Show TM THE FATAL COLONEL SEXTON TELLS HOW IT CHANGED HIS LIFE the girl who would have married like the idea of young yellows fellows in officers clothes she relented Eelen ted a idt tle when iler her admirer was wounded the only bad feature of this thia thing of addressing the school children said colonel james A sexton the former postmaster is the fact that they always want me to wear my regimentals its a thing I 1 tho the courage to do except when vin im among a uniformed body of men my aly aversion to wearing a uniform about in public dates from my boyhood days upon that aversion is based an early incident tat at may have had a good deal to do with the course of my subsequent life 11 1 I enlisted as a private at the outbreak ont break of the war being then a boy of 17 rather mature looking however for those years like all boys of that age I 1 was waa of a romantic turn but exceedingly bashful in the presence of women tho the ono one woman in whose presence I 1 was especially shy eby was a dear girl whom I 1 used to see home from prayer meeting no lo 10 parting in all that time of parting was more affecting than was ours when my regiment started for the front when a year later I 1 was sent back to chicago to recover from a wound in the jaw I 1 found myself as aa dear to her as ever and she as dear to me it goes without saying I 1 was waa in the hospital at camp douglas my wound healed rapidly iwas I 1 was allowed to go about the city very much as I 1 chose and prayer meetings with their escort privileges claimed a great part of my attention about that time the Y M C A was organizing a regiment to be composed exclusively of men who professed religion the scheme naturally attracted a great deal of attention tho the papers were full of it iwas I 1 was selected to captain one of the now new regiments companies protest against the selection was made on account of my age then just 18 the matter was carried up to the adjutant general of the state who finally decided in my favor my age the singular character of the case and tho the popularity of the regiment caused such an amount of that it seemed as though everybody must have heard of tho the matter at least all AH this time I 1 never wore my uniform outside of camp the dear girl therefore nevor never saw rue me except essert in citizens clothes 11 its an aa outrage she said just after we met a very youthful looking man in captains uniform on one of 0 our walks that bat such young men are trusted with the responsibilities of command I 1 dont know what the tha country is coming to for a moment I 1 was overcome by the shock when I 1 recovered my breath I 1 told her that youth did not necessarily debar a man an from possession of the qualities of a commander she declined to be convinced and the conversation became decidedly chilly instead of making my customary call when wo we reached her house I 1 stopped at the front gate laura I 1 said 1 I must tell you goodby my regi regiment regime meat ot has orders to leave for the front tomorrow it may be that we never shall see eee each other again but wo we did all fashionable chicago came to camp douglas the next day to see the final dress parade of the much talked of Y M 0 A regiment and I 1 could see the dear girl among the crowd my now new captains uniform gave voe v a good deal of satisfaction just at shat hat time I 1 can tell you tho the colonel of the regiment had asked me on account of the power of my voice to act as adjutant for the occasion that furnished additional gratification the parade bad the magnificent splendor that only a dress parade can have and the solemnity of this occasion was vastly increased by the reflection not toke tobe to be dismissed that many of those among regiment and spectators were seeing each other for the last time on earth the band played as aa though speaking our last farewell to our friends every one I 1 am sure was deeply impressed it was at this time that the dear girl had her first and last view of me in my captains uniform officers to tho the front and center 1 march I 1 I 1 ordered with all the dignity I 1 could assume As they reached tho the center they saluted me sir the parade is formed I 1 said saluting the colonel the colonel returned as grave a s salute sainto a as he had received and put the regiment through abrou h the manual of arms meantime I 1 marched a few paces behind him turned squarely and tool took position almost within arms length of the dear gi gil L there I 1 stood at parade rest with my back to her until the regiment wheeled into column to march off the field at that juncture I 1 took command of my company and went with it aboard an illinois central train between the dear girl and myself there passed no word A few months passed and I 1 received a slight wound the circumstance was mentioned in the chicago papers then for tho the first time after my ayd departure paxter e from chicago tho the dear girl wrote me a letter it was a beautiful epistle full of regret for our misunderstanding hopes that my wound v would not prove Ee serious cerious assurances that she never could have bave doubted my ability and requests for forgiveness for her mistake I 1 answered it and harmony was restored at the close of the war I 1 at once sought her the tha colonel added and found her already married I 1 I 1 chicago 0 times herald |