depths no mortal being had
looked into before him. My heart would
leap with giadness at the sound Of his
voice at distance. l knew his footsteps
SO well that | would 60 far beyond the
gate to meet him, when he was coming
up the road His kiss was heaven to my
lips, and the fond glance of his blue eye
eye would thrill my being to the core.


You may wonder that consented to
part with Frank when l loved him so.-
1t was because | loved him as | did that
l could not oppose him when he told me,
his face all glowing with enthusiasm, that
he wanted to raise company for the
war. Then he talked so eloquontly about
it, his eyes shone with such lustre, and
his voice had such cheer in it, as he
spoke of going forth with his comrads to
fight in defence of the dear old flag, how
could | put on my selfish protest


But clung to his neck with silent
fear in the darkness Of night, when he
lay asleep; l pictured his loved form ly.
Ing wounded and bloody on the battle
field, and | hid my face on my pillow,
and pressed his dear check with my hand
softly, so as not to wake him, while l
wcpt as if my heart would break. But
in the daytime | never let him know. l
tried my best to cheer him, for | knew
it was the old patriotic fire that burned
in his manly breast, and no terms of
mine could quench it. l was proud of
Frank he was the prince of men to me !;
but now | was procder Of him than ever
before.


was but bride Of summer when
he MARCHED away. The harvest was ripe,
aud the leaves were browning lie kiss
ed me again and again as we stood under
the porch by The door, and | smiled a
cheerful smile of adieu to him, and
struggled to hide from him the qulyering
of my lips Then he walked bris%ly
away down the garden path, passed out
the gate, and waved his gidcd hat 10 me
from the road {; ana when he was SO far
away he could not see me weep, leaned
against pillar and gazcl long after him
through the binding rain OF unavaillng
tears.


| used to Get such cheerful letters
from my hero lie found So many anus
ing thRgs TO write about his new life,
and seemed to relish so well the novelty
and hardihool OF camp. lie would de-
scribe to me the miuutest particulars Of
his surroundings tell iac what he ate,
where he slept and how, and drew for me
such photographs of the scenes in which
he moved, that | soon quite lost my fool
ish habit Of picturing him lying bleed ing
on cold battle fields, alone with the watch
ing stars and the long night. Instead of
this, soon began to share his dissatisfac-
ton at having nothing to do through the
long winter, and looked forwarded to
the spring with his longing vision, and
learning to glory in my husbands strength
as he himself did, and to feel certain that
all pcrils must yield before the power Of
his arm. Oar boy was born that winter,
too aud in him 1 found an object on
which to pour out the love Of my heart,
and companion to make the time pass
away.


The spring came, and in the battle Of
Fair Oaks my husband was taken prison
er. They shut him up in that fearful
prison in Richmond, and murdered him
by inches. Long, long months rolled
away. My boy grew till he could run
about the house and play with Carlo in
the yard; aud every day he seemed to
grow more and more like his father, as
he was when he went away, with his fresh,
round cheeks. red with bloom, and his
merry blue eye and ringing laugh,


Last October they brought my bus.
band home. Oh, what pititul semb
lance Of the nan who waved his gilded
cap to me from the road, as l stood in
the porch that September morning so
long ago! They left him alone i'll the
parlor to wait for me, for had tainted
at sight of him from the wlndow-my
darling Frank-this skeleton with shrunk-
en limbs and ghastly, fallen cheek, and
dull eyes Could it be he? Only when
| opened the parlor door where he sat,
and beheld the clustering black hair that
shaded his white forehead, could see
aught of the man | had married on that
May night, when the odor of the apple
blooms was in the air, lie looked on me
so pitifully, and raised his wan hands as
if to embrace me. flew to his breast,
and kissed his white cheek and coorless
lips with despair in my heart, for | knew
he had come heme TO die.


"Is this my husband p l murmured,
in tone of awe, as looked upon the
strange, strange face.


This is what is left OF him. said he,
smiling family aud | hid my face in his
bosom.


"Whero is my boy p smoothing my
hair with his bony fingers.


| went for little Frank, and held him
up while his father wrapped him in his
arms. The little fellow looked up into
the white and bearded face with a
sraight. earnest gaze, and then his eyes
filed with tears, and his lip began tot
quivcr, but it was with pity, not with
childish fear, for he put up his little hands
to his fathers mouth caresslngly, and
said, Papa siekt'


Nnxt l,v tho doctnr e,mC la sat n