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Show BBBBTI'-W'JWGMBJBBflflBBIIBB bF S sK ' sH m 'eH BM 'PB H 'FA BS fi'i,wi'"wwiw,Mi'wiwMw',,ii'ii,ii'p'',iM"'i'iwMi'"MwiiMw"i''wi hit""BBii mw I J-f III AIDJuZ ESSr illjU LLI m iSl MAJOFO rlfew -ARCHIBALD W. BUTT 8HPHi CHAPTER VIII. B Woary Weeks of Waiting. fl rp II EN began tlio weary weeks fl I nnd months. It teemed tn noinu B I of us of waiting. Tlio excite- fl mcut of enlisting nnd drilling B tHC mcn- organising the companies and B flatting the recruits uniformed nctcd on B me "ko n tonic. I censed to brood orcr B ra' disappointment, nnd..whllo my love B fr M'S8 Ellen wns ns great ns ever, B yet I felt that I lind regained my man-' flT hood, nnd tlio wnr spirit, once aroused B u nie. drovo me like n master. Tlio B fly of quitting the Htnte was n sad ono B or mnny, but it wns not so for me. B My heart bounded with joy when tlio B order for our morement wns rend nt H headquarters. Of nil the officers I B think' I was the only ono whose dc- B pnrture wns not blessed with tcura of B mother. Ulster or sweetheart. My fn- fll tlicr, now old and feeble, enmo to hoc Bj mt-'- ,llul '''s cve3 been me wet ns ho B beheld mo for the drat time, In my mil. H form ntid folded me In his iirniH. My B mother hud long been dead In fnct. I EV could scnrcely rclncmber her nt nil. Bfl Before Rnylng goodby to my father I mm gnvo him n lettor and made him prom- B lfl llmt should anything happen to me B ,10 would Hcnd it to the address on the B envelope. flj He looked nt me sadly for a moment flj and snld: B "Docs she live in tho south, Ilownrd, B an I"4 tnnt WUJ' i'on nnve stayed away B no long?" B t,d n'm .vpq nml turnel nwny my B hcnd that he might notice what It had B cost me to speak of her. Ilu laid his B baud gently on my shoulder nnd said, W&L "We Palmers hnvo never been lucky 9p there, my son." and I thought I under- j35L. sJpocLinnujvlltUo.tlilUK&lnbU.ltfo and, 5sWbut"wh'arTwus kind to say of that southern south-ern country when he heard it under (discussion. I grasped his hand nnd bold it for n moment. "May God protect you and bring you safe to mo nguln," was all ho said nnd left me. Our regiment wns only ordered to Camp Meade, but it was a start. Tho days thero were dreary ones, and I ehall never forget the shout our boys put tip wheu the order which turned our fnco to Camp Thomas, at Chlcku- mauga. wns read to them, it set our blood on lire, nud I cannot repress my feelings of stnto pride oven now when I I recall the happy faces of those Bay 1 State fellows as they prepared to I idiouldcr their muskets and start fot I tho south. A ranjorlty of the regiment I wanted to be brigaded with other regl- incnts from Massachusetts, but wllb wisdom nnd foresight tlio chief cxecu-jl cxecu-jl tlve commnnded thnt the troops from S tho north should be brignded with 1 those from the south and west II I was a wise policy that threw the men I from Mlchlgnn with those from Tortus. aud those from California with those fl from Maine and Vermont, and the men H from Massachusetts with the lionesl fellows from Georgin. The spirit ol K friendship which hud been growing foi n over thirty years was to lie cemented 1 by un ullhincD ngulnst n common ene-1 ene-1 ray. This was how we found ourselves 1 in the siiine brigade with n Georgin H regiment nnd with another from Ken n tucky. We mingled with one nuotber from fl the first mi friendly terms: we shared I one nuolber's rations and nursed um fl another's sick. I met every Georgian H with an outstretched hand, for 1 felt I Aoniehow that they bad claims on mi fl which tlio others did not possess. Th( I Individual wits lost In that great K crowded camp, nnd those with whotr 1 talked of the Turplns did not seen. 8 to know them. But I was destined U bear news of my friends much soonei I limn I thought. M 1 had been wnt to division hendquar B ten nm day with n message from mj n colonel .s 1 atopjwd under the nwu II ing or the' tout I suy nil ollirer In a U major's uniform silting ut a table n-nd jtt Ing some ivnoris. The fan was par H tlally lu shadow, but I suw ut onre that it wns Bud. B How much he knew I did not kuow H I was eager to lenru. Ho sa w ma be- foro I spoke, and. not waiting, as 1 had B Code, be leaped from tiie table, scat B tcring the contents over the tloor. and nj tanned to me with arms outstretched. H Impulsively he. threw one arm around B my neck nyil with the. other gnrspwt my hnnd. lie saw how deep my feeling feel-ing was it nd did not speak nt once. "Bud." I nsked finally. "how art' all nt the Pines?" It wns tlio questloi i which wits most natural to my lips. , for I had been hungering, yet dread' lug. to hear news of them. I "About tjie Rnme. Nothing over changes then'." ho said. "Your father and mother?" I nsked. , "Both are well, thank God!" MAud MIsk Ellen r I ventuivd For n momctit his face clouded when he told me she was not llko what she used to be. Then suddenly, us If some ldai had shot across his mind for the tirst time, he dropped my baud and, looking me squarely lu the. ! face, said: I "She tiikM never been the same since you were there. ' tie seumed suddenly , to st I (Ten with dignity as he added: ; "Palmer, it 1 thoughr your visit there ' hud wrought this change heaven only , knows what I would do. Before tak j Ing my hand again answer me tiouest- i ly, Palmer, did you trllle with my little sister when you were with us at the Pines?" J "Hcfore God I it Id not!" 1 cried. "She rejected my lo and that Is why I left so suddenly i will tell you all abuut I It. Bud. ns I wauled to do' before 1 I left," I snld. j I "I believe you. Palmer." he said, lay-1 i Ing nls hand on my shoulder ugnia. ir -i! Ho Rushod to Mo With .Arms' Out- 'stretched. ' "But keep your secret, whatever It may be, for It Is hers also, and you have no right m betray It " 1 grasped bis hand agnin nnd stood looking out into the, dusty camp street tind ovei the hills in the distance. "Who Is witli (hemV'' 1 usked presently "My younger brother, little Brent. De 1 Is Keeping the family alive while 1 urn ' doing what I can to keep nllve lis repu-j union." he s.ild with an attempt ut bumor that cut me like a knife "You may not know how we feel about this, ' sort of thing down here." he added., "but to uh It Is quite ns dear us life Itself." j Lie then told me thnt It wns Miss Ellen El-len who hud urued liim lu go to the. front and who had given htm th'u strength to leave tho Pines. From hid ! colonel learned afterward that h ' bud enllmed as u private, hut was soon glveu n commission for an excellent record, nnd he owed bis present place I to his ublllty to handle men and not, I to political Influences, J After that tlrst meeting we sow each' 'other dully, und when not on duty to-j gether we would light our pipes and wander through the dusty and fever stricken streets, smoko and talk of , home, but never did wo speak of Ellen, j though she was constantly '..in my , thoughts and I believe In her brother's also. Disease had broken out in camp, aud typhoid raged with deadly effect dur-'"" dur-'"" 'r u!"'- ',,M', imme.r. On en- J Ing I went to bd revensiirtna notreei- I lug myself at till The day had been one of horror Id the camp, and dl ! patches were flying between headquar 1 ters mid the war department. The evening shades brought no relief to tho I tired soldiers No one seemed to bo asleep, and the men were stretched outside their dog tents The ground was dry and hot. and the moon hung In the heavens like n grent ball of tiro Just as the midnight hour wns called I heard some one lu the direction of the Kentucky regiment, that lay across the road from us. begin to whistle the "Old Kentucky Home." The notes fell sweet nnd clour across the tented (leld Before lie had finished a bar some one took up the tune and wills tied n second One after another Join ed in the melody, nnd Dually there was hardly n man in the regiment, so it seemed to me, who was not wills tllng It died nwny as suddenly us It bad been Inspired, nnd I think the ennip slept with sweeter rest for huv Ing heard the serenade I fell into n fit fill sleep nud wnked to partial con siioiisness only when reveille was sounded I mnde un effort to rise, hut fell hack, too weak to move again The surgeon rnme In shortly after that mid took my temperature It wns with a sickening i sense of humiliation that I henrd him Any that It was a bad ense of fever Before I could be moved Hud came lu, und 1 learned nfterward that he feared ; T would be taken down. I turned my eyes to him In mute appeal lie touch ed in) hand kltidlv. and I drew hint ncai me. "If I should die. Hud, nil! you tell i Miss Klteu that I have always loved her and that my Inst thoughts were of and placed UN other on! my fevered temple I heard him iinkMhe doctor to let him have ciuirgu ot this patient. "HN lite l dearer tlinn m, own." ho snld. I suw the kiiuooii nod iiIk head and heard him add thnt It would take great nursing to pull iuu through It was the last thine, I remember for many a day. I beard afterward bow he nursed me. how tie bli-pi by my cot at night and snt by It all day. After-1 After-1 ward he told me that I talked only of the Pities In my delirium, und for tho I tlrst time he had leururdtliat It was 1 , who hud Uiken up the curtgugu and , reduced the interest. Tta day cuma i when the surgeons desttlrcd of my life, and then It was ttat ho telegraphed tele-graphed his sister I Imtf that faded bit of paper on which t wrote tho I message framed nnd bulging over my ' desk and unden?eath it her answer. "Lieutenant Palmer lylc at point of death. Your name lucescntly on his ' llp:i. Don't come if you tttok best, but 1 tt might save his life." us what he 1 sent, j The answer was even ihortcr. It ! read simply. "Keep hiiniUvo until I reach there." They told me I hut her ursing saved j my life One touch froaihr bund nud ' my delirium would subsMkaud, though I lay unconscious for dap. she took j little rest, and when st would lie ' down u was Hud who wnM.tiiko her I place at uiy side. One illuming Just after tf'lers came for my regiment to start (4" Cuba my eyes opened to the wurtl nnd ,my senses returned. Bud waifrjOiy side. I knew then thnt Miss Klin bad been there, for the Influence of tw-prefcenco was with tne still "Where Is sheV I asked "GeMliiK n little needed iff." he nu-swered nu-swered "The crisis wnift"w' "t night, nnd she knows youf saved to her." ' f I The big. htrotm fellow piSlnnd It no Iiiiisit fie knelt by of J'(' '"" holding my hand, mined fr ft"'4' In the covprltig I knew t ne wn wcrplriu for very Jov for 6 R's'ir turned over wearily and lU m nilnd on hi head "Bud." I whispered "W B,,e for given V "Yes. Howard." he snld. ""' bus told you so herself mnny i1011' m t,,e long watches of the nlgbt.' ; I lapsed Into unconscious8 aRa'n and when I awoke Miss B wm by ray side "She it wus wbot nte. tbnt my regiment wan going ,hplt,m3r hand In sympathy, forst" h0" It would hurt me to be She read me-the prM$n"b words, of Pnlsfot t.bt tSiLM0 ..L answered to tho call for troops and.i drawing from her pocket a little slip of pnper, rend mo what the executive j hnd to sny of those who had fallen 111 with fever and who hnd served their country only in tho en in p. It was only n short message from our president In answer to nn Invltntlon to come to' Chlckntnaugn. but It cheered many a poor fellow who, as I, lay stricken with the fever and who was forced to see his comrades march nwoy to duty nt the front. It was tho mcssilgo Just ns It en tne, nnd ns she rend It her eyes tilled with tenrs: Ksccutlvo Mnnnlnn, WnnhtnRton. Major General Commnttdlns Camp Thorn- ns, ChlrkamnuRn- ncplyhiR to your Invitation, 1 beg to ny thnt It would glvo mo uront pleneure j to rJiow by n personal visit to Chlckn-mnuira Chlckn-mnuira pnrk my hlfih rcanrd Tor tho 40,000 troops of your comtnnnil who so patriot Icslly responded to tho call for volunteers ; and who havo been for upward of two months mnklnir ready for any ssnrlce and sarrtriQe ths country might require. My duties, however, will not admit of absence from Wntihlngton at this ttmo The highest high-est tribute that can be pntd to the soldier is to sny that ho performed his full duty. The Held of duty Is determined by his government, nnd wherever that chances to be Is the place of honor, All have helped tn the great cause, whether with fever In camp or In battle, and when peace comes nit will bo alike entitled to the nation's Krntltuilw UILI.IAM MMUNLET ' Aftet thnt she talked to me of the Pines, nud then It wiw she told me she hud never read my letters to her, that When I Awoke. Miss Ellen Was by My Sicie.v she wus afraid she might forgive me and that she did not want to do that I even In her heart When I was sltuiig eiiitiiKli lu hit up l was given a leave and It was Miss Ellen lierseir who un dertook to make alt arrangeiucntH lot my Journey to the lines, for it was there that I wanted to go to recupei uto Finally the day came when my regiment wns to move. I was propped up with pillows that l might ce It break camp nnd march nwuy, "Ellen." I snld ns I saw tho last com puny, the ono to which I belonged, fall Into fours, "but for you I could uot stand that." polutlng to the retreutitig regiment. i She turned to me. nnd, making u low courtesy, as she hud done thut April night now mnny mouths ago. she said. smiling till the while through her tears: "You were uot uiude for u .soldier. I my lord You have been forced to Inj aside the sword. You must take up the, pen again." . . , And then I knew for the first Him that she had uot only forgiven rue. bill tjiut nt lust she had understood TIIK KNO. |