Year: 1865

Wtoucu ~ po' Y Lhc CIVWolnS guests,
the cleaning lights, the marriage GER
emony, the congratulations, the whis-
pered joy Of my husband as he bent
over me, and the odor of the apple
blossoms pervading all, seemed ike
beautiful dream then, seem like
dream now, with the orchard perfume
alone remaining.


Do you believe me exagerating
when I say that would have yielded
up my life unmurmuring for my hus-
bands sake? If you do, it only shows
that you have no conception Of love
like that bore for Frank, 1t was
wrong to love q man so, perhaps; but
OBJ, I was 50 happyl He was my all,
remember On him I lavished the
long boarded affection of nature
whose depths no mortal being had
looked into before him. My heart
would leap with "a gladness at tho
sound of his voice at a distance. l
knew his footstep SO well that would
go 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'eyc would thrill


my being to the core,


You may wonder that l consented
to part with Frank when loved him
so. 1t. was because loved him as l
did that could not oppose him when
he told me his face ali glowing with
enthusiasm, that he wanted to raise q
company for the war. Then he talked
so eloquently about it, his eye shone
with such alustre, and his voice had
such a cheer in it, as he spoke of GO
ing forth with his comrades to fight in
defense of the dear old flag. how could
| put in my selfish protest. -


But | clung TO his neck in silent fear
in. the darkness of night, when he lay
fast asleep; pictured his noble form
lying wounded and bloody on the bat
tle'feld, and hid my face on my pill
low, and pressed his dear cheek with
my hand softly, SO as not to awake
him, while ! wept as if my poor heart
would break. But in the day time
never let him know. l tried my best
to cheer him, for I knew it was the
old patriotic fire that burned in his
manly breast, and no tears of mine
should quench it. / was always proud
of Frank; he was the prince of men to
me; but now l was proudcr of him
than ever before. l' - r.


was but the bride of q summer
when he marched away. The harvest
was ripe, and the leaves were brown
| ing. He kissed 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 qnivering Of my lips
Then he walked briskly away down
tho egarden path. passed out the gate
and waved his gilded cap to me from
the road; and when he got so far away
that he could not see me weep lean


cd against pillar and gazed long af.
ter him through the binding rain Of
unavailing tears. T',- aa' p.


/ used to get such cheering letter:
from my hero! He found SO many
amusing thingstoJ write about in bis
new life, and seemed to relish SO wei


the novelty and hardhood Of the
campt He would describe to me the


minutest particulars of his surround


ings, tell me what he ate and how


where he slept and how, and drew fol


me such photographs of the scenes II


which he moved, that / soon quito los


my foolish habit Of picturing him ly


ing on the cold battle- fields. alone Will


the watching stars and the long night


Instead of this | soon began to shar,


his dissatisfaction at having nothing t


do through the long winter, and
| looked forward to tho spring with hi


longing vision, and learned to glory


in my husbands strength as he him


self did, and to feel certain that al
p6rils must yield before tho power o
| hisarm.u Our boy was born that win


ter too, and dln him l found an obec


on which to pour out the love of my


heart, and a companion to make tn,


time pass away. l.,. sfad !. ,3'


The spring came, and in the battl


of Fair Oaks my husband was takel


prisoner. They shut him up in tha


fearful prison in Richmond and mur


dered him by inches. Hong, lon,


months rolled away. My boy .greS
4 till he could run about the house an
play with Carloiin the yard; and ever,


day no seemed to grow more and NOR
like his father as he was when he wen
away, with his fresh round checks re-
with bloom, and his merry blue eye
q Land ringing laugh. riI ..s'.~ i
Last October they bronghtmy hus
). band homo. Oh, what a pitiful sem
blance of the man who waved his gild
ed cap to me from the road as stoo
in the porch that September mornin
so long agol They left him alonei
the parlor to wait for me, for ha
tainted at sight of him from the wir
dow--my darling Frank-this skclt
I ton with sbrunken limbs and ghastly
fallen cheek and dull eyesl Could [
be he2 Only when 1 entered the pal
lor whore he sat, and beheld the clul
teripg black hair that shaded hi
white forehead could see aught L
tho man l had married in that Ma
, night when the odor Of the applt
, blooms was in tho air. He looked o
me so pitiFully, and raised his wa
, hands as it to embrace me. l few {
! his breast, and kissed iswhite chez
/ and colorless lips with dispair in m
hoart, forI knew he had "come HON