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 "JOHN." 
 Tae mauliest man among my forty . _ PAGE 53
 
 AND 
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 BY 
 
 LOUISA M. ALCOTT, 
 > 
 
 AUTHOR OF " LITTLE WOMEN," " AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL," "LITTLB 
 MEN," "EIGHT COUSINS," "ROSE IN BLOOM," "UNDER THE 
 LILACS," "JACK AND JILL," "WORK," "SILVER 
 PITCHERS," "AUNT jo s SCRAP-BAG." 
 
 fc ^Illustrations. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS. 
 
 1885.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, 
 In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of .he District of Massachusetts. 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS : JOHN WILSON & SON, 
 CAMBRIDGE.
 
 885" 
 PEEFACE TO HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 THESE sketches, taken from letters hastily writter 
 in the few leisure moments of a very busy life, makf 
 no pretension to literary merit, but are simply a brief 
 record of one person s hospital experience. As sucl^ 
 they are republished, with their many faults but par 
 tially amended, lest in retouching they should lose 
 whatever force or freshness the inspiration of the time 
 may have given them. 
 
 To those who have objected to a "tone of levity " in 
 some portions of the sketches, I desire to say that the 
 wish to make the best of every thing, and send home 
 cheerful reports even from that saddest of scenes, an 
 army hospital, probably produced the impression of 
 levity upon those who have never known the sharp 
 contrasts of the tragic and comic in such a life. 
 
 That Nurse Periwinkle gave no account of her 
 religious services, thereby showing a "sad want of 
 Christian experience," can only be explained by the 
 fact, that it would have as soon occurred to her to 
 print the letters written for the men, their penitent 
 confidences, or their dying messages, as to mention 
 
 (i)
 
 ii PREFACE. 
 
 the prayers she prayed, the hymns she sung, the 
 sacred words she read ; while the " Christian experi 
 ence" she was receiving then and there was far too 
 deep and earnest to be recorded in a newspaper. 
 
 The unexpected favor with which the little book 
 was greeted, and the desire for a new edition, increase 
 the author s regret that it is not more worthy such a 
 kind reception . L. IL A, 
 
 CONCORD, March, 1869.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 I. OBTAINING SUPPLIES 3 
 
 II. A FORWARD MOVEMENT 15 
 
 III. A DAY 25 
 
 IV. A NIGHT 40 
 
 V. OFF DUTY 60 
 
 VI. A POSTSCRIPT 80 
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE KING OF CLUBS AND THE QUEEN OF HEARTS . 99 
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT ....... 143 
 
 MY CONTRABAND 169 
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY ....... 198 
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA 257 
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 295 
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS 317 
 
 AN HOUR 345
 
 LOUISA M. ALCOTT S WRITINGS. 
 
 " Miss Alcott is really a benefactor of households." II. H. 
 
 " Miss Alcott has a faculty of entering into the lives and feelings of 
 children that is conspicuously -wanting in most -writers who address them , 
 and to this cause, to the consciousness among her readers that they are hear 
 ing about people like themselves, instead of abstract qualities labelled with 
 names, the popularity of her books is due." Mrs. SARAH J. HALE. 
 
 " Dear Aunt Jo ! You are embalmed in the thoughts and loves of 
 thousands of little men and little women." EXCHANGE. 
 
 Little Women ; or, Meg, Jo, 
 Beth, and Amy. With illustra 
 tions. Two volumes. i6mo . . 
 
 The same, complete in one volume. 
 With illustrations. i6mo 
 
 Hospital Sketches, and Camp 
 and Fireside Stories. With 
 illustrations. i6mo 
 
 An Old-Fashioned Girl. With 
 illustrations. 161110 
 
 Little Men : Life at Plumfield with 
 Jo s Boys. With illustrations. 
 i6mo 
 
 Eight Cousins ; or, The Aunt-Hill. 
 With illustrations. i6mo . . . 
 
 Rose in Bloom. A sequel to 
 " Eight Cousins." 161110 . . . 
 
 Under the Lilacs. With illustra 
 tions. i6mo 
 
 Jack and Jill. A Village Story. 
 With illustrations. i6mo . . . 
 
 Work : A Story of Experience. 
 With character illustrations by 
 Sol Eytinge. i6mo 
 
 Moods. A Novel. New edition, 
 revised and enlarged. i6mo 
 
 Silver Pitchers and Indepen 
 dence. A Centennial Love Story. 
 i6mo 
 
 Proverb Stories. New edition, re 
 vised and enlarged. i6mo . . . 
 
 Spinning-Wheel Stories. With 
 illustrations. i6mo 
 
 My Boys, &c. First volume of 
 Aunt Jo s Scrap-Bag. i6mo . . 
 
 1.50 
 
 1.50 
 
 1.50 
 
 Shawl-Straps. Second volume of 
 Aunt Jo s Scrap-Bag. 161110 . . Ji.oo 
 
 Cupid and Chow-Chow, &c. 
 Ihird volume of Aunt Jo s Scrap- 
 Bag. 161110 i.oo 
 
 My Girls, &c. Fourth volume of 
 Aunt Jo s Scrap-Bag. 161110 . . i.oo 
 
 Jimmy s Cruise in the Pinafore, 
 &c. Fifth volume of Aunt Jo s 
 Scrap-Bag. i6mo i.oo 
 
 An Old-Fashioned Thankspiv- 
 ing, &c. Sixth volume of Aunt 
 Jo s Scrap- Bag. i6mo .... i.oo 
 
 Little Women. Illustrated. Em 
 bellished with nearly 200 charac 
 teristic illustrations from original 
 designs drawn expressly for this 
 edition of this noted American 
 Classic. One small quarto, bound 
 in cloth, with emblematic designs 3.50 
 
 Little Women Series. Printed 
 on large paper, with new illustra 
 tions, and in uniform bindings of 
 new and tasteful design, printed in 
 black, red, and gold. Each vol 
 ume is complete in itself The 
 books comprising this set are as 
 follows, viz. : 
 
 Little Women ; Little Men , 
 Eight Cousins ; Under the Lilacs; 
 An Old-Fashioned Girl ; Hospital 
 Sketches ; Rose in Bloom ; Jack 
 and Jill. 8 large I jmo volumes 
 in a handsome box ... . ta.oo 
 
 These books are for sale at all bookstores, or will be mailed, post-paid, on 
 receipt of price, to any address. 
 
 ROBERTS BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 Boston, Mass
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OBTAINING SUPPLIES. 
 
 " I WANT something to do." 
 
 This remark being addressed to the world in general, no 
 one in particular felt it their duty to reply ; so I repeated it 
 to the smaller world about me, received the following sugges 
 tions, and settled the matter by answering my own inquiry, aa 
 people are apt to do when very much in earnest. 
 
 " Write a book," quoth the author of my being. 
 
 " Don t know enough, sir. First live, then write." 
 
 " Try teaching again," suggested my mother. 
 
 " No thank you, ma am, ten years of that is enough." 
 
 " Take a husband like my Darby, and fulfill your mission," 
 said sister Joan, home on a visit. 
 
 " Can t afford expensive luxuries, Mrs. Coobiddy." 
 
 "Turn actress, and immortalize your name," said sister 
 Vashti, striking an attitude. 
 
 " I won t." 
 
 " Go nurse the soldiers, "said my young neighbor, Tom, pant 
 ing for " the tented field." 
 
 " I will !"
 
 4 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 So far, very good. Here was the will, and plenty of it j 
 now for the way. At first sight not a foot of it appeared ; but 
 that didn t matter, for the Periwinkles are a hopeful race. 
 Their crest is an anchor, with three cock-a-doodles crowing 
 atop. They all wear rose-colored spectacles, and are lineal de 
 scendants of the inventor of aerial architecture. An hour s 
 conversation on the subject set the whole family in a blaze of 
 enthusiasm. A model hospital was erected, and each mem 
 ber had accepted an honorable post therein. The paternal P. 
 was chaplain, the maternal P. was matron, and all the youth 
 ful P. s filled the- pod of futurity with achievements whose 
 brilliancy eclipsed the glories of the present and the past. 
 Arriving at this satisfactory conclusion, the meeting ad 
 journed ; and the fact that Miss Tribulation was available as 
 army nurse went abroad on the wings of the wind. 
 
 In a few days a townswoman heard of my desire, approved 
 of it, and brought about an interview with one of the sister 
 hood which I wished to join, who was at home on a furlough, 
 and able and willing to satisfy all inquiries. A morning chat 
 with Miss General S. we hear no end of Mrs. Generals, why 
 not a Miss? produced three results : I felt that T could do 
 the work, was offered a place, and accepted it, promising not 
 to desert, but stand ready to march on Washington at an 
 hour s notice. 
 
 A few days were necessary for the letter containing my re 
 quest and recommendation to reach headquarters, and another, 
 containing my commission, to return ; therefore no time was 
 to be lost ; and heartily thanking my pair of friends, I tore 
 home through the December slush as if the rebels were after 
 me, and like many another recruit, burst in upon my familj 
 with the announcement 
 
 " I ve enlisted ! "
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 5 
 
 An impressive silence followed. Tom, the irrepressible, 
 broke it with a slap on the shoulder and the graceful com 
 pliment 
 
 " Old Trib, you re a trump !" 
 
 " Thank you ; then I ll lake something :" which I did, in 
 the shape of dinner, reeling off my news at the rate of three 
 dozen words to a mouthful ; and as every one else talked 
 equally fast, and all together, the scene was most inspiring. 
 
 As boys going to sea immediately become nautical in speech, 
 walk as if they already had their " sea legs "on, and shiver 
 their timbers on all possible occasions, so I turned military at 
 once, called my dinner my rations, saluted all new comers, 
 and ordered a dress parade that very afternoon. Having re 
 viewed every rag I possessed, I detailed some for picket duty 
 while airing over the fence ; some to the sanitary influences of 
 the wash-tub ; others to mount guard in the trunk ; while the 
 weak and wounded went to the Work-basket Hospital, to be 
 made ready for active service again. To this squad I devoted 
 myself for a week ; but all was done, and I had time to get 
 powerfully impatient before the letter came. It did arrive 
 however, and brought a disappointment along with its good 
 will and friendliness, for it told me that the place in the Ar 
 mory Hospital that 1 supposed I was to take, was already 
 filled, and a much less desivable one at Hurly-burly House 
 was offered instead. 
 
 " That s just your luck, Trib. I ll take your trunk up 
 garret for you again ; for of course you won t go," Tom re 
 marked, with the disdainful pity which small boys affect when 
 they get into their teens. I was wavering in my secret soul, 
 but that settled the matter, and I crushed him on the spot 
 with martial brevity 
 
 " It is now one ; I shall march at six "
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES 
 
 I have a confused recollection of spending the afternoon in 
 pervading the house like an executive whirlwind, with my 
 family swarming after me, all working, talking, prophesying 
 and lamenting, while I packed my " go-abroady " possessions, 
 tumbler] the rest into two big boxes, danced on the lids till 
 they shut, and gave them in charge, with the direction, 
 
 " If I never come back, make a bonfire of them." 
 
 Then I choked down a cup of tea, generously salted instead 
 of sugared, by some agitated relative, shouldered my knap 
 sack it was only a traveling bag, but do let me preserve the 
 unities hugged my family three times all round without a 
 vestige of unmanly emotion, till a certain dear old lady broke 
 down upon my neck, with a despairing sort of wail 
 
 " Oh, my dear, my dear, how can I let you go ?" 
 
 " I ll stay if you say so, mother." 
 
 " But I don t ; go, and the Lord will take care of you." 
 
 Much of the Roman matron s courage had gone into the 
 Yankee matron s composition, and, in spite of her tears, she 
 would have sent ten sons to the war, had she possessed them, 
 as freely as she sent one daughter, smiling and flapping on the 
 door-step till I vanished, though the eyes that followed me 
 were very dim, and the handkerchief she waved was very 
 wet. 
 
 My transit from The Gables to the village depot was a funny 
 mixture of good wishes and good byes, mud-puddles and shop 
 ping. A December twilight is not the most cheering time to 
 enter upon a somewhat, perilous enterprise, and, but for the 
 presence of Vashti and neighbor Tom, I fear that I might 
 have added a drop of the briny to the native moisture of 
 
 " The town I left behind me ;" 
 
 though I d no thought of giving out : oh, bless you, no ! 
 When the engine screeched " Here we are," I clutched my
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 7 
 
 escort in a fervent embrace, and skipped into the car with as 
 blithe a farewell as if going on a bridal tour though I be 
 lieve brides don t usually wear cavernous black bonnets and 
 fuzzy brown coats, with a hair-brush, a pair of rubbers, two 
 books, and a bag of ginger-bread distorting the pockets of the 
 same. If I thought that any one would believe it, I d boldly 
 state that I slept from C. to B., which would simplify matters 
 immensely ; but as I know they wouldn t, I ll confess that 
 the head under the funereal coal-hod fermented with all man 
 ner of high thoughts and heroic purposes " to do or die," 
 perhaps both ; and the heart under the fuzzy brown coat felt 
 very tender with the memory of the dear old lady, probably 
 sobbing over her army socks and the loss of her kipsy-turvy 
 Trib. At this juncture I took the veil, and what I did be 
 hind it is nobody s business ; but I maintain that the soldier 
 who cries when his mother says " Good bye," is the boy to 
 fight best, and die bravest, when the time couies, or e;o back 
 to her better than he went. 
 
 Till nine o clock I trotted about the city streets, doing; those 
 last errands which no woman would even go to heaven with, 
 out attempting, if she could. Then I went to my usual ref 
 uge, and, fully intending to keep awake, as a sort of vigil 
 appropriate to the occasion, fell fast asleep and dreamed pro- 
 pitious dreams till my rosy-faced cousin waked me with a kiss. 
 
 A bright day smiled upon my enterprise, and at ten I re 
 ported myself to my General, received last instructions and 
 no end of the sympathetic encouragement which women give, 
 in look, touch, and tone more effectually than in words. The 
 next step was to get a free pass to Washington, for I d no 
 desire to waste my substance on railroad companies when 
 " the boys " needed even a spinster s mite. A friend of mine 
 had procured such a pass, and I was bent on doing likewise,
 
 8 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 though I had to face the president of the railroad to accomplish 
 it I m a bashful individual, though I can t get any one to 
 believe it; so it cost me a great effort to poke about the 
 Worcester depot till the right door appeared, then walk into a 
 room containing several gentlemen, and blunder out my re 
 quest in a high state of stammer and blush. Nothing could 
 have been more courteous than this dreaded President, but it 
 was evident that I had made as absurd a demand as if I had 
 asked for the nose off his respectable face. He referred mo 
 to the Governor at the State House, and I backed out, leaving 
 him no doubt to regret that such mild maniacs were left at 
 large. Here was a Scylla and Charybdis business : as if a 
 President wasn t trying enough, without the Governor of Mas 
 sachusetts and the Hub of the Hub on top of that. 
 
 " I never can do it," thought I. " Tom will hoot at you if 
 you don t," whispered the inconvenient little voice that is always 
 goading people to the performance of disagreeable duties, and 
 always appeals to the most effective agent to produce the prop 
 er result. The idea of allowing any boy that ever wore a 
 felt basin and a shoddy jacket with a microscopic tail, to crow 
 over me, was preposterous, so giving myself a mental slap for 
 such faint-heartedriess, I streamed away across the Common, 
 wondering if I ought to say " your Honor," or simply " Sir," 
 and decided upon the latter, fortifying myself with recollec 
 tions of an evening in a charming green library, where I be 
 held the Governor placidly consuming oysters, and laughing 
 as if Massachusetts was a myth, and he had no heavier burden 
 on his shoulders than his host s handsome hands. 
 
 Like an energetic fly in a very large cobweb, I struggled 
 through the State House, getting into all the wrong rooms and 
 none of the right, till T turned desperate, and went into one, 
 resolving not to come out till I d made somebody hear and
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES 
 
 answer me. I suspect that of all the wrong places 1 had 
 blundered into, this was the most so. But I didn t care ; and, 
 though the apartment was full of soldiers, surgeons, starers, 
 and spittoons, I cornered a perfectly incapable person, and 
 proceeded to pump for information with the following re 
 sult : 
 
 " Was the Governor anywhere about?" 
 
 No, he wasn t. 
 
 " Could he tell me where to look ?" 
 
 No, he couldn t. 
 
 " Did he know anything about free passes?" 
 
 No, he didn t. 
 
 " Was there any one there of whom I could inquire?" 
 
 Not a person. 
 
 " Did he know of any place where information could b 
 obtained ?" 
 
 Not a place. 
 
 " Could he throw the smallest gleam of light upon the mat 
 ter, in any way ?" 
 
 Not a ray. 
 
 I am naturally irascible, and if I could have shaken this 
 negative gentleman vigorously, the relief would have been 
 immense. The prejudices of society forbidding this mode of 
 redress, I merely glowered at him ; and, before my wrath 
 found vent in words, my General appeared, having seen me 
 from an opposite window, and come to know what I was about 
 At her command the languid gentleman woke up, and trout> 
 led himself to remember that Major or Sergeant or something 
 Me K. knew all about the tickets, and his office was in Milk 
 Street. I perked up instanter, and then, as if the exertion 
 waa too much for him, what did this animated wet blanket do 
 but add
 
 10 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 "I think Me K. may have left Milk Street, now, and I 
 don t know where he has gone." 
 
 " Never mind ; the new comers will know where he hag 
 moved to, my dear, so don t be discouraged ; and if you don t 
 succeed,^ come to me, and we will see what to do next," said 
 my General. 
 
 I blessed her in a fervent manner and a cool hall, fluttered 
 round the corner, and bore down upon Milk street, bent on 
 discovering Me K. if such a being was to be found. He 
 wasn t, and the ignorance of the neighborhood was really piti 
 able. Nobody knew anything, and after tumbling over bun 
 dles of leather, bumping against big boxes, being nearly anni 
 hilated by descending bales, and sworn at by aggravated 
 truckmen, 1 finally elicited the advice to look for Me K. in 
 Haymarket Square. Who my informant was I ve really for 
 gotten ; for, having hailed several busy gentlemen, some one of 
 them fabricated this delusive quietus for the perturbed spirit, 
 who instantly departed to the sequestered locality he named. 
 If I had been in search of the Koh-i-noor diamond I should 
 have been as likely to find it there as any vestige of Me K. 
 I stared at signs, inquired in shops, invaded an eating house, 
 visited the recruiting tent in the middle of the Square, made 
 myself a nuisance generally, and accumulated fine samples of 
 mud from every gutter I fell into. All in vain ; and I 
 mournfully turned my face toward the General s, feeling that 
 I should be forced to enrich the railroad company after aD, 
 when, suddenly, I beheld that admirable young man, brother- 
 in-law Darby Coobiddy, Esq. I arrested him with a burst 
 of news, and wants, and woes, which caused his manly coun 
 tenance to lose its usual repose. 
 
 " Oh, my dear boy, I m going to Washington at five, and 
 t can t find the free ticket man, and there won t be time toseo
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 11 
 
 Joan, and I m so tired and cross I don t know what to do; 
 and will you help me, like a cherub as you are ?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, of course. I know a fellow who will set us 
 right," responded Darby, mildly excited, and darting into 
 some kind of an office, held counsel with an invisible angel, 
 who sent him out radiant. " All serene. I ve got him. I ll 
 Bee you through the business, and then get Joan from the 
 Dove Cote in time to see you off." 
 
 I m a woman s rights woman, and if any man had offered 
 help in the morning, I should have condescendingly refused 
 it, sure that I could do everything as well, if not better, my 
 self. My strong-mindedness had rather abated since then, 
 and I was now quite ready to be a " timid trembler," if neces 
 sary. Dear me ! how easily Darby did it all : he just asked 
 one question, received an answer, tucked me under his arm, 
 and in ten minutes I stood in the presence of Me K., the 
 Desired. 
 
 " Now my troubles are over," thought I, and as usual was 
 direfully mistaken. 
 
 " You will have to get a pass from Dr. H., in Temple 
 Place, before I can give you a pass, madam," answered Me 
 K., as blandly as if he wasn t carrying desolation to my soul. 
 Oh, indeed ! why didn t he send me to Dorchester Heights, 
 India Wharf, or Bunker Hill Monument, and done with it ? 
 Heie I was, after a morning s tramp, down in some place about 
 Dock Square, and was told to step to Temple Place. Nor 
 was that all ; he might as well have asked me to catch a hum 
 ming-bird, toast a salamander, or call on the man in the moon, 
 as find a Doctor at home at the busiest hour of the day. It 
 was a blow ; but weariness had extinguished enthusiasm, and 
 resignation clothed me as a garment. I sent Darby for Joan, 
 and doggedly paddbd off, feeling that mud was my native ele-
 
 12 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 ment, and quite sure that the evening papers would announce 
 the appearance of the Wandering Jew, in feminine habili 
 ments. 
 
 " Is Dr. H. in ?" 
 
 " No, mum, he aint." 
 
 Of course he wasn t ; I knew that before I asked : and, 
 considering it all in the light of a hollow mockery, added: 
 
 " When will he probably return ?" 
 
 If the damsel had said, " ten to-night," I should have felt a 
 grim satisfaction, in the fulfillment of my own dark prophecy; 
 but she said, " At two, mum ;" and I felt it a personal insult. 
 
 " I ll call, then. Tell him my business is important :" with 
 which mysteriously delivered message I departed, hoping that 
 I left her consumed with curiosity ; for mud rendered me an 
 object of interest. 
 
 By way of resting myself, I crossed the Common, for the 
 third time, bespoke the carriage, got some lunch, packed my 
 purchases, smoothed my plumage, and was back again, as the 
 clock struck two. The Doctor hadn t come yet ; and I was 
 morally certain that he would not, till, having waited till the 
 last minute, I was driven to buy a ticket, and, five minutes 
 after the irrevocable deed was done, he would be at my serv 
 ice, -with all manner of helpful documents and directions. 
 Everything goes by contraries with me ; so, having made up 
 my mind to be disappointed, of course I wasn t ; for, piesent- 
 ly, in walked Dr. H., and no sooner had he heard my eiraud, 
 and glanced at my credentials, than he said, with the most en 
 gaging readiness : 
 
 " I will give you the order, with pleasure, madam." 
 
 Words connot express how soothing and delightful it was to 
 find, at last, somebody who could do what I wanted, without 
 sending me from Dun to Beersheba. for a dozen other bodies
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 13 
 
 to do something p ,lfe first. Peace descended, like oil, upon 
 kbo ruffled water? of my being, as I sat listening to the busy 
 scratch of bis pen ; and, when he turned about, giving me not 
 ftnly the order, but a paper of directions wherewith to smooth 
 away all difficulties between Boston and Washington, I telt as 
 did poor Christian when the Evangelist gave him the scroll, 
 on the safe side of the Slough of Despond. I ve no doubt 
 many dismal nurses have inflicted themselves upon the worthy 
 gentleman since then ; but I am sure none have been more 
 kindly helped, or are more grateful, than T. P. ; for that short 
 interview added another to the many pleasant associations that 
 already surround his name. 
 
 Feeling myself no longer a " Martha Struggles," but a 
 comfortable young woman, with plain sailing before her, and 
 the worst of the voyage well over, I once more presented my 
 self to the valuable Me K. The order was read, and certain 
 printed papers, necessary to be filled out, were given a young 
 gentleman no, I prefer to say Boy, with a scornful emphasis 
 upon the word, as the only means of revenge now left me. 
 This BOY, instead of doing his duty with the diligence so 
 charming in the young, loitered and lounged, in a mannei 
 which proved his education to have been sadly neglected in 
 the 
 
 " How doth the little busy bee," 
 
 direction. He stared at me, gaped out of the window, ate 
 peanuts, and gossiped with his neighbors Boys, like himself, 
 and all penned in a row, like colts at a Cattle Show. I don t 
 imagine he knew the anguish he was inflicting ; for it was 
 nearly three, the train left at five, and I had my ticket to get, 
 my dinner to eat, my blessed sister to see, and the depot to 
 reach, if I didn t die of apoplexy. Meanwhile Patience 
 certainly had her perfect work that day, and I hope she en-
 
 14 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 joyed the job more than I did. Having waited some twenty 
 minutes, it pleased this reprehensible Boy to make various 
 marks and blots on my documents, toss them to a venerable 
 creature of sixteen, who delivered them to me with such pa 
 ternal directions, that it only needed a pat on the head and an 
 encouraging " Now run home to your Ma, little girl, and 
 mind the crossings, my dear," to make the illusion quite per 
 fect. 
 
 Why I was sent to a steamboat office for car tickets, is not 
 for me to say, though I went as meekly as I should have gone 
 to the Probate Court, if sent. A fat, easy gentleman gave 
 me several bits of paper, with coupons attached, with a warn 
 ing not to separate them, which instantly inspired me with a 
 yearning to pluck them apart, and see what came of it. But. 
 remembering through what tear and tribulation I had obtained 
 them, I curbed Satan s promptings, and, clutching my prize, a? 
 if it were my pass to the Elysian Fields, I hurried home. 
 Dinner was rapidly consumed ; Joan enlightened, comforted, 
 and kissed ; the dearest of apple-faced cousins hugged ; the 
 kindest of apple-faced cousins fathers subjected to the same 
 process ; and I mounted the ambulance, baggage-wagon, 01 
 anything you please but hack, and drove away, too tbed to 
 feel excited, sony, or glad. 

 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 A FORWARD MOVEMENT. 
 
 As traveler* like to give their own impressions of a journey, 
 though every ^nch of the road may have been described a 
 half a dozen times before, I add some of the notes made by 
 the way, hoping that they will amuse the reader, and con 
 vince the skeptical that such a being as Nurse Periwinkle 
 does exist, that she really did go to Washington, and that 
 these Sketches are not romance. 
 
 New York Train Seven P. M. Spinning along to take 
 the boat at New London. Very comfortable ; munch ginger 
 bread, and Mrs. C. s fine pear, which deserves honorable men 
 tion, because my first loneliness was comforted by it, and pleas 
 ant recollections of both kindly sender and bearer. Look 
 much at L)r. H. s paper of directions put my tickets in ev 
 ery conceivable place, that they may be get-at-able, and finish 
 by losing them entirely. Suffer agonies till a compassionate 
 neighbor, pokes them out of a crack with his pen-knife. Put 
 them in toe inmost corner of my purse, that in the deepest 
 recesse? -">f my pocket, pile a collection of miscellaneous arti-
 
 36 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 cles atop, and pin up the whole. Just get composed, feeling 
 that I ve done my best to keep them safely, when the Con 
 ductor appears, and I m forced to rout them all out again, ex 
 posing my precautions, and getting into a flutter at keeping 
 the man waiting. Finally, fasten them on the seat before me. 
 and keep one eye steadily upon the yellow torments, till I for 
 get all about them, in chat with the gentleman who shares my 
 seat. Having heard complaints of the absurd way in which 
 American women become images of petrified propriety, if ad 
 dressed by strangers, when traveling alone, the inborn per 
 versity of my nature causes me to assume an entirely oppo 
 site style of deportment ; and, finding my companion hails 
 from Little Athens, is acquainted with several of my three 
 hundred and sixty-five cousins, and in every way a respecta 
 ble and respectful member of society, I put my bash fulness in 
 my pocket, and plunge into a long conversation on the war, 
 the weather, music, Carlyle, skating, genius, hoops, and the 
 immortality of the soul. 
 
 Ten, P. M. Very sleepy. Nothing to be seen outside, 
 but darkness made visible ; nothing inside but every variety 
 of bunch into which the human form can be twisted, rolled, 
 or " massed," as Miss Prescott says of her jewels. Every 
 man s legs sprawl drowsily, every woman s head (but mine,) 
 nods, till it finally settles on somebody s shoulder, a new proof 
 of the truth of the everlasting oak and vine simile ; children 
 fret ; lovers whisper; old folks snore, and somebody privately 
 imbibes brandy, when the lamps go out. The penetrating 
 perfume rouses the multitude, causing some to start up, liko 
 war horses at the smell of powder. When the lamps are re 
 lighted, every one laughs, sniffs, and looks inquiringly at his 
 neighbor every one but a stout gentleman, who, with well- 
 gloved hands folded upon his broad-cloth roiunuity, sleeps on
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 17 
 
 impressively. Had he been innocent, he would have waked 
 up ; for, to slumber in that babe-lite manner, with a car full 
 of giggling, staring, sniffing humanity, was sitnply preposter 
 ous. Public suspicion was down upon him at once. I doubt 
 if the appearance of a flat black bottle with a label would 
 have settled the matter more effectually than did the over dig 
 nified and profound repose of this short-sighted being. His 
 moral neck-cloth, virtuous boots, and pious attitude availed 
 1 im nothing, and it was well he kept his eyes shut, for 
 " Humbug !" twinkled at him from every window-pane, brass 
 nail and human eye around him. 
 
 Eleven, P. M. In the boat "City of Boston," escorted 
 thither by my car acquaintance, and deposited in the cabin. 
 Trying to look as if the greater portion of my life had been 
 passed on board boats, but painfully conscious that I don t 
 know the first thing ; so sit bolt upright, and stare about me 
 till I hear one lady say to another "We must secure our 
 berths at once ;" whereupon I dart at one, and, while leisurely 
 taking :>ff my cloak, wait to discover what the second move 
 may be. Several ladies draw the curtains that hang in a 
 semi-circle before each nest instantly I whisk mine smartly 
 together, and then peep out to see what next. Gradually, on 
 hooks above the blue and yellow drapery, appear the coata 
 and bonnets of my neighbors, while their boots and shoes, in 
 every imaginable attitude, assert themselves below, as if their 
 owners had committed suicide in a body. A violent creak 
 ing, scrambling, and fussing, causes the fact that people are 
 going regularly to bed to dawn upon my mind. Of course 
 they are ; and so am I but pause at the seventh pin, remem 
 bering that, as I was born to be drowned, an eligible opportu 
 nity now presents itself; and, having twice escaped a watciy 
 grave, the third immersion will certainly extinguish my vital
 
 18 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 spark. The boat is new, but if it ever intends to blow up, 
 spring a leak, catch afire, or be run into, it will do the deed 
 to-night, because I m here to fulfill my destiny. With tragio 
 calmness I resign myself, replace my pins, lash my purse and 
 papers together, with my handkerchief, examine the saving 
 circumference of my hoop, and look about me for any means 
 of deliverance when the moist moment shall arrive ; for I ve 
 no intention of folding my hands and bubbling to death with 
 out an energetic splashing first. Barrels, hen-coops, portable 
 settees, and life-preservers do not adorn the cabin, as they 
 should ; and, roving wildly to and fro, my eye sees no ray of 
 hope till it falls upon a plump old lady, devoutly reading in 
 the cabin Bible, and a voluminous night-cap. I remember 
 that, at the swimming school, fat girls always floated best, and 
 in an instant my plan is laid. At the first alarm I firmly 
 attach myself to the plump lady, and cling to her through 
 fire and water ; for I feel that my old enemy, the cramp, will 
 seize me by the foot, if I attempt to swim ; and, though I can 
 hardly expect to reach Jersey City with myself and my bag 
 gage in a8 good condition as I hoped, I might manage to get 
 picked up by holding to my fat friend ; if not it will be a 
 comfort to feel that I ve made an effort and shall die in good 
 society. Poor dear woman ! how little she dreamed, as she 
 read and rocked, with her cap in a high state of starch, and her 
 feet comfortably cooking at the register, what fell designs 
 were hovering about her, and how intently a small bat de 
 termined eye watched her, till it suddenly closed. 
 
 Sleep got the better of fear to such an extent that my boots 
 appeared to gape, and my bonnet nodded on its peg, before I 
 gave in. Having piled my cloak, bag, rubbers, books and 
 umbrella on the lower shelf, I drowsily swarmed on to the 
 upper one, tumbling down a few times, and excoriating the
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCRUS. 
 
 knobby portions of my frame in the act. A very brief nap 
 on the upper roost was enough to set me gasping as if a dozen 
 feather beds and the whole boat were laid over me. Out I 
 turned ; and, after a series of convulsions, which caused my 
 neighbor to ask if I wanted the stewardess, I managed to get 
 my luggage up and myself down. But even in the lower 
 berth, my rest was not unbroken, for various articles kept 
 dropping off the little shelf at the bottom of the bed, and every 
 time I flew up, thinking my hour had come, I bumped 
 my head severely against the little shelf at the top, eviden ;ly 
 put there for that express purpose. At last, after listening to 
 the swash of the waves outside, wondering if the machinery 
 usually creaked in that way, and watching a knot-hole in the 
 side of my berth, sure that death would creep in there as 
 soon as I took my eye from it, I dropped asleep, and dreamed 
 of muffins. 
 
 Five, A. M. On deck, trying to wake up and enjoy an 
 east wind and a morning fog, and a twilight sort of view of 
 something on the shore. Rapidly achieve my purpose, and 
 do enjoy every moment, as we go rushing through the Sound, 
 with steamboats passing up and down, lights dancing on the 
 shore, mist wreaths slowly furling off, and a pale pink sky 
 above us, as the sun comes up. 
 
 Seven, A. M. In the cars, at Jersey City. Much fuss 
 with tickets, which one man scribbles over, another snips, and 
 a third " makes note on." Partake of refreshment, in the 
 gloom of a very large and dirty depot. Think that my sand 
 wiches would be more relishing without so strong a flavor of 
 napkin, and my gingerbread more easy of consumption if it 
 had not been pulverized by being sat upon. People act as if 
 early traveling didn t agree with them. Children scream and 
 Ecamper ; men smoke and growl ; women shiver and fret ; por- 
 
 o
 
 20 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 ters swear ; great truck horses pace up and down with loads < 4 
 baggage ; and every one seerus to get into tbo wrong car, a^.d 
 come tumbling out again. One man, with three children, a 
 dog, a bird-cago, and several bundles, puts himself anJ his 
 possessions into every possible place where a man, three obil- 
 dren, dog, bird-cage and bundles could be got, and is satisfied 
 with none of them. I follow their movements, with an in 
 terest that is really exhausting, and, as they vanish, hope for 
 rest, but don t get it. A strong-minded woman, with a tum 
 bler in her hand, and no cloak or shawl on, comes rushing 
 through the car, talking loudly to a small porter, who lugs a 
 folding bed after her, and looks as if life were a burden to 
 him. 
 
 " You promised to have it ready. It is not ready. It must 
 be a car with a water jar, the windows must be shut, the fire 
 must be kept up, the blinds must be down. No, this won t 
 do. I shall go through the whole train, and suit myself, for 
 you promised to have it ready. It is not ready," &c.. all 
 through again, like a hand-organ. She haunted the cars, the 
 depot, the office and baggage-room, with her bed, her tumbler, 
 and her tongue, till the train started ; and a sense of fervent 
 gratitude filled my soul, when I found that she and her un 
 known invalid were not to share our car. 
 
 Philadelphia. An old place, full of D.utch women, in 
 " bellus top " bonnets, selling vegetables, in long, open mar 
 kets. Every one seems to be scrubbing their white steps. 
 All the houses look like tidy jails, with their outside shutters. 
 Several have crape on the door-handles, and many have flags 
 flying from roof or balcony. Few men appear, and the 
 women seem to do the business, which, perhaps, accounts for 
 its being so well done. Pass fine buildings, but don t know 
 what they are. Would like to stop and see my native city ;
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 21 
 
 for, having left it at the tender age of two, my recollections 
 are not vivid. 
 
 Baltimore. A big, dirty, sbippy, shiftless place, full of 
 goats, geese, colored people, and coal, at least the part of it I 
 see. Pass near the spot where the riot took place, and feel as 
 if I should enjoy throwing a stone at somebody, hard. Find 
 a guard at the ferry, the depot, and here and there, along the 
 road. A camp wh tens one hill-side, and a cavalry training 
 school, or whatever it should be called, is a very interesting 
 sight, with quantities of horses and riders galloping, march 
 ing, leaping, and skirmishing, over all manner of break-neck 
 places. A party of English people get in the men, with 
 sandy hair and red whiskers, all trimmed alike, to a hair ; 
 rough grey coats, very rosy, clean faces, and a fine, full way 
 of speaking, which is particularly agreeable, after our slip 
 shod American gabble. The two ladies wear funny velvet 
 fur-trimmed hoods ; are done up, like compact bundles, in tar 
 tan shawls ; and look as if bont on seeing everything thorough 
 ly. The devotion of one elderly John Bull to his red-nosed 
 spouse was really beautiful to behold. She was plain and 
 cross, and fussy and stupid, but J. B., Esq., read no papers 
 when she was awake, turned no cold shoulder when she wished 
 to sleep, and cheerfully said, " Yes, me dear," to every wish 
 or want the wife of his bosom expressed. I quite warmed to 
 the excellent man, and asked a question or two, as the only 
 means of expressing my good will. He answered very civ 
 illy, but evidently hadn t been used to being addressed by 
 strange women in public conveyances ; and Mrs. B. fixed her 
 green eyes upon me, as if she thought me a forward huzzy. OT 
 whatever is good English for a presuming young woman. The 
 pair left their friends before we reached Washington ; and the 
 last I saw of them was a vision of a large plaid lady, stalking
 
 22 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 grimly away, on the arm of a rosy, stout gentleman, loaded 
 with rugs, bags, and books, but still devoted, still smiling, and 
 waving a hearty " Fare ye well ! We ll meet ye at Willard a 
 on Clmsday." 
 
 Soon after their departure we had an accident ; for no long 
 journey in America would be complete without one. A coup 
 ling iron broke ; and, after leaving the last car behind us, we 
 waited for it to come up, which it did, with a crash that 
 knocked every one forward on their faces, and caused several 
 old ladies to screech dismally. Hats flew off, bonnets were 
 flattened, the stove skipped, the lamps fell down, the water 
 jar turned a somersault, and the wheel just over which I sat 
 received some damage. Of course, it became necessary for 
 all the men to get out, and stand about in everybody s way, 
 while repairs were made ; and for the women to wrestle their 
 heads out of the windows, asking ninety-nine foolish questions 
 to one sensible one. A few wise females seized this favorable 
 moment to better their seats, well knowing that few men can 
 face the wooden stare with which they regard the former pos 
 sessors of the places they have invaded. 
 
 The country through which we passed did not seem so very 
 unlike that which 1 had left, except that it was more level and 
 less wintry. In summer time the wide fields would have 
 shown me new sights, and the way-side hedges blossomed with 
 new flowers ; now, everything was sere and sodden, and a gen 
 eral air of shiftlessness prevailed, which would have caused a 
 New England farmer much disgust, and a strong desire tc 
 " buckle to, " and " right up " things. Dreary little houses, 
 with chimneys built outside, with clay and rough sticks piled 
 crosswise, as we used to build cob towers, stood in barren 
 looking fields, with cow, pig, or mule lounging about the door. 
 Wo often passed colored people, looking as if they had come
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 2iJ 
 
 out of a picture book, or off the stage, but not at all the sort 
 of people I d been accustomed to see at the North. 
 
 Way-side encampments made the fields and lanes.gay with 
 blue coats and the glitter of buttons. Military washes flapped 
 and fluttered on the fences ; pots were steaming in the open 
 air ; all sorts of tableaux seen through the openings of tenX 
 and everywhere the boys threw up their caps and cut capers aa 
 we passed. 
 
 Washington. It was dark when we arrived ; and, but for 
 the presence of another friendly gentleman, I should have 
 yielded myself a helpless prey to the first overpowering hack- 
 man, who insisted that I wanted to go just where I didn t. Put 
 ting me into the conveyance I belonged in, my escort added 
 to the obligation by pointing out the objects of interest which 
 we passed in our long drive. Though I d often been told that 
 Washington was a spacious place, its visible magnitude quite 
 took my breath away, and of course I quoted Randolph s 
 expression, " a city of magnificent distances," as I suppose 
 every one does when they see it. The Capitol was so like the 
 pictures that hang opposite the staring Father of bis Country, 
 in boarding-houses and hotels, that it did not impress rue, 
 except to recall the time when I was sure that Cinderella went 
 to housekeeping in just such a place, after she had married the 
 inflammable Prince; though, even at that early period, I had 
 my doubts as to the wisdom of a match whose foundation was 
 of glass. 
 
 The White House was lighted up, and carriages were roll 
 ing in and out of the great gate. I stared hard at the famous 
 East Room, and would have liked a peep through the crack of 
 the door. My old gentleman was indefatigable in his atten 
 tions, and I said " Splendid !" to everything he pointed out, 
 though I suspect I often admired the wrong place, and
 
 24. HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 missed the right. Pennsylvania Avenue, with its bustle, 
 lights, music, and military, made me feel as if I d crossed the 
 water and landed somewhere in Carnival time. Coming to 
 less noticeable parts of the city, my companion fell silent, and 
 I meditated upon the perfection which Art had attained in 
 America having just passed a bronze statue of some hero, 
 who looked like a black Methodist minister, in a cocked hat, 
 above the waist, and a tipsy squire below ; while his horse stood 
 like an opera dancer, on one leg, in a high, but somewhat re 
 markable wind, which blew his mane one way and his massive 
 tail the other. 
 
 " Hurly-burly House, ma am !" called a voice, startling me 
 from my reverie, as we stopped before a great pile of build 
 ings, with a flag flying before it, sentinels at the door, and a 
 very trying quantity of men lounging about. My heart beat 
 rather faster than usual, and it suddenly struck me that I was 
 Very far from home ; but I descended with dignity, wondering 
 whether I should be stopped for want of a countersign, and 
 forced to pass the night in the street. Marching boldly up the 
 steps, I found that no form was necessary, for the men fell 
 back, the guard touched their caps, a boy opened the door, 
 and, as it closed behind me, I felt that I was fairly started, 
 aud Nurse Periwinkle s Mission was begun.
 
 ROSl ITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 25 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 A DAT. 
 
 "THEY VE come they ve coine ! hurry up, ladies you re 
 wanted." 
 
 " Who have come ? the rebels? " 
 
 This sudden summons in the gray dawn was somewhat 
 startling to a three days nurse like myself, and, as the thun 
 dering knock came at our door, I sprang up in my bed, pre 
 pared 
 
 " To gird my woman s form, 
 And on the ramparts die," 
 
 if necessary ; but my room-mate took it more coolly, and, as 
 ehu began a rapid toilet, answered my bewildered question, 
 
 " Bless you, no child; it s the wounded from Fredericks- 
 burg ; forty ambulances are at the door, and we shall have 
 our hands full in fifteen minutes." 
 
 " What shall we have to do ? " 
 
 " Wash, dress, feed, warm and nurse them for the next 
 three months, I dare say. Eighty beds are ready, and we 
 were getting impatient for the men to come. Now you will
 
 26 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 begin to see hospital life in earnest, for you won t probably 
 find time to sit down all day, and may think yourself fortunate 
 if you get to bed by midnight. Come to me in the ball-room 
 when you are ready ; the worst cases are always carried there, 
 and I shall need your help." 
 
 So saying, the energetic little woman twirled her hair into a 
 button at the back of her head, in a " cleared for action " sort 
 of style, and vanished, wrestling her way into a feminine kind 
 of pea-jacket as she went. 
 
 I am free to confess that I had a realizing sense of the fact 
 that my hospital bed was not a bed of roses just then, or the 
 prospect before me one of unmingled rapture. My three 
 days experiences had begun with a death, and, owing to the 
 defalcation of another nurse, a somewhat abrupt plunge into 
 the superintendence of a ward containing forty beds, where I 
 spent my shining hours washing faces, serving rations, giving 
 medicine, and sitting in a very hard chair, with pneumonia on 
 one side, diptheria on the other, two typhoids opposite, 
 and a dozen dilapidated patriots, hopping, lying, and lounging 
 about, all staring more or less at the new " nuss," who suffer 
 ed untold agonies, but concealed them under as matronly an 
 aspect as a spinster could assume, and blundered through her 
 trying labors with a Spartan firmness, which I hope they ap 
 preciated, but am afraid they didn t. Having a taste foi 
 " ghastliness," I had rather longed for the wounded to arrive, 
 for rheumatism wasn t heroic, neither was liver complaint, or 
 measles ; even fever had lost its charms since " bathing burn 
 ing browi ; had been used up in romances, real and ideal. 
 But when I peeped into the dusky street lined with what I at 
 first had innocently called market carts, now unloading their 
 sad freight at our door, I recalled sundry reminiscences I had 
 heard from nurses of longer standing, my ardor experienced a
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 27 
 
 sudden chill, and I indulged in a most unpatriotic wish that I 
 was safe at home again, with a quiet day before me, and no 
 necessity for being hustled up, as if I were a hen and had 
 only to hop off my roost, give my plumage a peck, and be 
 ready for action. A second bang at the door sent this recreant 
 desire to the right about, as a little woolly head popped in, 
 and Joey, (a six years old contraband,) announced 
 
 " Miss Blank is jes wild fer ye, and says fly round right 
 away. >They s comin in, I tell yer, heaps on em one was 
 took out dead, and I see him, hi ! warn t he a goner ! " 
 
 With which cheerful intelligence the imp scuttled away, 
 singing like a blackbird, and I followed, feeling that Richard 
 was not himself again, and wouldn t be for a long time to 
 come. 
 
 The first thing I met was a regiment of the vilest odors 
 that ever assaulted the human nose, and took it by storm. 
 Cologne, with its seven and seventy evil savors, was a posy- 
 bed to it ; and the worst of this affliction was, every one had 
 assured me that it was a chronic weakness of all hospitals, 
 and I must bear it. I did, armed with lavender water, with 
 which I so besprinkled myself and premises, that I was 
 soon known among my patients as "the nurse with the 
 bottle." Having been run over by three excited surgeons, 
 bumped against by migratory coal-hods, water-pails, and 
 small boys, nearly scalded by an avalanche of newly-filled 
 tea-pots, and hopelessly entangled in a knot of colored 
 sisters coming to wash, I progressed by slow stages up stairs 
 and down, till the main hall was reached, and I paused to 
 take breath and a survey. There they were ! " our brave 
 boys," as the papers justly call them, for cowards could hard 
 ly have been so riddled with shot and shell, so torn and shat 
 tered, nor have borne suffering for which we have no name,
 
 28 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 with an uncomplaining fortitude, which made one glad to 
 cherish each like a brother. In they came, some on stretchers, 
 some in men s arms, some feebly staggering along propped on 
 rude crutches, and one lay stark and still with covered face, 
 as a comrade gave his name to be recorded before they carried 
 him away to the dead house. All was hurry and confusion ; 
 the hall was full of these wrecks of humanity, for the most 
 exhausted could not reach a bed till duly ticketed and regis 
 tered ; the walls were lined with rows of such as could sit, 
 the floor covered with the more disabled, the steps and door 
 ways filled with helpers and lookers on ; the sound of many 
 feet and voices made that usually quiet hour as noisy as noon ; 
 and, in the midst of it all, the matron s motherly face brought 
 more comfort to many a poor soul, than the cordial draughts 
 she administered, or the cheery words that welcomed all, mak 
 ing of the hospital a home. 
 
 The sight of several stretchers, each with its legless, arm 
 less, or desperately wounded occupant, entering my ward, 
 admonished me that I was there to work, not to wonder or 
 weep ; so I corked up my feelings, and returned to the path 
 of duty, which was rather " a hard road to travel " just then. 
 The house had been a hotel before hospitals were needed, and 
 many of the doors still bore their old names ; some not so 
 inappropriate as might be imagined, for that ward was in truth 
 a ball-room, if gun-shot wounds could christen it. Forty beds 
 were prepared, many already tenanted by tired men who fell 
 down anywhere, and drowsed till the snnll of food roused 
 them. Round the great stove was gathered the dreariest 
 gr-oup I ever saw ragged, gaunt and pale, mud to the knees, 
 with bloody bandages untouched since put on days before ; 
 many bundled up in blankets, coats being lost or useless ; and 
 all wearing that disheartened look which proclaimed defeat,
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 29 
 
 more plainly than any telegram of the Burnside blunder. 1 
 pitied them so much, I dared not speak to them, though, re 
 membering all they had been through since the fight at Fred. 
 ericksburg, I yearned to serve the dreariest of them 
 all. Presently, Miss Blank tore me from my refuge behind 
 piles of one-sleeved shirts, odd socks, bandages and lint ; put 
 basin, sponge, towels, and a block of brown soap into my 
 hands, with these appalling directions : 
 
 " Cotfle, my dear, begin to wash as fast as you can. Tell 
 them to take off socks, coats and shirts, scrub them well, put 
 on clean shirts, and the attendants will finish them off, and 
 lay them in bed." 
 
 If she had requested me to shave them all, or dance a 
 hornpipe on the stove funnel, I should have been less stag 
 gered ; but to scrub some dozen lords of creation at a mo 
 ment s notice, was really really . However, there waa 
 
 no time for nonsense, and, having resolved when I came to do 
 everything I was bid, I drowned my scruples in my wash 
 bowl, clutched my soap manfully, and, assuming a business- 
 like air, made a dab at the first dirty specimen I saw. bent on 
 performing my task vi et armis if necessary. I chanced to 
 light on a withered old Irishman, wounded in the head, which 
 caused that portion of his frame to be tastefully laid out like a 
 garden, the bandages being the walks, his hair the shrubbery. 
 Ho was so overpowered by the honor of having a lady wash 
 him, as he expressed it, that be did nothing but roll up his 
 eyes, and bless me, in an irresistible style which was too much 
 for my sense of the ludicrous ; so we laughed together, and 
 when I knelt down to take off his shoes, he " flopped" also, 
 and wouldn t hear of my touching " them dirty craters. May 
 your bed above be aisy darlin , for the day s work ye are doon I 
 Whoosh ! there ye are, and bedad, it s hard tellin which is
 
 30 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 the dirtiest, the fut or the shoe." It was ; and if he hadn t 
 been to the fore, I should have gone on pulling, under tba 
 impression that the "fut" was a boot, for trousers, socks, 
 shoes and legs were a mass of mud. This comical tableau 
 produced a general grin, at which propitious beginning I took 
 heart and scrubbed away like any tidy parent on a Saturday 
 night. Some of them took the performance like sleepy chil 
 dren, leaning their tired heads against me as I worked, others 
 looked grimly scandalized, and several of the roughest colored 
 like bashful girls. One wore a soiled little bag about his 
 neck, and, as I moved it, to bathe his wounded breast, I said, 
 
 " Your talisman didn t save you, did it? " 
 
 " Well, I reckon it did, marm, for that shot would a gone 
 a couple a inches deeper but for my old mammy s camphor 
 bag," answered the cheerful philosopher. 
 
 Another, with a gun-shot wound through the cheek, asked 
 for a looking-glass, and when I brought one, regarded hia 
 swollen face with a dolorous expression, as he muttered 
 
 " I vow to gosh, that s too bad ! I warn t a bad looking 
 chap before, and now I m done for ; won t tlicrc be a thun- 
 derin scar ? and what on earth will Josephine Skinner say V 
 
 lie looked up at me with his one eye so appcalingly. that 1 
 controlled my risibles, and assured him that if Josephine was 
 a girl of sense, she would admire the honorable scar, as a 
 lasting proof that he had faced the cnc.ny, for all women 
 thought a wound the best decoration a brave soldier could 
 wear. I hope Miss Skinner verified the gnod opinion I so 
 rashly expressed of her, but I shall never know. 
 
 The next scrubbee was a nice-looking lad, with a curly 
 brown mane, honest blue eyes, and a merry mouth. Ho 
 lay on a bed, with one leg gone, and the rigl i arm so 
 bhatterpd that it must evidently follow : yet the little ser-
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 31 
 
 geant was as merry as if his afflictions were not worth 
 lamenting over; and when a drop or two of salt water 
 mingled with my suds at the sight of this strong young body, 
 so marred and maimed, the boy looked up, with a bravo 
 smile, though there was a little quiver of the lips, as he 
 said, 
 
 " Now don t you fret yourself about me, miss ; I m first 
 rate here, for it s nuts to lie still on this bed, after knocking 
 about in those confounded ambulances, that shake what there 
 is left of a fellow to jelly. I never was in one of these places 
 before, and think this cleaning up a jolly thing for us, though 
 I m afiaid it isn t for you ladies." 
 
 " Is this your first battb, Sergeant 1 ?" 
 
 " No, miss ; I ve been in six scrimmages, and never got a 
 scratch till this last ono ; but it s done the business pretty 
 thoroughly for me, I should say. Lord ! what a scramble 
 there ll be for arms and legs, when we old boys come out of 
 our graves, on the Judgment Day : wonder if we shall get 
 our own again ? If we do, my leg will have to tramp from 
 Fredericksburg, my arm from here, I suppose, and meet my 
 body, wherever it may be." 
 
 The fancy seemed to tickle him mightily, for he laughed 
 blithely, and so did I ; which, no doubt, caused the new nurse 
 to be regarded as a light-minded sinner by the Chaplain, who 
 roamed vaguely about, with his hands in his pockets, preach 
 ing resignation to cold, hungry, wounded men, and evidently 
 fooling himself, what he certainly was, the wrong man in the 
 wrong place. 
 
 " I say, Mrs. ! " called a voice behind me ; and, turning, I 
 saw a rough Michigandcr, with an arm blown olf at the -shoul 
 der, and two or three bullets still in him as he afterward?
 
 82 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Mentioned, as carelessly as if gentlemen were in the habit of 
 carrying such trifles about with them. I went to him, and, 
 while administering a dose of soap and water, he whispered, 
 irefully : 
 
 " That red-headed devil, over yonder, is a reb, hang him ! 
 He s got shet of a foot, or he d a cut like the rest of the lot. 
 Don t you wash him, nor feed him, but jest let him holler till 
 he s thed. It s a blasted shame to fetch them fellers in here, 
 along side of us ; and so I ll tell the chap that bosses this 
 concern ; cuss me if I don t. 
 
 I regret to say that I did not deliver a moral sermon upon 
 the duty of forgiving our enemies, and the sin of profanity, 
 then and there ; but, being a red-hot Abolitionist, stared 
 fixedly at the tall rebel, who was a copperhead, in every sense 
 of the word, and privately resolved to put soap in his eyes, 
 rub his nose the wrong way, and excoriate his cuticle gener 
 ally, if I had the washing of him. 
 
 My amiable intentions, however, were frustrated ; for, when 
 I approached, with as Christian an expression as my principles 
 would allow, and asked the question " Shall I try to make 
 you more comfortable, sir?" all I got for my pains was a 
 gruff 
 
 "No; I ll do it myself." 
 
 " Here s your Southern chivalry, with a witness," thought 
 J, dumping the basin down before him, thereby quenching a 
 strong desire to give him a summary baptism, in return for hit- 
 ungraciousness ; for my angry passions rose, at this rebuff, in 
 a way that would have scandalized good Dr. Watts. He was 
 a disappointment in all respects, (the rebel, not the blessed 
 Doctor,) for he was neither fiendish, romantic, pathetic, or 
 anything interesting; but a long, fat man, with a head like a
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 35 
 
 burning bush, and a perfectly expressionless face : so I could 
 dislike him without the slightest drawback, and ignored his 
 existence from that day forth. One redeeming trait he certainty 
 did possess, as the floor speedily testified ; for his ablutions 
 were so vigorously performed, that his bed soon stood like an 
 isolated island, in a sea of soap-suds, and he resembled a 
 dripping merman, suffering from the loss of a fin. If clean 
 liness is a near neighbor to godliness, then was the big rebel 
 the godfiest man in my ward that day. 
 
 Having done up our human wash, and laid it out to dry, the 
 second syllable of our version of the wordWar-fare was enacted 
 with much success. Great trays of bread, meat, soup and 
 ccfFee appeared ; and both nurses and attendants turned 
 waiters, serving bountiful rations to all who could eat. I can 
 call my pinafore to testify to my good will in the work, for in 
 ten minutes it was reduced to a perambulating bill of fare, pre 
 senting samples of all the refreshments going or gone. It was 
 a lively scene ; the long room lined with rows of beds, each 
 filled by an occupant, whom water, shears, and clean raiment 
 had transformed from a dismal ragamuffin into a recumbent 
 hero, with a cropped head. To and fro rushed matrons, maids, 
 and convalescent " boys," skirmishing with knives and forks ; 
 retreating with empty plates ; marching and counter-marching, 
 with unvaried success, while the clash of busy spoons made 
 most inspiring music for the charge of our Light Brigade : 
 
 " Beds to the front of them, 
 Beds to the riirht of them, 
 Beds o the left of them, 
 
 Nobody blundered. 
 Beamed at by h unary souls, 
 Screamed at wilh brimming bowls, 
 Steamed at by army rolls, 
 
 Buttered and sundered. 
 With coffee not cannon plied, 
 Each must be satisfied, 
 Whether they lived or died; 
 
 All the men wondered."
 
 34 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Very welcome seemed the generous meal, after a week of 
 Buffering, exposure, and short commons; soon the brown faces 
 began to smile, as food, warmth, and rest, did their pleasant 
 work ; and the grateful " Thankee s " were followed by more 
 graphic accounts of the battle and retreat, than any paid 
 reporter could have given us. Curious contrasts of the tragic 
 and comic met one everywhere ; and some touching as well as 
 ludicrous episodes, might have been recorded that day. A 
 six foot New Hampshire man, with a leg broken and perforated 
 by a piece of shell, so large that, had I not seen the wound, I 
 should have regarded the story as a Munchausenism, beckoned 
 me to come and help him, as he could not sit up, and both hia 
 bed and beard were getting plentifully anointed with soup. 
 As I fed my big nestling with corresponding mouthfuls, I 
 asked him how he felt during the battle. 
 
 " Well, twas my fust, you see, so I aint ashamed to say I 
 was a trifle flustered in the bcginnin , there was such an allflred 
 racket; for ef there s anything I do spleen agin, it s noise. 
 But when my mate, Eph Sylvester, fell, with a bullet through 
 his head, I got mad, and pitched in, licketty cut. Our part 
 of the fight didn t last long ; so a lot of us larked round 
 Fredericksburg, and give some of them houses a pretty con- 
 sid able of a rummage, till we was ordered out of the mess. 
 Some of our fellows cut like time ; but I warn t a-goin to run 
 for nobody ; and, fust (hing I knew, a shell bust, right in 
 front of us, and I keeled over, feelin as if I was biowed 
 higher n a kite. I sung out, and the boys come back for me, 
 double quick ; but the way they chucked me over them fences 
 was a caution, I tell you. Next day I was most as black as 
 that darkey yonder, lickin plates on the sly. This is bully 
 coffee, ain t it ? Give us another pull at it, and I ll be oblceged 
 to you."
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 35 
 
 I did ; and, as the last gulp subsided, he said, with a rub 
 of his old handkerchief over eyes as well as mouth : 
 
 " Look a here; I ve got a pair a earbobs and a handkercher 
 pin I m a goin to give you, if you ll have them ; for you re 
 the very moral o Lizy Sylvester, poor Eph s wife : that s why 
 I signalled you to come over here. They aint much, I guess, 
 but they ll do to memorize the rcbs by." 
 
 Burrowing under his pillow, he produced a little bundle of 
 what he called " truck," and gallantly presented me with a 
 pair of earrings, each re-presenting a cluster of corpulent 
 grapes, and the pin a basket of astonishing fruit, the whole 
 large and coppery enougli for a small warming-pan. Feeling 
 delicate about depriving him of such valuable relics, I accepted 
 the earrings atone, and was obliged to depart, somewhat 
 abruptly, when my friend stuck the warming-pan in the bosom 
 of his night-gown, viewing it with much complacency, and, 
 perhaps, some tender memory, in that rough heart of his,-for 
 the comrade he had lost. 
 
 Observing that the man next him had left his meal untouched, 
 I offered the same service I had performed for his neighbor, 
 but he shook his head. 
 
 " Thank you, ma am ; I don t think I ll ever eat again, for 
 I m shot in the stomach. But I d like a drink of water, if 
 you aint too busy." 
 
 I rushed away, but the water-pails were gone to be refilled, 
 and it was some time before they reappeared. I did not fcr- 
 gct my patient patient, meanwhile, and, with the first mugful, 
 hurried back to him. He seemed asleep ; but something in 
 the tired white face caused me to listen at his lips for a breath. 
 None came. I touched his forehead ; it was cold : and then I 
 knew that, while he waited, a better nurse than I had given 
 him a cooler draught, and healed him wLh a touch. I laid
 
 36 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 the sheet over the quiet sleeper, whom no noise could now 
 disturb ; and, half an hour later, the bed was empty. It 
 seemed a poor requital for all he had sacrificed and suffered, 
 that hospital bed, lonely even in a crowd ; for there was no 
 familiar face for him to look his last upon ; no friendly voice 
 to say, Good bye ; no hand to lead him gently down into the 
 Valley of the Shadow ; and he vanished, like a drop in that 
 red sea upon whose shores so many women stand lamenting. 
 For a moment I felt bitterly indignant at this seeming care 
 lessness of the value of life, the sanctity of death ; then con 
 soled myself with the thought that, when the great muster 
 roll was called, these nameless men might be promoted above 
 many whose tall monuments record the barren honors they 
 have won. 
 
 All having eaten, drank, and rested, the surgeons began 
 their rounds ; and I took my first lesson in the art of dressing 
 wounds. It wasn t a festive scene, by any means ; for Dr 
 P.. whose Aid I constituted myself, fell to work with a vigor 
 which soon convinced me that I was a weaker vessel, though 
 nothing would have induced me to confess it then. He had 
 served in the Crimea, and seemed to regard a dilapidated body 
 very much as I should have regarded a damaged garment ; 
 and. turning up his cuffs, whipped out a very unpleasant look 
 ing housewife, cutting, sawing, patching and piecing, with the 
 enthusiasm of an accomplished surgical seamstress ; explaining 
 the process, in scientific terms, to the patient, meantime ; 
 which, of course, was immensely cheering and comfortable. 
 There was an uncanny sort of fascination in watching him, as 
 he peered and probed into the mechanism of those wonderful 
 bodies, whose mysteries he understood so well. The more 
 intricate the wound, the better he liked it A poor private, 
 with both legs off, and shot through the lungs, possessed more
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 37 
 
 attractions for him than a dozen generals, slightly scratched in 
 some " masterly retreat ;" and had anyone appeared in small 
 pieces, requesting to be put together again, he would have 
 considered it a special dispensation. 
 
 The amputations were reserved till the morrow, and the 
 merciful magic of ether was not thought necessary that day, so 
 the poor souls had to bear their pains as best they might. It 
 is all very well to talk of the patience of woman ; and far be 
 it from me to pluck that feather from her cap, for, heaven 
 knows, she isn t allowed to wear many ; but the patient 
 endurance of these men, under trials of the flesh, was truly 
 wonderful. Their fortitude seemed contagious, and scarcely a 
 cry escaped them, though I often longed to groan for them, 
 when pride kept their white lips shut, while great drops stood 
 upon their foreheads, and the bed shook with the irrepressible 
 tremor of their tortured bodies. One or two Irishmen anath 
 ematized the doctors with the frankness of their nation, and 
 ordered the Virgin to stand by them, as if she had been the 
 wedded Biddy to whom they could administer the poker, if 
 she didn t ; but, as a general thing, the work went on in 
 silence, broken only by some quiet request for roller, instru 
 ments, or plaster, a sigh from the patient, or a sympathizing 
 murmur from the nurse. 
 
 It was long past noon before these repairs were even par 
 tially made ; and, having got the bodieeof rny boys into tome- 
 thing like order, the next task was to minister to their minds, 
 by writing letters to the anxious souls at home ; answering 
 questions, reading papers, taking possession of money and 
 valuables ; for the eighth oommandmnnt was reduced to a 
 very fragmentary condition, both by the blacks and whites, 
 who ornamented our hospital with their presence. Pocket 
 books, purses, miniatures, and watches, were sealed up,
 
 38 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 labelled, and Landed over to the matron, till such times as the 
 owners thereof were ready to depart homeward or campward 
 again. The letters dictated to me, and revised by me, that 
 afternoon, would have made an excellent chapter for some 
 future history of the wnr j for, like that which Thackeray s 
 " Ensign Spooney " wrote his mother just before Waterloo, 
 they were " full of affection, pluck, and bad spelling ; nearly 
 all giving lively accounts of the battle, and ending with a 
 somewhat sudden plunge from patriotism to provender , desir 
 ing " Maim," " Mary Ann," cr " Aunt Peters," to send 
 along some pics, pickles, sweet stuff, and apples, " to yourn in 
 haste," Joe, Sain, or Ned, as the case might be. 
 
 My little Sergeant insisted on trying to scribble something 
 with his left hand, and patiently accomplished some half dozen 
 lines of hieroglyphics, which he gave me to fold and direct, 
 with a boyish blush, that rendered a glimpse of " My Dearest 
 Jane," unnecessary, to assure me that the heroic lad had been 
 more successful in the service of Commander-in-Chief Cupid 
 than that of Gen. Mars ; and a charming little romance blos 
 somed instantcr in Nurse Periwinkle s romantic fancy, though 
 no further confidences were made that day, for Sergeant fell 
 asleep, and, judging from his tranquil face, visited his absent 
 sweetheart in the pleasant land of dreams. 
 
 At five o clock a great bell rang, and the attendants flew, 
 not to arms, but to their trays, to bring up supper, when a 
 second uproar announced that it was ready. The new comers 
 woke at the sound ; and I presently discovered that it took a 
 very bad wound to incapacitate the defenders of the faith for 
 trie consumption of (heir rations ; the amount that some of 
 them sequestered was amazing ; but when I suggested tho 
 probability of a famine hereafter, to the matron, that motherly 
 lady cried out : " Bless their hearts, why shouldn t they eat ?
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 3D 
 
 It s their only amusement ; so fill every one, and, if there s 
 not enough ready to-night, I ll lend my share to the Lord by 
 giving it to the boys." And, whipping up her coffee-pot and 
 plate of toast, she gladdened the eyes and stomachs of two or 
 three dissatisfied heroes, by serving them with a liberal hand ; 
 and I haven t the slightest doubt that, having cast her bread 
 upon the waters, it came back buttered, as another large- 
 hearted old lady was wont to say. 
 
 Therfcame the doctor s evening visit ; the administration of 
 medicines ; washing feverish faces; smoothing tumbled beds ; 
 wetting wounds ; singing lullabies ; and preparations for the 
 night. By twelve, the last labor of love was done ; the last 
 " good night spuken ; and, if any needed a reward for that 
 day s work, they surely received it, in the silent eloquence of 
 those long lines of faces, showing pale and peaceful in the 
 shaded rooms, as we quitted them, followed by grateful glances 
 that lighted us to bed, where rest, the sweetest, made our pil 
 lows soft, while Night and Nature took our places, filling that 
 creat house of pain with the healing miracles of Sleep, and 
 his diviner brother, Death.
 
 40 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A NIGHT- 
 
 Being fond of the night side of nature, I was soon promt ted 
 to the post of night nurse, with every facility for indulging in 
 my favorite pastime of " owling." My colleague, a black 
 eyed widow, relieved me at dawn, we two taking care of 
 the ward between us, like regular nurses, turn and turn 
 about. I usually found my boys in the jolliest state of 
 mind their condition allowed ; for it was a known fact that 
 Nurse Periwinkle objected to blue devils, and entertained a 
 belief that he who laughed most was surest of recovery. At 
 the beginning of my reign, dumps and dismals prevailed ; tho 
 nurses looked anxious nnd tired, the men gloomy or sad ; and a 
 general Hark !-from-tho-tombs-a-doleful-sound " style of con 
 versation seemed to be the fashion : a state of things which 
 caused one coming from a merry, social New England town, to 
 feel as if she had got into an exhausted receiver ; and the 
 instinct of self-preservation, to say nothing of a philanthropic 
 desire to serve the race, caused a speedy change in Ward 
 No. 1
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 41 
 
 flattcnrtg %han the most gracefully turned compliment, 
 more grateful than the most admiring glance, was the sight of 
 those rows of faces, all strange to me a little while ago, now 
 lighting up, with smiles of welcome, as I came among them, 
 enjoying that moment heartily, with a womanly pride in their 
 regard, a motherly affection for them all. The evenings were 
 spent in reading aloud, writing letters, waiting on and amusing 
 the men, going the rounds with Dr. P., as he made his second 
 daily survey, dressing my dozen wounds afresh, giving last 
 dobes, afid making them cozy for the long hours to come, till 
 the nine o clock bell rang, the gas was turned down, the daj 
 nurses went off duty, the night watch came on, and my noc 
 turnal adventures began. 
 
 My ward was now divided into three rooms ; and, under 
 favor of the matron, I had managed to sort out the patients in 
 such a way that I had what I called, i4 my duty room," iny 
 " pleasure room," and my " pathetic room," and worked for 
 each ib a different way. One, I visited, armed with a dressing 
 tray, lull of rollers, plasters, and pins ; another, with books, 
 flowers, games, and gossip ; a third, with teapots, lullabies, 
 consolation, and, sometimes, a shroud. 
 
 Wherever the sickest or most helpless man chanced to be, 
 there I held my watch, often visiting the other rooms, to see 
 that the general watchman of the ward did his duty by the 
 6res and the wounds, the latter needing constant wetting. 
 Not only on this account did I meander, but also to get fresh 
 er air than the close rooms afforded ; for, owing to the stupid 
 ity of that mysterious " somebody " who does all the damage 
 in the world, the windows had been carefully nailed down 
 above, and the lower sashes could only be raised in the mildest 
 weather, for the men lay just below. I had suggested a sum 
 mary smashing of a few panes here and there, when frequent
 
 42 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 appeals to headquarters had proved unavailing, and daily 
 orders to lazy attendants had come to nothing. No one sec 
 onded the motion, however, and the nails were far beyond my 
 reach ; for, though belonging to the sisterhood of " ministering 
 angels," I had no wings, and might as well have asked for 
 a suspension bridge, as a pair of steps, in that charitable 
 chaos. 
 
 One of the harmless ghosts who bore me company during 
 the haunted hours, was Dan, the watchman, whom I regarded 
 with a certain awe ; for, though so much together, I never 
 fairly saw his face, and, but for his logs, should never have 
 recognized him, as we seldom met by day. These legs were 
 remarkable, as was his whole figure, for his body was short, 
 rotund, and done up in a big jacket, and muffler ; his beard 
 hid the lower part of his face, his hat-brim the upper ; and all 
 [ ever discovered was a pair of sleepy eyes, and a very mild 
 voice. But the legs! very long, very thin, very crooked 
 and feeble, looking like gray sausages in their tight coverings, 
 and finished olf with a pair of expansive, green cloth shoes, 
 very like Chinese junks with the sails down. This figure, 
 gliding noiselessly about the dimly-lighted rooms, was 
 strongly suggestive of the spirit of a beer-barrel mounted 
 on cork-screws, haunting the old hotel in search of its lost 
 mates, emptied and staved in long ago. 
 
 Another goblin who frequently appeared to me, was the 
 attendant of "the pathetic room," who, being a faithful soul, 
 was often up to tend two or three men, weak and wandering a3 
 babies, after the fever had gone. The amiable creature beguiled 
 the watches of the night by brewing jorums of a fearful bev 
 erage, which he called coffee, and insisted on sharing with 
 me ; coming in will: a great bowl ;f .something like mud 
 faoup, BOald Dg hot, guiltless of cream, rich in an all-pervading
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 43 
 
 flavor of molasses, scorch and tin pot. Sucb an amount of 
 good will and neighborly kindness also went into the mess, 
 that I never could lind the heart to refuse, but always received 
 it with thanks, sipped it with hypocritical rel .sh while he 
 remained, and whipped it into the slop-jar the instant he 
 departed , thereby gratifying him, securing one rousing laugh 
 in the doziest hour of the night, and no one was the worse for 
 the transaction but the pigs. Whether they were " cut off 
 untimely in their bins," or not, I carefully abstained from 
 inquiring. 
 
 It was a strange life asleep half the day, exploring 
 Washington the other half, and all night hovering, like a 
 massive cherubim, in a red rigolette, over the slumbering sons 
 \.f man. I liked it, and found many things to amuse, instruct, 
 and interest me. The snores alone were quite a study, varying 
 from the mild sniff to the stentorian snort, which startled the 
 echoes and hoisted the performer erect to accuse his neighbor 
 of the deed, magnanimously forgive him, and, wrapping the 
 drapery of his couch about him, lie down to vocal slumber. 
 After listening for a week to this band of wind instruments, I 
 indulged in the belief that I could recognize each by the snore 
 alone, and was tempted to join the chorus by breaking out 
 with John Brown s favorite hymn : 
 
 " Blow ye the trumpet, blow!" 
 
 I would have given much to have possessed the art of 
 sketching, for many of the faces became wonderfully interest 
 ing when unconscious. Some grew stern and grim, the men 
 evidently dreaming of war, as they gave orders, groaned over 
 their wounds, or damned the rebels vigorously ; some grew sad 
 and infinitely pathetic, as if the pain borne silently ail day, re. 
 venged itself by now betraying what the man s pride had con 
 cealed so well. Often the roughest grew young and
 
 44 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 when sleep smoothed the hard lines away, letting the real nature 
 assert itself; many almost seemed to speak, and I learned to 
 know these men better by night than through any intercourse 
 by day. Sometimes they disappointed me, for faces that looked 
 merry and good in the light, grew bad and sly when the shad 
 ows came ; and though they made no confidences in words, I 
 read their lives, leaving them to wonder at the change of man 
 ner this midnight magic wrought in their nurse. A few talked 
 busily ; one drummer boy sang sweetly, though no persuasions 
 could win a note from him by day ; and several depended on 
 being told what they had talked of in the morning. Even my 
 constitutionals in the chilly halls, possessed a certain charm, 
 for the house was never still. Sentinels tramped round it all 
 night long, their muskets glittering in the wintry moonlight as 
 they walked, or stood before the doors, straight and silent, as 
 figures of stone, causing one to conjure up romantic visions of 
 guarded forts, sudden surprises, and daring deeds ; for in 
 these war times the hum drum life of Yankeedom has vanished, 
 and the most prosaic feel some thrill of that excitement which 
 stirs the nation s heart, and makes its capital a camp of hospit 
 als. Wandering up and down these lower halls, I often heard 
 cries from above, steps hurrying to and fro, saw surgeons 
 passing up, or men coming down carrying a stretcher, where 
 lay a long white figure, whose face was shrouded and whose 
 fight was done. Sometimes I stopped to watch the passers in 
 the street, the moonlight shining on the spire opposite, or the 
 gleam of some vessel floating, like a white-winged sea-gull, 
 down the broad Potomac, whose fullest flow can never wash 
 away the red stain of the land. 
 
 The night whose events I have a fancy to record, opened 
 with a little comedy, and closed with a great tragedy ; for a 
 virtuous and useful lite untimely ended is always tragical to
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 45 
 
 those who see not as God sees. My headquarters were beside 
 the bed of a New Jersey boy, crazed by the horrors of that 
 dreadful Saturday. A slight wound in the knee brought him 
 there ; but his mind had suffered more than his body ; some 
 string of that delicate machine was over strained, and, for 
 days, he had been re-living in imagination, the scenes he could 
 not forget, till his distress broke out in incoherent ravings, 
 pitiful to hear. As I sat by him, endeavoring to soothe his 
 -poor districted brain by the constant touch of wet hands over 
 bis hot forehead, he lay cheering his comrades on, hurrying 
 them back, then counting them as they fell around him, often 
 clutching my arm, to drag me from the vicinity of a bursting 
 shell, or covering up his head to screen himself from a shower 
 of shot ; his face brilliant with fever ; his eyes restless ; his 
 head never still ; every muscle strained and rigid ; while an 
 incessant stream of defiant shouts, whispered warnings, and 
 . broken laments, poured from his lips with that forceful bewil- 
 . uerment which makes such wanderings so hard to overhear. 
 
 It was past eleven, and my patient was slowly wearying 
 himself into fitful intervals of quietude, when, in one of these 
 pauses, a curious sound arrested my attention. Looking over 
 my shoulder, I saw a one-legged phantom hopping nimbly 
 down the room ; and, going to meet it, recognized a certain 
 Pennsylvania gentleman, whose wound-fever had taken a turn 
 for the worse, and, depriving him of the few wits a drunken 
 campaign tad left him, set him literally tripping on the light, 
 fantastic toe " toward home," as he blandly informed me, 
 touching the military cap which formed a striking contrast to 
 the seven simplicity of the rest of his undress uniform. 
 When sane, the least movement produced a roar of pain or 
 a volley of oaths ; but the departure of reason seemed to 
 have wrought an agreeable change, both in the man and bis
 
 46 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 manners ; for, balancing himself on cne leg, like a meditative 
 stork, he plunged into an animated discussion of the war, the 
 President, lager beer, and Enfield rifles, regardless of any 
 suggestions of mine as to the propriety of returning to bed, 
 lest he be court-martialed for desertion. 
 
 Any thing more supremely ridiculous can hardly be im 
 agined than this figure, all draped in white, its one foot 
 covered with a big blue sock, a dingy cap set rakingly askew 
 on its shaven head, and placid satisfaction beaming in ita 
 broad red face, as it flourished a mug in one hand, an old 
 boot in the other, calling them canteen and knapsack, while it 
 skipped and fluttered in the most unearthly fashion. What to 
 do with the creature I didn t know ; Dan was absent, and if I 
 went to find him, the perambulator might festoon himself out 
 of the window, set his toga on fire, or do some of his neighbors 
 a mischief. The attendant of the room was sleeping like a 
 near relative of the celebrated Seven, and nothing short of 
 pins would rouse him ; for he had been out that day, and whis 
 key asserted its supremacy in balmy whiffs. Still declaiming, 
 in a fine flow of eloquence, the demented gentleman hopped 
 on, blind and deaf to my graspings and entreaties ; and I 
 was about to slam the door in his face, and run for help, 
 when a second and saner phantom came to the rescue, 
 in the likeness of a big Prussian, who spoke no English, 
 but divined the crisis, and put an end to it, by bundling the 
 lively monoped into his bed, like a baby, with an authoritative 
 command to "stay put," which received added weight from 
 being delivered in an odd conglomeration of French and Ger 
 man, accompanied by warning wags of a head decorated with 
 a yellow cotton night cap, rendered most imposing by a tassel 
 like a bell-pull. Rather exhausted by his excursion, the mem 
 ber from Pennsylvania subsided ; and, after an irrepressible
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 47 
 
 laugh together, my Prussian ally and myself were returning 
 to our places, when the echo of a sob caused us to glance along 
 the beds. It came from one in the corner such a little bed ! 
 and such a tearful little face looked up at us, as we stopped 
 beside it ! The twelve years old drummer boy was not sing* 
 ing now, but sobbing, with a manly effort all the while to stifle 
 the distressful sounds that would break out. 
 . "What is it, Billy?" I asked, as he rubbed the teara 
 away, and checked himself in the middle of a great sob to 
 answer plaintively : 
 
 " I ve got a chill, ma am, but I aint cryin for that, cause 
 I m used to it. I dreamed Kit was here, and when I waked 
 up he wasn t, and I couldn t help it, then." 
 
 The boy came in with the rest, and the man who was taken 
 dead from the ambulance was the Kit he mourned. Well he 
 might ; for, when the wounded were brought from Fredericks- 
 burg, the child lay in one of the camps thereabout, and 
 this good friend, though sorely hurt himself, would not leave 
 jj him to the exposure and neglect of such a time and place ; 
 but, wrapping him in his own blanket, carried him in his arms 
 to the transport, tended him during the passage, and only 
 yielded up his charge when Death met him at the door of 
 the hospital which promised care and comfort for the boy. 
 For ten days, Billy had burned or shivered with fever and 
 ague, pining the while for Kit, and refusing to be comforted, 
 because he had not been able to thank him for the generous 
 protection, which, perhaps, had cost the giver s life. The 
 vivid dream had wrung the childish heart with a fresh pang, 
 and when I tried the solace fitted for his years, the remorseful 
 fear that haunted him found vent in a fresh burst of tears, 33 
 he looked at the wasted hands I was endeavoring to warm : 
 
 O 
 
 Oh ! if I d only been as thin when Kit carried me as I am
 
 48 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 now, maybe he wouldn t have died ; but I was heavy, he wae 
 hurt worser than we knew, and so it killed him ; and I diJn t 
 see him, to say good bye." 
 
 This thought had troubled him in secret ; and my assur 
 ances that his friend would probably have died at all events, 
 hardly assuaged the bitterness of his regretful grief. 
 
 At this juncture, the delirious man began to shout ; the one- 
 legged rose up in his bed, as if preparing for another dart, 
 Billy bewailed himself more pi(.eously than before : and if 
 ever a woman was at her wit s end, that distracted female was 
 Nurse Periwinkle, during the space of two or three minutes, 
 as she vibrated between the three beds, like an agitated pen 
 dulum. Like a most opportune reinforcement, Dan, the bandy, 
 appeared, and devoted himself to the lively party, leaving me 
 free to return to my post ; for the Prussian, with a nod and a 
 smile, took the lad away to his own bed, and lulled him tc 
 sleep with a soothing murmur, like a mammoth humble bee 
 I liked that in Fritz, and if he ever wondered afterward at the 
 dainties which sometimes found their way into his rations, 01 
 the extra comforts of his bed, he might have found a solution 
 of the mystery in sundry persons knowledge of the fatherly 
 action of that night. 
 
 Hardly was I settled again, when the inevitable bowl 
 appeared, and its bearer delivered a message I had expected, 
 yet dreaded to receive : 
 
 " John is going, ma am, and wants to see you, if you cau 
 come." 
 
 " The moment this boy is asleep; tell him so, and let ma 
 know if I am in danger of being too late." 
 
 My, Ganymede departed, and while I quieted poor Shaw, 1 
 thought of John. Ho came in a day or two after the others ; 
 and, one evening, wheii I entered my " pathetic room," I
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 49 
 
 found a lately emptied bed occupied by a largo, fair man, 
 with a fine face, and the serenest eyes I ever met. One of 
 the earlier comers had often spoken of a friend, who had 
 remained behind, that those apparently worse wounded than 
 himself might reach a shelter first. It seemed a David and 
 Jonathan sort of friendship. The man fretted for his mate, 
 and was never tired of praising John his courage, sobriety, 
 self-denial, and unfailing kindliness of heart ; always winding 
 up with- : " He s an out an out fine feller, ma am ; you see 
 if he amt," 
 
 I had some curiosity to behold this piece of excellence, and 
 when he came, watched him for a night or two, before I made 
 friends with him ; for, to tell the truth, I was a little afraid of 
 the stately looking man, whose bed had to be lengthened to 
 accommodate his commanding stature ; who seldom spoke, 
 uttered no complaint, asked no sympathy, but tranquilly 
 observed what went on about him ; and, as he lay high upon 
 his pillows, no picture of dying statesman or warrior was ever 
 fuller of real dignity than this Virginia blacksmith. A most 
 attractive face he had, framed in brown hair and beard, comely 
 featured and full of vigor, as yet unsubdued by pain ; thought 
 ful and often beautifully mild while watching the afHictions of 
 others, as if entirely forgetful of his own. His mouth waa 
 grave and firm, with plenty of will and courage in its lines, 
 but a emile could make it as sweet as any woman s ; and his 
 eyes were child s eyes, looking one fairly in the face, with a 
 clear, straightforward glance, which promised well for such as 
 placed their faith in him. He seemed to cling to life, as if it 
 were rich in duties and delights, and he had learned the secret 
 of content. The only time I saw his composure disturbed, 
 was when my surgeon brought another to examine John, who 
 scrutinized their faces with an anxious look, asking of the
 
 50 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 elder : " Do you think I ahall pull through, sir?" " I hope 
 BO, my man." And, as the two passed on, John s eye still 
 followed them, with an intentness which would have won a 
 truer answer from them, had they seen it. A. momentary 
 shadow flitted over his face ; then came the usual serenity, as 
 if, in that brief eclipse, he had acknowledged the existence of 
 gome hard possibility, and, asking nothing yet hoping all 
 things, left the issue in God s hands, with that submission 
 which is true piety. 
 
 The next night, as I went my rounds with Dr. P., I 
 happened to ask which man in the room probably suffered 
 most ; and, to my great surprise, he glanced at John : 
 
 " Every breath he draws is like a stab ; for the ball pierced 
 the left lung, broke a rib, and did no end of damage here and 
 there ; so the poor lad can find neither forgetfulness nor ease, 
 because he must lie on his wounded back or suffocate. It 
 will be a hard struggle, and a long one, for he posse&scs great 
 vitality ; but even his temperate life can t save him ; I wish it 
 could." 
 
 " You don t mean he must die, Doctor?" 
 
 " Bless you, there s riot the slightest hope for him ; and 
 you d better tell him so before long ; Women have a way of 
 doing such things comfortably, so I leave it to you. He 
 won t last more than a day or two, at furthest." 
 
 I could have sat down on the spot and cried heartily, if I 
 had not learned the wisdom of bottling up one s tears for 
 leisure moments. Such an end seemed very hard for such a 
 man, when half a dozen worn out, worthless bodies round him, 
 were gathering up the remnants of wasted lives, to linger on 
 Cor years perhaps, burdens to others, daily reproaches to 
 themselves. The army needed men like John, earnest, brave, 
 and faithful; fighting for libeity and justice with both heart
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 51 
 
 and hand, true soldiers of the Lord. I could not give him 
 up so soon, or think with any patience of so excellent a nature 
 robbed of its fulfiment, and blundered into eternity by the 
 rashness or stupidity of those at whose hands so many lives 
 may be required. It was an easy thing for Dr. P. to say : 
 " Tell him he must die," but a cruelly hard thing to do, and 
 oy no means as " comfortable " as he politely suggested. I 
 had not the heart to do it then, and privately indulged the 
 hope that some change for the better might take place, in spite 
 of gluetny prophesies ; so, rendering my task unnecessary. 
 
 A few minutes later, as I came in again, with fresh rollers, 
 I saw John sitting erect, with no one to support him, while 
 the surgeon dressed his back. I had never hitherto seen it 
 done ; for, having simpler wounds to attend to, and knowing 
 the fidelity of the attendant, I had left John to him, thinking 
 it might be more agreeable and safe ; for both strength and 
 experience were needed in his case. I had forgotten that the 
 strong man might long for the gentle tendance of a woman s 
 hands, the sympathetic magnetism of a woman s presence, aa 
 well as the feebler souls about him. The Doctor s words 
 caused me to reproach myself with neglect, not of any real 
 duty perhaps, but of those little cares and kindnesses that 
 solace homesick spirits, and make the heavy hours pass easier. 
 John looked lonely and forsaken just then, as he sat with bent 
 head, hands folded on his knee, and no outward sign of suffering, 
 till, looking nearer, I saw great tears roll down and drop 
 upoc the floor. It was a new sight there ; for, though I had 
 seen many suffer, some swore, some groaned, most endured 
 eilently, but none wept. Yet it did not s^pm weak, only very 
 touching, and straightway my fear vanished, my heart opened 
 wide and took him in, as, gathering the bent head in my arms,
 
 52 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 as freely as if he had been a little child, I said, " Let ma 
 help you bear it, John." 
 
 Never, on any human countenance, have I seen so swift 
 and beautiful a look of gratitude, surprise and comfort, as that 
 which answered me more eloquently than the whispered 
 
 " Thank you, ma am, this is right good ! this is what I 
 wanted !" 
 
 " Then why not ask for it before?" 
 
 " I didn t like to be a trouble ; you seemed so busy, and I 
 could manage to get on alone." 
 
 " You shall not want it any more, John." 
 
 Nor did he ; for now I understood the wistful look that 
 Bometimes followed me, as I went out, after a brief pause 
 beside his bed, or merely a passing nod, while busied with 
 those who seemed to need me more than he, because more 
 urgent in their demands. Now I knew that to him, as to so 
 many, I was the poor substitute for mother, wife, or sister. 
 and in his eyes no stranger, but a friend who hitherto had 
 seemed neglectful ; for, in his modesty, he had never guessed 
 the truth. This was changed now ; and, through the tedious 
 operation of probing, bathing, and dressing his wounds, he 
 leaned against me, holding my hand fast, and, if pain wrung 
 further tears from him, no one saw them full but me. When 
 he was laid down again, I hovered about him, in a remorseful 
 state of mitd that would not let me rest, till I had bathed his 
 face, brushed his bonny brown hair, set all things smooth 
 about him, and laid a knot of heath and heliotrope on his 
 clean pillow. While doing this, he watched me with the sat 
 isfied expression I so liked to see ; and when I offered the 
 little nosegay, held it carefully in his great hand, smoothed a 
 ruffled leaf or two, surveyed and smelt it with an air of 
 genuine delight, and lay contentedly regarding the glimmer of
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 53 
 
 the sunshine on the green. Although the manliest man among 
 my forty, he said, " Yes, ma am," like a little boy ; received 
 suggestions for his comfort with the quick smile that brightened 
 his w hole face ; and now and then, as I stood tidying the 
 table by his bed, I felt him softly touch my gown, as if to 
 assure himself that I was there. Anything more natural and 
 frank I never saw, and found this brave John as bashful as 
 brave, yet full of excellencies and fine aspirations, which, 
 having no power to express themselves in words, seemed to 
 hav e bloomed into his character and made him what he was. 
 
 After that night, an hour of each evening that remained to 
 him was devoted to his ease or pleasure. He could not talk 
 much, for breath was precious, and he spoke in whispers ; but 
 from occasional conversations, I gleaned scraps of private 
 history which only added to the affection and respect I felt for 
 him. Once he asked me to write a letter, and as I settled pen 
 and paper, I said, wit.h an irrepressible glimmer of feminine 
 curiosity, " Shall it be addressed to wife, or mother, John?" 
 
 " Neither, ma am ; I ve got no wife, and will write to 
 mother myself when I get better. Did you think I was 
 married because of this V" he asked, touching a plain ring he 
 wore, and often turned thoughtfully on his finger when he lay 
 alone. 
 
 " Partly that, but more from a settled sort of look you 
 have ; a look which young men seldom get until they marry." 
 
 " Ididn t know that ; but I m not so very young, ma am, 
 thirty in May, and have been what you might call settled this 
 ten years. Mother s a widow, I m the oldest child she has, 
 and it wouldn t do for me to marry until Lizzy has a home ol 
 her own, and Jack s learned his trade ; for we re not rich, 
 and I must be father to th e children and husband to the deal 
 old woman, if I can."
 
 54 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 " No doubt but you are both, John ; yet how came you to 
 go to war, if you felt so ? Wasn t enlisting as bad as mar 
 
 rying ?" 
 
 " No, ma am, not as I see it, for one is helping my neighbor 
 the other pleasing myself. I went because I couldn t help it. 
 I didn t want the glory or the pay ; I wanted the right thinj 
 done, and people kept saying the men who were in carnes 
 ought to fight. I was in earnest, the Lord knows ! but I held 
 off as long as I could, not knowing which was my duty. 
 Mother saw the case, gave me her ring to keep me steady, and 
 eaid Go : so I went." 
 
 A short story and a simple one, but the man and the mother 
 were portrayed better than pages of fine writing could have 
 done it. 
 
 " Do you ever regret that you came, when you lie here 
 Buffering so much ?" 
 
 " Never, ma am ; I haven t helped a great deal, but I ve 
 shown I was willing to give my life, and perhaps I ve got to ; 
 but I don t blame anybody, and if it was to do over again, I d 
 do it- I m a little sorry I wasn t wounded in front ; it looks 
 cowardly to be hit in the back, but I obeyed orders, and it 
 don t matter in the end, I know." 
 
 Poor John ! it did not matter now, except that a shot in 
 front might have spared the long agony in store for him. He 
 seemed to read the thought that troubled me, as he spoke so 
 hopefully when there was no hope, for he suddenly added : 
 
 " This is my first battle; do they think it s going to be my 
 last ?" 
 
 " I m afraid they do, John." 
 
 It was the hardest question I had ever been called upon to 
 answer ; doubly hard with those clear eyes fixed on mine, 
 forcing a truthful answer by their own truth He seemed a
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 55 
 
 little startled at first, pondered over the fateful fact a moment, 
 then shook his head, with a glance at the broad chest and 
 muscular limbs stretched out before him : 
 
 " I m not afraid, but it s difficult to believe all at once. I m 
 so strong it don t seem possible for such a little wound to kill 
 me." 
 
 Meny Mercutio s dying words glanced through my memory 
 as he spoke : " "Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a 
 chtfrch door, but tis enough." And John would have said 
 the same could he have seen the ominous black holes between 
 his shoulders ; he never had, but, seeing the ghastly sights 
 about him, could not believe his own wound more fatal than 
 these, for all the suffering it caused him. 
 
 "Shall I write to your mother, now?" I asked, thinking 
 that these sudden tidings might change all plans and puposes. 
 But they did not ; for the man received the order of the Divine 
 Commander to march with the same unquestioning obedience 
 with which the soldier had leceived that of the human one ; 
 doubtless remembering that the first led him to life, and the 
 last to death. 
 
 " No, ma am ; to Jack ju&t the same j he ll break it to 
 her best, and I ll add a line to her myself when you get 
 done." 
 
 So I wrote the letter which he dictated, finding it better 
 than any I had sent ; for, though here and there a little ungram- 
 matical or inelegant, each sentence came to me briefly worded, 
 but most expressive; full of excellent counsel to the boy, 
 tenderly bequeathing " mother and Lizzie " to his care, and 
 bidding him good bye in words the sadder for their simplicity. 
 He added a few lines, with steady hand, and, as I sealed it, 
 said, with a patient sort of sigh, " I hope the answer will 
 come in time for me to see it ;" then, turning away his face,
 
 56 HOSPITAL SKETCIIES. 
 
 laid the flowers against his lips, as if to hide some quiver of 
 emotion at the thought of such a sudden sundering of all the 
 dear home ties. 
 
 These things had happened two days before ; now John 
 was dying, and the letter had not come. I had been sum 
 moned to many death beds in my life, but to none that made 
 my heart ache as it did then, since my mother called me to 
 watch the departure of a spirit akin to this in its gentleness 
 and patient strength. As I went in, John stretched out both 
 hands : 
 
 " I knew you d come ! I guess I m moving on, ma am." 
 
 He was ; and so rapidly that, even while he spoke, over hia 
 face I saw the grey veil falling that no human hand can lift. 
 I sat down by him, wiped the drops from his forehead, stirred 
 the air about him with the slow wave of a fan, and waited to 
 help him die. He stood in sore need of help and I could 
 do so little ; for, as the doctor had foretold, the strong body 
 rebelled against death, and fought every inch of the way, 
 forcing him to draw each breath with a spasm, and clench his 
 hands with an imploring look, as if he asked, " How long 
 must I endure this, and be still !" For hours he suffered 
 dumbly, without a moment s respite, or a moment s murmuring ; 
 his limbs grew cold, his face damp, his lips white, and, again 
 and again, he tore the covering off his breast, as if the lightest 
 weight added to his agony ; yet through it all, his eyes never 
 lost their perfect serenity, and the man s soul seemed to sit 
 therein, undaunted by the ills that vexed his flesh. 
 
 One by one, the men woke, and round the room appeared 
 a circle of pale faces and watchful eyes, full of awe and pity ; 
 for, though a stranger, John was beloved by all. Each man 
 there had wondered at his patience, respected his piety, admired 
 his fortitude, and now lamented his hard death ; for the
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 57 
 
 Influence of an upright nature had made itself deeply felt, 
 even in one little week. Presently, the Jonathan who so 
 loved this comely David, came creeping from his bed for a 
 last look and word. The kind soul was full of trouble, as the 
 choke in his voice, the grasp of his hand, betrayed ; but there 
 were no tears, and the farewell of the friends was the more 
 touching for its brevity. 
 
 " Old boy, hpw are you?" faltered the one. 
 
 .^Most through, thank heaven !" whispered the other. 
 
 " Can I say or do anything for you anywheres?" 
 
 Take my things home, and tell them that I did my best." 
 
 " I will ! I will !" 
 
 "Good bye, Ned." 
 
 " Good bye, John, good bye !" 
 
 They kissed each other, tenderly as women, and so parted, 
 for poor Ned could not stay to see his comrade die. For a 
 little while, there was no sound in the room but the drip of 
 water, from a stump or two, and John s distressful gasps, as 
 he slowly breathed his life away. I thought him nearly gone, 
 and had just laid down the fan, believing its help to be no 
 longer needed, whet: suddenly he rose up in his bed, and cried 
 out with a bitter cry that broke the silence, sharply startling 
 every one with its agonized appeal : 
 
 " For God s sake, give me air !" 
 
 It was the only cry pain or death had wrung from him, the 
 only boon he had asked ; and none of us could grant it, for 
 all the airs that blew were useless now. Dan flung up the 
 window. The first red streak of dawn was warming the grey 
 east, a herald of the coming sun ; John saw it, and with the 
 love of light which lingers in us to the end, seemed to read in 
 it a sign of hope of help, for, over his whole face there broke 
 that mysterious expression, brighter than any smile, which
 
 58 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 often comes to eyes that look their last. He laid himself 
 gently down ; and, stretching out his strong right arm, as if to 
 grasp and bring the blessed air to his lips in a fuller flow, 
 lapsed into a merciful unconsciousness, which assured us that 
 for him suffering was forever past. He died then ; for, though 
 the heavy breaths still tore their way up for a little longer, 
 they were but the waves of an ebbing tide that beat unfelt 
 against the wreck, which an immortal voyager had deserted 
 with a smile. He never spoke again, but to the end held my 
 hand close, so close that when he was asleep at last, I could 
 not draw it away. Dan helped me, warning me as he did so 
 that it was unsafe for dead and living flesh to lie so long 
 together ; but though my hand was strangely cold and stiff, 
 and four white marks remained across its back, even when 
 warmth and color had returned elsewhere, I could not but be 
 glad that, through its touch, the presence of human sympathy, 
 perhaps, had lightened that hard hour. 
 
 When they had made him ready for the grave, John lay in 
 state for half an hour, a thing which seldom happened in that 
 busy place ; but a universal sentiment of reverence and 
 affection seemed to fill the hearts of all who had known or 
 heard of him ; and when the rumor of his death went through 
 the house, always astir, many came to see him, and I felt a 
 tender sort of pride in my lost patient ; for he looked a most 
 heroic figure, lying there stately and still as the statue of some 
 young knight asleep upon his tomb. The lovely expression 
 which so often beautifies dead faces, soon replaced the marks 
 of pain, and I longed for those who loved him best to see him 
 when half an hour s acquaintance with Death had made them 
 friends. As we stood looking at him, the ward master handed 
 me a letter, saying it had been forgotten the night before. It 
 was John s letter, come just an hour too late to gladden the
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. O 
 
 eyes that had longed and looked for it so eagerly ! but he had 
 it ; for, after I had cut some brown locks for his mother, and 
 taken off the ring to send her, telling how well the talisman 
 had done its work, I kissed this good son for her sake, and 
 laid the letter in his hand, still folded as when I drew my 
 own away, feeling that its place was there, and making myself 
 happy with the thought, that, even in his solitary grave in the 
 " Government Lot," he would not be without some token of 
 the love which makes life beautiful and outlives death. Then 
 T. left him, glad to have known so genuine a man, and carrying 
 with me an enduring memory of the brave Virginia blacksmithj 
 as he lay serenely waiting for the dawn of that long day 
 which knows no night.
 
 60 HOSPITAL SKETCHBO. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OFF DUTY. 
 
 " J*5y defir girl, we shall have you sick in your bed, unless 
 you keep yourself warm and quiet for a few days. Widow 
 Wadman can take care of the ward alone, now the men are so 
 comfortable, and have her vacation when you arc about again. 
 Now do be prudent in time, and don t let me have to add a 
 Periwinkle to my bouquet of patients." 
 
 This advice was delivered, in a paternal manner, by the 
 youngest surgeon in the hospital, a kind-hearted little gentle 
 man, who seemed to consider me a frail young blossom, that 
 needed much cherishing, instead of a stout spinster, who 
 had been knocking about the world for thirty years. At the 
 time I write of, he discovered me sitting on the stairs, with a 
 fine cloud of unwholesome steam rising from the washroom ; 
 a party of January breezes disporting themselves in the halls ; 
 and perfumes, by no means from " Aruby the blest," keeping 
 them company ; while I enjoyed a fit of cougbing, which 
 caused my head to spin in a way (hat made the application of 
 a coo) banister both necessary and agreeable, as I waited for
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 61 
 
 the frolicsome wind to restore the breath I d lost ; cheering 
 myself, meantime, with a secret conviction tnat pneumonia 
 was waiting for me round the corner. This piece of advice 
 bad been offered by several persons for a week, and refused 
 by me with the obstinacy with which my sex is so lichly gifted. 
 But the last few hours had developed several surprising internal 
 nnd external phenomena, which impressed upon me the fact 
 that if I didn t make a masterly retreat very soon, I should 
 tumble down somewhere, and have to be borne ignominiously 
 from the field. My head felt like a cannon ball ; my feet had 
 a tendency to cleave to the floor ; the walls-at times undulated 
 in a most disagreeable manner ; people looked unnaturally 
 big ; and the very bottles on the mantle piece appeared to 
 dance derisively before my eyes. Taking these things into 
 consideration, while blinking stupidly at Dr. Z., I resolved to 
 retire gracefully, if I must ; so. with a valedictory to my boys, 
 a private lecture to Mrs. Wadman, and a fervent wish that I 
 could take off my body and work in my soul, I mournfully 
 ascended to my apartment, and Nurse P. was reported off 
 duty. 
 
 For the benefit of any ardent damsel whose patriotic fancy 
 may have surrounded hospital life with a halo of charms, I 
 will briefly describe the bower to which I retired, in a somewhat 
 ruinous condition. It was well ventilated, for five panes of 
 glass had suffered compound fractures, which oil the surgeons 
 and nurses had failed to heal ; the two windows were draped 
 with sheets, the church hospital opposite being a brick and 
 mortar Argus, and the female mind cherishing a prejudice in 
 favor of retiracy during the night-capped periods of existence. 
 .A. bare floor supported two narrow iron beds, spread with thin 
 mattrasscs like plasters, furnished with pillows in the last 
 stages of consumption. In a fire place, guiltless of shovel.
 
 02 HOSPITAL SKETCHJSS. 
 
 tongs, andirons, or grate, burned a log. inch by inch, being too 
 long to go on all at once ; so. while the Cre blazed away at one 
 end, I did the same at the other, as I tripped over it a dozen 
 times a day, and flew up to poke it a dozen times at night. A 
 mirror (let us bo elegant ! ) of the dimensions of a muffin, 
 and about as reflective, hung over a tin basin, blue pitcher, 
 and a brace of yellow mugs. Two invalid tables, ditto chairs, 
 wandered here and there, and the closet contained a varied 
 collection of bonnets, bottles, bags, boots, bread and butter, 
 boxes and bugs. The closet was a regular Blue Beard 
 cupboard to me ; I always opened it with fear and trembling, 
 owing to rats, and shut it in anguish of spirit ; for time and 
 epace were not to be had, and chaos icigncd along with the 
 rats. Our chimney-piece was decorated with a Cat-iron, a 
 Bible, a candle minus stick, a lavender bottle, a new tin pan, 
 so brilliant that it served nicely for a picr-gla:-s, and such of 
 the portly black lugs as preferred a warmer climate than the 
 rubbish hole afforded. Two arks, commonly culled trunks, 
 lurked behind the door, containing the worldly goods of the 
 
 < a 
 
 twain who laughed and cried, slept and scrambled, in this 
 refuge ; while from the white-washed walls above either bed, 
 looked down the pictured faces of those whose memory could 
 make for us 
 
 " One little room an everywaere." 
 
 For a day or two I managed to appear at meals ; for the 
 human grub must cat till the butterfly is ready to break loose, 
 and no one had time to come up two flights while it was 
 possible for me to come down. Far be it from me to add 
 another affliction or reproach to that enduring man, the stew 
 ard ; for, compared with his predecessor, he was a horn of 
 plenty j but I put it to any candid mind is not tho
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 65 
 
 following bill of fare susceptible of improvement, without 
 plunging the nation madly into debt? The three meals were 
 " pretty much of a muchness," and consisted of beef, evidently 
 put down for the men of 76 ; pork, just in from the street ; 
 army bread, composed of saw-dust and saleratus ; butter, salt 
 as if churned by Lot s wife ; stewed blackberries, so ir,ucb 
 like preserved cockroaches, that only those devoid of iiragina- 
 tion could partake thereof with relish ; coffee, mild and 
 mudd^; tea. three dried huckleberry leaves to a quart of 
 water flavored with lime also animated and unconscious of 
 any approach to clearness. Variety being the spice of life, a 
 small pinch of the article would have been appreciated by the 
 hungry, hard-working sisterhood, one of whom, though accus 
 tomed to plain fare, soon found herself reduced to bread and 
 water ; having an inborn repugnance to the fat of the land, 
 and the salt of the earth. 
 
 Another peculiarity of these hospital meals was the rapidity 
 with which the edibles vanished, and the impossibility of getting 
 a drop or crumb after the usual time. At the first ring of the 
 bell, a general stampede took place ; some twenty hungry 
 souls rushed to the dining-room, swept over the table like a 
 ewarm of locusts, and left no fragment for any tardy creature 
 who arrived fifteen minutes late. Thinking it of more import 
 ance that the patients should be well and comfortably fed, I 
 took my time about my own meals for the first day or two 
 after I came, but was speedily enlightened by Isaac, the black 
 waiter, who bore with me a few times, and then informed me, 
 looking as stern as fate : 
 
 " I say, mam, ef you comes so late you can t have no 
 vittlcs, cause I m bleeged fer ter git things ready fer do 
 doctors mazin spry arter you nusses and folks is done. De 
 gen lemen don t kere fer ter wait, no more does I; so you
 
 64 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 jcs please tcr come at de time, and dcre won t be no frcttin 
 nowheres." 
 
 It was a new sensation to stand looking at a full table, 
 painfully conscious of one of the vacuums which Nature 
 abhors, and receive orders to right about face, without 
 partaking of the nourishment which your inner woman clam, 
 orously demanded. The doctors always fared better than we ; 
 and for a moment a desperate impulse prompted me to give 
 them a hint, by walking off with the mutton, or confiscating 
 the pie. But Ike s eye was on me, and, to my shame be it 
 spoken. I walked meekly away ; went dinnerless that day, 
 and that evening went to market, laying in a small stock of 
 crackers, cheese and apples, that my boys might not be 
 neglected, nor myself obliged to bolt solid and liquid dyspep 
 sias, or starve. This plan would have succeeded admirably 
 had not the evil star under which I was born, been in the 
 ascendant during that month, and cast its malign influences 
 even into my " umble " larder ; for the rats had their dessert 
 iff my cheese, the bugs set up housekeeping in my cracker- 
 bug, and the r.pplos like all worldly riches, took to themselves 
 wigs and flew away ; whither no man could tell, though 
 certain black imps might have thrown light upon the matter, 
 had not the plaintiff in the case been loth to add another to 
 ihe many trials of long-suffering Africa. After this failure I 
 resigned myself to fate, and, remembering that bread was c;;l!ed 
 the ftaff of life, leaned pretty exclusively upon it ; but it 
 proved a broken reed, and I came to the ground after a fcw 
 weeks of prison fare, varied by an occasional potato cr surup- 
 titious sip f milk. 
 
 Very soon after leaving the care of my ward, I discovered 
 that I had no appetite, and cut the bread and butter interests 
 almost entirely, trying the exercise and sun cure instead.
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 65 
 
 Flattering myself that I had plenty of time, and could see all 
 that was to be seen, so far as a lone lorn female could venture 
 in a city, one-half of whose male population seemed to be 
 taking the other half to the guard-house, every morning I 
 took a brisk run in one direction or another ; for the January 
 days were as mild as Spring. A rollicking north wind and 
 occasional snow storm would have been more to my taste, for 
 the one would have braced and refreshed tired body and soul, 
 the ojjier have purified the air, and spread a clean coverlid 
 over the bed, wheiein the capital of thcee United States 
 appeared to be dozing pretty soundly just then. 
 
 One of these tri, s was to the Aimcry Hospital, the neatness, 
 comfort, and convenience of which makes it an honor to its 
 presiding genius, and arouses all the covetous propensities of 
 such nurses as came frcm other hospitals to visit it. 
 
 The long, clean, warm, and airy wards, built barrack-fashion, 
 with the nurse s room at the end, were fully appreciated by 
 Nurse Periwinkle, whose ward and private bower were cold, 
 dirty, inconvenient, up stairs and down stairs, and in every 
 body s chamber. At the Armory, in ward K, I found a 
 cheery, bright-eyed, white-aproned little lady, reading at her 
 post near the stove ; matting under her feet ; a draft of fresh 
 air flowing in above her head ; a table full of trays, glasses, 
 and such matters, on one side, a large, well-stocked medicine 
 chest on the other; and all her duty seemed to be going about 
 now and then to give doses, issue orders, which well- trained 
 attendants executed, and pet, advise, or comfort Tom, Lick, 
 or Harry, as she found best. As I watched (he proceedings, 
 I recalled my own tribulations, and contrasted the two hospitals 
 in a way that would have caused my summary dismissal, could 
 it have been reported at headquarters. Here, order, method, 
 common sense and liberality seemed to rule in a stylo
 
 6G HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 that did one s heart good to see ; at the Hurly burly Hotel, 
 disorder, discomfort, bad management, and no visible head, 
 reduced things to a condition which I despair of describing. 
 Tho circumlocution fashion prevailed, forms and fusses tor 
 mentcd our souls, and unnecessary strictness in one place was 
 counterbalanced by unpardonable laxity in another. Here is 
 a sample : I am dressing Sam Dammer s shoulder ; and, having 
 cleansed the wound, look about for some strips of adhesive 
 plaster to hold on the little square of wet linen which is to 
 cover the gunshot wound ; the case is not in the tray ; Frank, 
 the sleepy, half-sick attendant, knows nothing of it ; we 
 rummage high and low ; Sam is tired, and fumes ; Frank 
 dawdles and yawns ; the men advise and laugh at the flurry ; 
 I feel like a boiling tea-kettle, with the lid ready to fly off and 
 damage somebody. 
 
 " Go and borrow some from the next ward, and spend the 
 rest of the day in finding ours," I finally command. A pause; 
 then Frank scuffles back with the message : " Miss Peppercorn 
 ain t got none, and says you ain t no business to lose your own 
 duds and go borrowin other folkses." I say nothing, for fear 
 of saying too much, but fly to the surgery. Mr. Toddypestle 
 informs me that I can t have anything without an order from 
 the surgeon of my ward. Great heavens! where is he? and 
 away I rush, up and down, here and there, till at last I find 
 him, in a state of bliss over a complicated amputation, in the 
 fourth story. I make my demand; he answers: "In five 
 minutes," and works away, with his head upside down, as ho 
 ties an artery, saws a bone, or does a little needle-work, with 
 a visible relish and very sanguinary pair of hands. The five 
 minutes grow to fifteen, and Frank appears, with the remark 
 that, " Dammer wants to know what in thunder you are 
 keeping him there with his finger on a wet rag for V" Dr. P.
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES 67 
 
 tenrs himself away long enough to scribble the order, with 
 which I plungo downward to the surgery again, find the door 
 locked, and, while hammering away on it, am told that two 
 friends are waiting to see me in the hall. The matron being 
 away, her parlor is locked, and there is no where to see ray 
 guests but in my own room, and no time to enjoy them till 
 the plaster is found. I settle this matter, and circulate through 
 the house to find Toddypcstle, who has no right to leave the 
 surgery till night. lie is discovered in the dead house, smoking 
 a cigar, and very much the worse for his researches among the 
 spirituous preparations that fill the surgery shelves. He is 
 inclined to be gallant, and puts the finishing blow to the fire 
 of my wrath ; for the tea-kettle lid flics off, and driving him 
 before me to his post, I fling dcwn the order, take what I 
 choose ; and, leaving the absurd incapable kissing his hand to 
 me, depart, feeling as Grandma Riglcsty is reported to have 
 done, when she vainly sought for chips, in Bimlcck Jackwood s 
 " shifless paster." 
 
 I find Dammer a well acted charade of his own name, and, 
 just as I get him done, struggling the while with a burning 
 desire to clap an adhesive strip across his mouth, full of 
 heaven-defying oaths, Fiank takes up his boot to put it on, 
 and exclaims : 
 
 " I m blest ef here ain t that case now ! I recollect seeing 
 it fall in this inornin , but forgot all about it, till my heel 
 went smash inter it. Here, n.a am, ketch hold on it, and give 
 the boys a sheet on t all round, gainst it tumbles inter t other 
 boot next time yer want it." 
 
 If a look coul 1 annihilate, Francis Saucebox would have 
 ceased to exist; but it couldn t; therefore, he yet lives, to 
 aggravate some unhappy woman s soul, and wax fat in some 
 equally congenial situation.
 
 GS HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Now, while I m freeing my mind, I should like to enter my 
 protest against employing convalescents as attendants, instead 
 of strong, properly trained, and cheerful men. How it may 
 be in other places I cannot say ; but here it was a source of 
 constant trouble and confusion, these feeble, ignorant men 
 trying to sweep, scrub, lift, and wait upon their sicker comrades. 
 One, with a diseased heart, was expected to run up and down 
 etairs, carry heavy trays, and move helpless men ; he tried it, 
 and grew rapidly worse than when he first came : and, when 
 he was ordered out to inarch away to the convalescent hospital, 
 fell, in a sort of fit, before he turned the corner, and was 
 brought back to die. Another, hurt by a fall from his horse, 
 endeavored to do his duty, but failed entirely, and the wrath 
 of the ward master fell upon the nurse, who must cither scrub 
 the rooms herself, or take the lecture ; for the boy looked .stout 
 and well, and the master never happened to see him turn 
 white with pain, or hear him groan in his sleep when an invol 
 untary motion strained his poor back. Constant complaints 
 were being made of incompetent attendants, and some dozen 
 women did double duty, and then were blamed for breaking 
 down. If any hospital director fancies this a good and 
 economical arrangement, allow one used up nurse to tell him 
 it isn t, .and beg him to spare the sisterhood, who sometimes, 
 in their sympathy, forget that they arc mortal, and run the 
 risk of being made immortal, sooner than is agreeable to their 
 partial friends. 
 
 Another of my few rambles took me to the Senate Chamber, 
 hoping to hear and see if this largo machine was run any 
 better than some small ones I knew of. I was too late, and 
 found the Speaker s chair occupied by a colored gentleman of 
 ten; while two others were on their legs, Imving a hot 
 debate on the cembali question, as they gathered the waste
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 69 
 
 paper strewn about the floor into bags j and several white 
 members played leap-frog over the desks, a much whole?omer 
 relaxation than some of the older Senators indulge in, I fancy. 
 Finding the coast clear, I likewise gambolled up and down, 
 from gallery to gallery ; sat in Sumuer s chair, and cudgelled 
 an imaginary Brooks within an inch of his life; examined 
 Wilson s books in the coolest possible manner ; warmed ray 
 feet at one of the national registers ; read people s names on 
 scattered envelopes, and pocketed a castaway autograph or 
 two ; watched the somewhat unparliamentary proceedings 
 going on about me, and wondered who in the world all the 
 sedate gentlemen were, who kert popping out of odd doors 
 here and there, like respectable Jacks-in-the-box. Then I 
 wandered over the palatial residence of Mrs. Columbia, 
 and examined its many beauties, though I can t say I thought 
 her a tidy housekeeper, and didn t admire her taste in pictures , 
 for the eye of this humble individual soon wearied of expiring 
 patiiots, who all appeared to be quitting their earthly taberna 
 cles in convulsions, ruffled "shirts, and a whirl ot" torn banners 
 bomb shells, and buff and blue arms and leS. 
 
 The statuary also was massive and concrete, but rather 
 wearying to examine ; for the colossal ladies jwid gentle 
 men carried no cards of introduction in face or. figure; 
 so whether the meditative party in a kilt, with well-de 
 veloped legs, shoes like army slippers, and a ponderous 
 nose, was Columbus, Cato, or Cockclorum Tibby the tra 
 gedian, was more than I could tell. Several robust ludiea 
 attracted me ; but which was America and which Poca- 
 hontas was a mystery ; for all afL cted much looseness 
 of costume, dishcvelment of hair, swords, arrows, lances 
 scales, and other ornaments quite passe with damsels of 
 our day, whose effigies should go down to posterity armed
 
 70 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 with fans, crochet needles, riding whips, and parasols, with 
 here and there one holding pen or pencil, rolling-pin or broom. 
 The statue of Liberty I recognized at once, for it had no 
 pedestal as yet, but stood flat in the mud, with Ycung America 
 most symbolically making dirt pies, and chip forts, in its 
 shadow. But high above the squabbling little tlirong and 
 their petty plans, the sun shone full on Liberty s broad 
 forehead, and, in her hand, some summer bird had built it9 
 nest. I accepted the good omen then, and, on the first of 
 January, the Emancipation Act gave the statue a nobler and 
 more enduring pedestal than any marble or granite ever carved 
 and quarried by human hands. 
 
 One trip to Georgetown Heights, where cedars sighed over 
 head, dead leaves rustled underfoot, pleasant paths led up and 
 clown, and a brook wound like a silver snake by the blackened 
 ruins of some French Minister s house, through the poor 
 guldens of the black washerwomen who congregated there, 
 and, passing the cemetery with a murmurous lullaby, rolled 
 away to pay its little tribute to the river. This breezy run 
 was the last I took ; for, on the morrow, came rain and wind : 
 and confinement soon proved a powerful reinforcement to the 
 enemy, who was quietly preparing to spring a mine, and blow 
 me live hundred miles from the position I had taken in what I 
 called my Chickahominy Swamp. 
 
 Shut up in my room, with no voice, spirits, or books, that 
 week was not a holiday, by any means. Finding meals a 
 humbug, I stopped awa} T altogether, trusting that if this sparrow 
 was of any worth, the Lord would not let it fall to the ground. 
 Liko a flock of friendly ravens, my sister nurses fed me, not 
 only with food for the body, but kind words for the mind ; 
 and soon, from b<:ing half starved, I found myself so beteaed 
 and betoasted, petted and served, that I was nearly killed
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 71 
 
 with kindness, in spite of cough, headache, a painful conscious* 
 ness of my pleura, and a realizing sense of bones in the human 
 frame. From the pleasant house on the hill, the home in the 
 heart of Washington, and the Willard caravansary, camo 
 friends new and old, with bottles, baskets, carriages and invita-. 
 tions for the invalid ; and daily our Florence Nightingale 
 climbed the steep stairs, stealing a moment from her busy life, 
 to watch over the stranger, of whom she was as thoughtfully 
 tender as any mother. Long may she wave ! Whatever others 
 may think or say, Nurse Periwinkle is forever grateful ; and 
 among her relics of that Washington defeat, none is more 
 valued than the little book which appeared on her pillow, one 
 dreary day; for the D D. written in it means to her far more 
 than Doctor of Divinity. 
 
 Being forbidden to meddle with fleshly arms and legs, I 
 solaced myself by mending cotton ones, and, as I sat sewing 
 at my window, watched the moving panorama that passed 
 beiow ; amusing myself with taking notes of the most striking 
 figures in it. Long trains of army wagons kept up a perpetual 
 rumble from morning till night ; ambulances rattled to and fro 
 with busy surgeons, nurses taking an airing, or convalescents 
 going in parties to be fitted to artificial limbs. Strings of sorry 
 looking horses passed, saying as plainly as dumb creatures 
 could, " Why, in a city full of them, is there no Aorsqiital 
 for us . " Often a cart came by, with several rough coffins in 
 it. and nc mourners following ; barouches, with invalid oCicers, 
 roiled round the corner, and carriage loads of pretty children, 
 with Mack coachmen, footmen, and maids. The women who 
 took their walks abroad, were .so extinguished in three story 
 kmnets, with overhanging balconies of flowers, that their 
 iharnis were obscured ; and all I can say of them is, that thej 
 dressed in the worst possible taste, and walked like ducks.
 
 72 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 The men did the picturesque, and did it so well that Wash- 
 ington looked like a mammoth masquerade. Spanish hats, 
 scarlet lined rid .ng cloaks, swords and sashes, high boots and 
 bright spurs, beards and mustaches, which made plain facea 
 comely, and comely faces herric; these vanities of the flesh 
 transformed our butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers into 
 gallant riders of gaily caparisoned horses, much handsomer 
 than themselves ; and dozens of such figures were constantly 
 prancing by, with private prickings of spurs, for the benefit 
 of (he perambulating flower-bed. Some of these gentlemen 
 affected painfully tight uniforms, and little caps, kept on by 
 some new law of gravitation, as they covered only the bridge 
 of the nose, yet never fell off; the men looked like stuffed 
 fowls, and rode as if the safety of the nation depended on 
 their speed alone. The fattest, greyest officers dressed most, 
 and ambled statclily along, with orderlies behind, trying to 
 look as if they didn t know the stout party in front, and doing 
 much caracoling on their own account. 
 
 The mules were my especial delight ; and an hour s study 
 of a constant succession of them introduced me to many of 
 their characteristics ; for six of these odd little beasts drew 
 each army wagon, and went hopping like frogs through the 
 Btream of mud that gently rolled along the street. The 
 coquettish .nule had small feet, a nicely trimmed tassel of a 
 tail, perked up cars, and seemed much given to Ktlle tosses of 
 the head, jJTocted skips and prances ; and, if he wore tho 
 bells, or were bedizzcned with a bit of finery, put on as many 
 airs as any belle. The moral mule was a stout, hard-working 
 creature, always tujrging with all his might; often pulling 
 away after the rest had stopped, laboring under the conscien 
 tious delusinn that food for the entire army depended upon his 
 private exertions. I respected this style of mule ; and, had
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 73 
 
 1 possessed a juicy cabbage, would have pressed it upon him, 
 with thanks for his excellent example. The historical mule 
 was a inelo-dramatio quadruped, prone to startling humanity 
 by erratic leaps, and wild plunges, much shaking of hia 
 Btubborn head, and lashing out of his vicious heels ; now and 
 then falling flat, and apparently dying a la Forrest : a gasp 
 a squirm a flop, and so on, till the street was well blocked 
 up, the drivers all swearing like demons in bad hats, and the 
 chief Actor s circulation decidedly quickened by every variety 
 of kick, cuff, jerk and haul. When the last breath seemed to 
 have left his body, and " Doctors were in vain," a sudden 
 resurrection took place ; and if ever a rnule, laughed with 
 scornful triumph, that was the beast, as he leisurely rose, gave 
 a comfortable shake ; and, calmly regarding the excited crowd 
 secerned to say " A hit ! a decided hit ! for the stupidest 
 of animals has bamboozled a dozen men. Now, then ! what 
 are you stopping the way for V" The pathetic rnulc was, 
 perhaps, the most interesting of all ; for, though he always 
 seemed to be the smallest, thinnest, weakest of the six, the 
 postillion, with big boots, long-tailed coat, and heavy whip, 
 was sure to bestride this one, who struggled feebly along, head 
 down, coat muddy and rough, eye spiritless and sid, his very 
 tail a mortified stump, and the whole beast a picture of meek 
 misery, fit to touch a heart of stone. The jovial mule was a 
 roly poly, happy-go-lucky little piece of horse-flesh, taking 
 everything easily, from cudgeling to caressing ; strolling along 
 with a roguish twinkle of the eye, and, if the thing were 
 possible, would have had his hands in his pockets, and whistled 
 as he went. If there ever chanced to be an apple core, a 
 stray turnip, or wisp of hay, in the gutter, this Mark Taplcy 
 was sure to find it, and none of his mates seemed to begrudge 
 him his bite. I suspected this fellow was the peacemaker,
 
 74 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 confidant and friend of all the others, for he had a sort of 
 " Cheer-up, -old-boy,-I ll-pull-you-througli " look, which was 
 exceedingly engaging. 
 
 Pigs also possessed attractions for me, never having had 
 an opportunity of observing their graces of mind and manner, 
 till I came to Washington, whose porcine citizens appeared to 
 enjoy a larger liberty than many of its human ones. S^out, 
 sedate looking pigs, hurried by each morning to their places 
 of business, with a preoccupied air, and sonorous greeting to 
 their friends. Genteel pigs, with an extra curl to their tails, 
 promenaded in pairs, lunching here and there, like gentlemen 
 of leisure. Rowdy pigs pushed the passers by off the side 
 walk; tipsy pigs hiccoughed their version of "We wont go 
 home till morning," from the gutter ; and delicate young piga 
 tripped daintily through the mud, as if they plumed them 
 selves upon their ankles, and kept themselves particularly 
 neat in point of stockings. Maternal pigs, with their inter 
 esting families, strolled by in the sun ; and often the pink, 
 baby-like sc^acalers lay down for a nap, with a trust in Provi 
 dence worthy of human imitation. 
 
 But more interesting than officers, ladies, mules, or pigs, 
 were my colored brothers and sisters, because so unlike the 
 respectable members of society I d known in moral Boston. 
 
 Here was the genuine article no, not the genuine article 
 at all, we must go to Africa for that but the sort of creatures 
 generations of slavery have made them : obsequious, triekish, 
 lazy and ignorant, yet kind-hearted, merry-tempered, quick to 
 feel and accept the least token of the brotherly love which is 
 slowly teaching the white hand to grasp the black, in this 
 great struggle for the liberty of both the races. 
 
 Having buen warned not to be too rampant on the subject 
 of slavery, as secei.h principles fiouiLhed even under tho
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. / 5 
 
 shadow of Father Abraham, I had endeavored to walk dis 
 creetly, and curb my unruly member; looking about me 
 with all my eyes the while, and saving up the result of my 
 observations for future use. I had not been there a week 
 before the neglected, devil-may care expression in many of 
 the faces about me, seemed an urgent appeal to leave nursing 
 white bodies, and take some care for these black souls. Much 
 as the lazy boys and saucy girls tormented me, I liked them, 
 and f<jund that any show of interest or friendliness brought 
 out the better traits which live in the most degraded and 
 forsaken of us all. I liked their cheerfulness, for the dreariest 
 old hag, who scrubbed all day in that pestilential steam, 
 gossipped and grinned all the way out, when night set her free 
 from drudgery. The girls romped with their dusky sweet 
 hearts, or tossed their babies, with the tender pride that makes 
 mother-love a beautifier to the homeliest face. The men and 
 boys sang and whistled all day long ; and often, as I held my 
 watch, the silence of the night was sweetly broken by some 
 chorus from the street, full of real melody, whether the song 
 was of heaven, or of hoe-cakes ; and, as I listened, I felt that 
 we never should doubt nor despair concerning a race which, 
 through such griefs and wrongs, still clings to this good gift, 
 and seems to solace with it the patient hearts that wait and 
 watch and hope until the end. 
 
 I expected to have to defend myself from accusations of a 
 prejudice against color ; but was surprised to find things just 
 the other way, and daily shocked some neighbor by treating 
 the blacks as I did the whites. The men would swear at tho 
 " darkies," would put two gs into negro, and sccflfat the idea 
 of any good coming from such trash. The nurses were willing 
 to be served by the colored people, but seldom thanked them, 
 never praised, and scarcely recognized them in the street ;
 
 76 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 whereat the blood of two generations of abolitionists waxed 
 hot in my veins, and, at the first opportunity, proclaimed itself, 
 and asserted the r glit of free speech as doggedly as the irre 
 pressible Folsom herself. 
 
 Happening to catch up a funny little black baby, who was 
 toddling about the nurses kitchen, one day, when I went 
 down to make a mess for some of my men, a Virginia woman 
 standing by elevated her most prominent feature, with a sniff 
 of disapprobation, exclaiming : 
 
 li Gracious, Miss P. ! how can you? I ve been hero six 
 months, and never so much as touched the little toad with a 
 poker." 
 
 " More shame for you, ma am," responded Miss P. ; and, 
 with the natural perversity of a Yankee, followed up the blow 
 by kissing " the toad," with ardor. His face was provider), 
 tially as clean and shiny as if his mamma had just polished it 
 up with a corner of her apron and a drop from the tea-kettle 
 spout, like old Aunt Chloe. This rash act, and the anti- 
 slavery lecture that followed, while one hand stirred gruel for 
 isick America, and the other hugged baby Africa, did not 
 produce the ohecring result which I fondly expected ; for my 
 comrade henceforth regarded me as a dangerous fanatic, and 
 my protege nearly came to his death by insisting on swarming 
 up stairs to my room, on all occasions, and being walked on 
 like a little black spider. 
 
 I waited for New Year s day with more eagerness than I 
 had ever known before ; and, though it brought me no gift, I 
 felt rich in the act of justice so tardily performed toward some 
 of those about me. As the bells rung midnight, I electrified 
 my room-mare by dancing out of bed, throwing up the 
 window, and flapping my handkerchief, with a feeble cheer, 
 in answer to the shout of a group of colored man in the street
 
 "One hand stirred gruel for sick A -nerioa. and the other hugged baby 
 Africa "- PAGK 7(i.
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 77 
 
 below. All night they tooted and tramped, fired crackers, 
 Bun^ " Glory, Hallelujah," and took comfort, poor souls ! in 
 their own way. The sky was clear, the moon shone benignly, 
 n mild wind blew across the river, and all good omens seemed 
 to usher in the dawn of the day whose noontide cannot now 
 be long in corning. If the colored people had taken hands 
 and danced around the White House, with a few cheers for 
 the much abused gentleman who has immortalized himself by 
 one just act, no President could have had a finer levee, or one 
 to be prouder of. 
 
 While these sights and sounds were going on without, 
 curious scenes were passing within, and I was learning that 
 one of the best methods of fitting oneself to be a nurse in a 
 hospital, is to be a patient there. Forthen only can one wholly 
 realize what the men suffer and sigh for ; how acts of kindness 
 touch and win ; how much or little we arc to those about us ; 
 and fdr the first time really see that in coming there we have 
 taken our lives in our hands, and may have to pay dearly for 
 a brief experience. Every one was very kind ; the attendants 
 of my ward often came up to report progress, to fill my wood- 
 box, or bring messages and presents from my boys. The 
 nurses took many steps with those tired feet of theirs, and 
 several came each evening, to chat over my firo and make 
 things co?y for the night. The doctors paid daily visits, 
 tapped at my lungs to sec if pneumonia was within, left doses 
 without names, and went away, leaving mo as ignorant, and 
 much more uncomfortable than when they came. Iloura 
 begun to get confused ; people looked odd ; queer faces haunted 
 the room, and the nights were one long fight with weariness 
 and pain. Letters from home grew anxious ; the doctors 
 lifted their eyebrows, and nodded ominously ; friends said 
 41 Don t stay," and an internal rebellion seconded the advice ;
 
 78 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 but the three months were not out, and the idea of giving 
 up so soon was proclaiming a defeat before I was fairly routed j 
 BO to all " Don t stays" I opposed " I wills," till, one line 
 morning, a grny-headed gentleman rose like a welcome ghost 
 on my hearth ; and, at the sight of him, my resolution melted 
 away, my heart turned traitor to my boys, and, when ho said, 
 " Come home," I answered, "Yes, father;" and so ended 
 my career as an army nurse. 
 
 I never shall regret the going, though a sharp tussle with 
 typhoid, ten dollars, and a wig, arc all the visible results of 
 the experiment ; for one may live and learn much in a month. 
 A good fit of illness proves the value of health ; real danger 
 tries one s mettle ; and self-sacrifice sweetens character. Let 
 no one who sincerely desires to help the work on in this way, 
 delay going through any fear ; for the worth of life lies in the 
 experiences that fill it, and this is one which cannot be forgotten. 
 All that is best and bravest in the hearts of men and women, 
 comes out in scenes like these ; and, though a hospital is a 
 rough school, its lessons are both stern and salutary ; and tho 
 humblest of pupils there, in proportion to his faithfulness, 
 learns a deeper faith in God and in himself. I, for one, 
 would return tomorrow, on the "up-again,-and-take-another " 
 principle, if I could ; for the amount of pleasure and profit I 
 got out of that month compensates for all after pangs ; and, 
 though a sadly womanish feeling, I take some satisfaction in 
 the thought that, if I could not lay my head on the altar of 
 my country, I have my hair ; and that is more than handsome 
 Helen did for her dead husband, when she sacrificed only tho 
 ends of her ringlets on his urn. Therefore, I close this little 
 chapter of hospital experiences, with the regret that they weie 
 no better worth recording ; and add the poetical gem with
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 7 J 
 
 which I console myself for the untimely demise of " Nurse 
 Periwinkle :" 
 
 Oh, lay her in a little pit, 
 With a marble stone to cover it; 
 And carve thereon a gruel spoon, 
 To show a " nuss " has died too
 
 80 HOSPITAL SKETCHE* 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 My Dear S. : As inquiries like your own have come to 
 me from various friendly readers of the Sketches, I will 
 answer them en masse, and in printed form, as a sort of 
 postscript to what has gone before. One of these questions 
 was, "Are there no services by hospital death-beds, or on 
 Sundays ?" 
 
 In most Hospitals I hope there are ; in ours, the men died, 
 and were carried away, with as little ceremony as on a battle 
 field. The first event of this kind which I witnessed was so 
 very brief, and bare of anything like reverence, sorrow, or 
 pious consolation, that I heartily agreed with the bluntly 
 expressed opinion of a Maine man lying next his comrade, 
 who died with no visible help near him, but a compassionate 
 woman and a tender-hearted Irishman, who dropped upon his 
 knees, and told his beads, with Catholic feivor, for the good 
 of his Protestant brother s parting soul : 
 
 "If. after gettin all the bard knocks, we are left to dia
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 81 
 
 this way, with nothing but a Paddy s prayers to help us, I 
 guess Christians are rather scarce round Washington." 
 
 I thought so too ; but though Miss Blank, one of my 
 mates, anxious that souls should be ministered to, as well as 
 bodies, spoke more than once to the Chaplain, nothing ever 
 camo cf it. Unlike another Shepherd, whose earnest piety 
 weekly purified the Senate Chamber, this man did not feed as 
 well as fold his flock, nor make himself a human symbol of the 
 Divin9j6amaritan, who never passes by on the other side. 
 
 I have since learned that our non-commital Chaplain had 
 been a Professor in some Southern College ; and, though he 
 maintained that he had no secesh proclivities, I can testify 
 that he seceded from his ministerial duties, I may say, ske 
 daddled ; for, being one of his own words, it is as appropriate 
 as inelegant. He read Emerson, quoted Carlyle, and tried to 
 be a Chaplain ; but, judging from his success, I am afraid he 
 still hankered after the hominy pots of Rebeldom. 
 
 Occasionally, on a Sunday afternoon, such of the nurses, 
 officers, attendants, and patients as could avail themselves of 
 it, were gathered in the Ball Room, for an hour s service, of 
 which the singing was the better part. To me it seemed that 
 if ever strong, wise, and loving words were needed, it was 
 then ; if ever mortal man had living texts before his eyes to 
 illustrate and illuminate his thought, it was there ; and if ever 
 hearts were prompted to devoutest self-abnegation, it was in 
 the work which brought us to anything but a Chapel of Ease. 
 But some spiritual paralysis seemed to have befallen our 
 pastor ; for, though many faces turned toward him, full of the 
 dumb hunger that often comes to men when suffering or danger 
 brings them nearer to the heart of things, they were offered 
 the chaff of divinity, and its wheat was left for less needy 
 gleaners, who knew where to look. Even the fine old Bible
 
 82 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Btoiies, which may be made as lifelike as any history of GUI 
 day, by a vivid fancy and pictorial diction, were robbed of all 
 their charms by dry explanations and literal applications, 
 instead of being useful and pleasant lessons to those men, 
 whom weakness had rendered as docile as children in a father s 
 hands. 
 
 I watched the listless countenances all about me, while 
 we listened to a dull sermon, delivered with a monotonous 
 tone, a business-like manner, and a very visible desire to 
 get the uninteresting job done as expeditiously as possible ; 
 which demonstrations were most successful in making the 
 Sunday services a duty, not a pleasure. Listless they were 
 at the beginning, and listless at the end ; but the instant 
 some stirring old hymn was given out, sleepy eyes bright 
 ened, lounging figures sat erect, and many a poor lad 
 rose up in his bed, or stretched an eager hand for the 
 book, while all broke out with a heartiness that proved 
 that somewhere at the core of even the most abandoned, 
 there still glowed some remnant of the native piety that 
 flows in music from the heart of every little child. Even 
 the big rebel joined, and boomed away in a thunderous bass, 
 singing 
 
 " Salvation ! let the echoes fly," 
 
 AS energetically as if he felt the need of a speedy execution 
 of the command. 
 
 That was the pleasantest moment of the hour, for then it 
 seemed a homelil-e and happy spot ; the groups of men locking 
 over one another s shoulders as they sang ; the few silent 
 Bgures in the beds ; here and there a woman noiselessly per 
 forming some necessary duty, and singing as she worked ;
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 83 
 
 while in tlio arm cbair standing in the midst, I placed, for my 
 own satisfaction, the imaginary likeness of a certain faithful 
 pastor, who took all outcasts by tlio hand, smote the devil in 
 whatever guie he came, and comforted the indigent in spirit 
 with the best wisdom of a great and tender heart, which still 
 epcaks to us from its Italian grave. With tbat addition, my 
 picture was complete ; and I often longed to take a veritable 
 sketch of a Hospital Sunday, for, desp : te its drawbacks, 
 consisting of continued labor, the want of proper books, the 
 barren preaching that bore no fruit, this day was never like 
 the other six. 
 
 True to their home training, our New England boys did 
 their best to make it what it should be. With many, there 
 was much reading of Testaments, humming over of favorite 
 hymns, and looking at such books as I could cull from a 
 miscellaneous library. Some lay idle, slept, or gossiped ; yet, 
 when I came to them for a quiet evening chat or reading, 
 they often talked freely and well of themselves ; would 
 blunder out some timid hope that their troubles might 
 "do em good, and keep em stiddy;" would choke a 
 little, as they said good night, and turned their faces to 
 the wall to think of mother, wife, or home, these human 
 ties seeming to be the most vital religion which they yet 
 knew. I observed that some of them did not wear their 
 caps on this day, though at other times they clung to them 
 like Quakers ; wearing them in bed, putting them On to 
 read the paper, cat an apple, or write a letter, as if, like a 
 new sort of Samson, their strength lay, not in their hair, but in 
 their hat*. Many read no novels, swore less, were more silent, 
 orderly, and cheerful, as if the Lord were an invisible Ward- 
 master, who went his rounds but once a week, and must find 
 all things at their best. I liked all this in the poor, rough 
 boys, and could have found it in my heart to put down sponge
 
 84 
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 and tea-pot, and preach a little sermon then and there, while 
 homesickness and pain had made these natures soft, that some 
 good seed might be cast therein, to blossom and bear fruit 
 here or hereafter. 
 
 Regarding the admission of friends to nurse their sick, I 
 can only say, it was not allowed at Hurlyburly House ; though 
 one indomitable parent took my ward by storm, and held her 
 position, in spite of doctors, matron, and Nurse Periwinkle. 
 Though it was against the rules, though the culprit was an 
 acid, frost-bitten female, though the young man would have 
 done quito as well without her anxious fussiness, and the whole 
 room-full been much more comfortable, there was something so 
 irresistible in this persistent devotion, that no one had the 
 heart to oust her from her post. She slept on the floor, without 
 uttering a complaint ; bore jokes somewhat of the rudest ; 
 fared scantily, though her basket was daily Oiled with luxuries 
 for her boy ; and tended that petulant personage with a never- 
 failing patience beautiful to see. 
 
 I feel a glow of moral rectitude in saying this of her ; for, 
 though a perfect pelican to her young, she pecked and cackled 
 ( I don t know that pelicans usually express their emotions in 
 that manner,) most obstreperously, when others invaded her 
 premises ; and led me a weary life, with " George s tea-rusks, 
 "George s foot-bath," "George s measles," and "George s 
 mother ;" till, after a sharp passage of arms and tongues with 
 the matron, she wrathfully packed up her rusks, her son, and 
 herself, and departed, in an ambulance, scolding to the very 
 last. 
 
 This is the comic side of (\,e matter. The serious one is 
 Larder to describe ; for the presence, however brief, of rela 
 tions aud friends by the bedsides of the dead or dying, is 
 always a trial to the bystanders. They are not near enough
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 85 
 
 to know how best to comfort, yet too near to turn their backs 
 upon the sorrow that finds its only solace in listening to 
 recitals of last words, breathed into nurse s ears, or receiving 
 the tender legacies of love and longing bequeathed through 
 them. 
 
 To rne, the saddest sight I saw in that sad place, was the 
 spectacle of a grey-haired father, sitting hour after hour by 
 his son, dying from the poison of his wound. The old father, 
 hale ad hearty ; the young son, past all help, though one 
 could scarcely believe it ; for the subtle fever, burning his 
 strength away, flushed his cheeks with color, filled his eyes 
 with lustre, and lent a mournful mockery of health to face and 
 figure, making the poor lad comelier in death than in life. 
 His bed was not in my ward ; but I was often in and out, 
 and, for a day or two, the pair were much together, saying 
 little, but looking much. The old man tried to busy himself 
 with book or pen, that his presence might not be a burden 
 and once, when he sat writing, to the anxious mother at home, 
 doubtless, I saw the son s eyes fixed upon his face, with a look 
 of mingled resignation and regret, as if endeavoring to teach 
 himself to say cheerfully the long good bye. And again, 
 when the son slept, the father watched him, as he had himself 
 been watched ; and though no feature of his grave counte 
 nance changed, the rough hand, smoothing the lock of hair 
 upon the pillow, the bowed attitude of the grey head, were 
 more pathetic than the loudest lamentations. The son died ; 
 and the father took home the pale relic of the life he gave, 
 offering a little money to the nurse, as the only visible return 
 it was in his power to make her ; for, though very grateful, 
 he was poor. Of course, she did not take it, but found a 
 richer compensation in the old man s earnest declara 
 tion : 
 
 G
 
 86 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 "My boy cc-uldn t have been better cared for if he d been a! 
 home ; and God will reward you for it, though I can t." 
 
 My own ex .eriences of this sort began when my first mac 
 died. He had scarcely been removed, wben his wife came in. 
 Her eye went straight to the well-known bed ; it was empty ; 
 and feeling, yet not believing the hard truth, she cried out, 
 witl a look I never shall forget : 
 
 " Why, there s EmanuclV" 
 
 I had ru^cr seen her before, did not know her relationship 
 to the man whom I had only nursed for a day, and was about 
 to tell her he was gone, when MuGree, the tender-hearted 
 Irishman bafore mentioned, brushed by me with a cheerful 
 " It s shifted to a better bed he is, Mrs. Connel. Come out, 
 dear, till I show ye;" and, taking hor gently by the arm, he 
 led her to the matron, who broke the heavy tidings to the 
 wife, and comforted the widow. 
 
 Another day, running up to my room for a breath of fresh 
 air and a five minutes rest after a disagreeable task. I found 
 a stout young woman sitting on my bed, wearing the misera 
 ble look which I had learned to know by that time. Seeing 
 her, reminded me that I had heard of some one s dying in the 
 night, and his sister s arriving in the morning. Tin s must be 
 she, I thought. I pitied her with all my heart. What could 
 I say or do V . Words always seem impertinent at such times ; 
 I did not know the man ; the woman was neither interesting 
 in herself nor graceful in her grief ; yet, having known a 
 sister s sorrow myself, I could not leave her alone with her 
 trouble in that strange place, without a word. So, feeling 
 heart-sick, home-sick, and not knowing what else to do, I just 
 put my arms about her, and began to cry in a very helnlcss 
 but hearty w*y ; for, as I seldom indulge in this moist luxury, 
 I like to enjoy it with all my might, when I do.
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 8 
 
 ft so happened I could not have done a better thing ; for, 
 though not a word was spoken, each felt the other s sympathy ; 
 and, in the silence, our handkerchiefs were more eloquent 
 than words. She soon sobbed herself quiet ; and, leaving her 
 on my bed, I went back to work, feeling much refreshed by 
 the shower, though I d forgotten to rest, and had washed my 
 face instead of my hands. I mention this successful experi 
 ment as a receipt proved and approved, for the use of any 
 nurse *tho may find herself called upon to minister to these 
 wounds of the heart. They will find it more efficacious than 
 cups of tea, smelling-bottles, psalms, or sermons; for a friendly 
 touch and a companionable cry, unite the consolations of all 
 the rest for womankind ; and, if genuine, will be found a 
 sovereign cure for the first sharp pang so many suffer in these 
 heavy times. 
 
 I am gratified to find that my little Sergeant has found 
 favor in several quarters, and gladly respond to sundry calls 
 for news of him, though my personal knowledge ended five 
 months ago. Next to my good John I hope the grass is 
 green above him, far away there in Virginia! I placed the 
 Sergeant on my list of worthy boys ; and many a jovial chat 
 have I enjoyed with the merry-hearted lad, who had a fancy 
 for fun, when his poor arm was dressed. While Dr. P. poked 
 and strapped, I brushed the remains of the Sergeant s brown 
 uiane shorn sorely against his will and gossiped with all 
 my might, the boy making odd faces, exclamations, and 
 appeals, when nerves got the better of nonsense, as they 
 sometimes did : 
 
 44 I d rather laugh than cry, when I must sing out anyhow, 
 so just say that bit from Dickens again, please, and I ll stand 
 it like a man." He did; for " Mrs. Cluppins," "Chad- 
 band," and "Sain Wellcr," always helped him through;
 
 88 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 thereby causing me to lay another offering of love and admi 
 ration on the shrine of the god of ray idolatry, though he doea 
 wear too much jewelry and talk slang. 
 
 The Sergeant also originated, I believe, the fashion of calling 
 bis neighbors by their afflictions instead of their names ; and I 
 was rather taken aback by hearing them bandy remarks of 
 Ibis sort, with perfect good humor and much enjoyment of the 
 new game. 
 
 " Hullo, old Fits is off again !" " How are you, Rhcuma- 
 tiz?" " Will you trade apples, Ribs ?" " I say, Miss P., 
 may I give Typus a drink of this ?" " Look here, No Toes, 
 lend us a stamp, there s a good feller," etc. He himself was 
 christened " Baby 13.," because he tended his arm on a little 
 pillow, and called it his infant. 
 
 Very fussy about his food was Sergeant B., and much 
 trotting of attendants was necessary when he partook of nour 
 ishment. Anything more irresistibly whecdlesome I never 
 saw, and constantly found myself indulging him, like the most 
 weak-minded parent, merely for the pleasure of seeing his 
 blue eyes twinkle, his merry mouth break into a smile, and 
 bis one hand execute a jaunty little salute that was entirely 
 captivating. I am afraid that Nurse P. damaged her dignity, 
 frolicking with this persuasive young gentleman, though done 
 for his well-being. But " boys will bo boys," is perfectly 
 applicable to the case ; for, in spite of years, sex, tind tho 
 " prunes-and-prisms " doctrine laid down for our use, I have 
 a fellow feeling for lads, and always owed Fate a grudge 
 because I wasn t a lord of creation instead of a lady. 
 
 Since I left, I have heard, from a reliable source, that my 
 Sergeant has gone home ; therefore, the small romance that 
 budded the first day I saw him, has blossomed into its second 
 chapter , and I now imagine " dearest Jane " filling my place,
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 89 
 
 tending the wounds I tended, brushing the curly jungle I 
 brushed, loving the excellent little youth I loved, and eventu 
 ally walking altarward, with the Sergeant stumping gallantly 
 at lh>r side. If she doesn t do all this, and no end more, I ll 
 never forgive her ; and sincerely pray to the guardian saint 
 of lovers, that " Baby B " may prosper in his wooing, and 
 bis name be long in the land. 
 
 One of the lively episodes of hospital life, is the frequent 
 marehmg away of such as are well enough to rejoin their 
 regiments, or betake themselves to some convalescent camp. 
 The ward master comes to the door of each room that is to bo 
 thinned, reads off a list, of names, bids their owners look 
 sharp and be ready when called for; and, as he vanishes, the 
 rooms fall into an indescribable state of topsy-turvyness, as 
 the boys begin, to black their boots, brighten spurs, brush 
 clothes, overhaul knapsacks, make presents ; are fitted out 
 with needfuls, and well, why not V kissed sometimes, as 
 they say, good by ; for in all human probability we shall 
 never meet ajrain, and a woman s heart yearns over anything 
 that has clung to her for help and comfort. I never liked 
 these breakings-up of my little household : though my short 
 stay showed rnc but three. I was immensely gratified by the 
 hand shakes I got, for their somewhat painful cordiality assured 
 me tLat I had not tried in vain. The big Prussian rumbled 
 out his unintelligible adieux, with a grateful face and a 
 premonitory smooth of his yellow moustache, but got no 
 farther, for some cne else stepped up, with a large brown hand 
 extended, and this recommendation of our very faulty estab 
 lishment : 
 
 " We re off, ma am, and I m powerful sorry, for I d no idea 
 a orspittle was such a jolly place. Hope I ll git another ball
 
 90 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 somewheres easy, so I ll come back, and be took care on 
 again. Mean, ain t it ?" 
 
 I didn t think so, but the doctrine of inglorious case was 
 not the the right one to preach up, so I tried to look shocked, 
 failed signally, and consoled myself by giving him the fat 
 pincushion he had admired as the " cutest little machine 
 agoin." Then they fell into line in front of the house, looking 
 rather wan and feeble, some of them, but trying to step out 
 smartly and march in good order, though half the knapsacks 
 were carried by the guard, and several leaned on sticks instead 
 of shouldering guns. All looked up and smiled, or waved 
 heir hands and touched their caps, as they passed under our 
 windows down the long street, and so away, some to their 
 homes in this world, and some to that in the nest ; and, for 
 the rest of the day, I felt like Ilachcl mourning for her 
 children, when I saw the empty beds and missed the familiar 
 faces. 
 
 You ask if nurses are obliged to witness amputations and 
 such matters, as a part of their duty ? I think not, unless 
 they wish ; for the patient is under the effects of ether, and 
 needs no care but such as the surgeons can best give. Our 
 work begins afterward, when the poor soul comes to himself, 
 sick, faint, and wandering ; full of strange pains and confused 
 visions, of disagreeable sensations and sights. Then we must 
 sooth and sustain, tend and watch ; preaching and practicing 
 patience, till sleep and time have restored courage and self- 
 control. 
 
 I. witnessed several operations ; for the height of iny ambition 
 was to go to the frcnt after a battle, andfetKng that (he sooner 
 I inured myself to trying sights, the more useful I should be. 
 Several of my mates shrunk from such things ; for though the
 
 flOSPliAL SKETCI1ES. 9] 
 
 Bpirit rfas wholly willing, tue flesh was inconveniently weak. 
 One funereal lady came to try her powers as a nurse ; bur, a 
 brief conversation eliciting the facts that she fainted at the 
 sight of blood, was afraid to watch alone, couldn t possibly 
 take care of delirious persons, was nervous about infections, 
 and unable to bear much fatigue, she was mildly dismissed. 
 I hope she found her sphere, but fancy a comfortable bandbox 
 on a high shelf would best meet the requirements of her case. 
 
 Dr. Ht. suggested that I should witness a dissection ; but I 
 never accepted his invitations, thinking that my nerves belonged 
 to the living, not to the dead, and I had better finish my educa 
 tion as a nurse before I began that of a surgeon. But I 
 never met the little man skipping through the hall, with oddly 
 shaped cases in his hand, and an absorbed expression of coun 
 tenance, without being sure that a select party of surgeons 
 were at work in the dead house, which idea was a rather trying 
 one, when I knew the subject was some person whom I had 
 nursed and cared for. 
 
 Bat this must not lead any one to suppose that the surgeons 
 were willfully hard or cruel, though one of them remorsefully 
 confided to me that he feared his profession blunted his sensi 
 bilities, and, perhaps, rendered him indifferent to the sight of 
 pain. 
 
 I am inclined to think that, in some cases it does ; for, though 
 a capital surgeon and a kindly man, Dr. P., through long 
 acquaintance with many of the ills flesh is heir to, had acquired 
 a somewhat trying habit of regarding a man and his wound aa 
 separate institutions, and seemed rather annoyed that tbo 
 former should express any opinion upon the latter, or claim 
 any right in it, while under his care. He had a way of 
 twitching off a bandage, and giving a limb a comprehensive 
 eort of clutch, which, though no doubt entirely scientific, was
 
 92 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 rather startling than soothing, and highly objectionable as a 
 means of preparing nerves for any fresh trial. He also 
 expected the patient to assist in small operations, as he consid 
 ered them, and to restrain all demonstrations during tho 
 process. 
 
 " Hero, my man, just hold it this way, while I look into it 
 a bit," he said one day to Fitz G., putting a wounded arm 
 into the keeping of a sound one, and proceeding to poke 
 about among bits of bone and visible muscles, in a red and 
 black chasm made by some infernal machine of the shot or 
 shell description. Poor Fitz held on like grim Death, ashamed 
 to show fear before a woman, till it grew more than he could 
 bear in silence ; and, after a few smothered groans, he looked 
 at mo imploringly, as if he said, " I wouldn t, ma am, if I 
 could help it," and fainted quietly away. 
 
 Dr. P. looked up, gave a compassionate sort of cluck, and 
 poked away more busily than ever, with a nod at me and a 
 brief " Never mind ; be so good as to hold this till I finish." 
 
 I obeyed, cherishing the while a strong desire to insinuate a 
 few of his own disagreeable knives and scissors into him, and 
 Bee how he liked it. A very disrespectful and ridiculous 
 fancy, of course ; for he was doing all that could be done, 
 and the arm prospered finely in his hands. But the human 
 mind is prone to prejudice ; and, though a personable man, 
 speaking French like a born " Parley voo," and whipping off 
 legs like an animated guillotine, I must confess to a sense of 
 relief when he was ordered elsewhere ; and suspect that several 
 of the men would have faced a rebel battery with less trepida 
 tion than they did Dr. P., when he came briskly in on his 
 morning round. 
 
 As if to give us the pleasures of contrast, Dr. Z. succeeded 
 him, who, I think, suffered more in giving pain thas did his
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 1)3 
 
 patients in enduring it ; for he often paused to ask: " Do I 
 nurt you?" and, seeing his solicitude, the boys invariably 
 answered : " Not much ; go ahead, Doctor," though tho lips 
 that uttered this amiable lib might be white with pain as they 
 spoke. Over the dressing of some of the wounds, wo used 
 to carry on conversations upon subjects foreign to the work in 
 hand, that the patient might forget himself in the charms of 
 our discourse. Christmas eve was spent in this way ; tha 
 Doctor strapping the little Sergeant s arm, I holding the lamp, 
 while alt three laughed and talked, as if anywhere but in a 
 hospital ward ; except when the chat was broken by a long- 
 drawn " Oh ! " from " Baby B.," an abrupt request from the 
 Doctor to "Hold the lamp a little higher, please," or an 
 encouraging, " Most through, Sergeant," from Nurse P. 
 
 The chief Surgeon, Dr. 0., I was told, refused the higher 
 salary, greater honor, and less labor, of an appointment to 
 the Officer s Hospital, round the corner, that he might serve 
 the poor fellows at Hurlyburly House, or go to the front, 
 working there day and night, among the horrors that succeed 
 the glories of a battle. I liked that so much, that the quiet, 
 brown-eyed Doctor was my especial admiration ; and when my 
 own turn came, had more faith in him than in all the rest 
 put together, although he did advise me to go home, and 
 authorize the consumption of blue pills. 
 
 Speaking of the surgeons reminds me that, having found all 
 manner of fault, it becomes me to celebrate the redeeming 
 feature of Hurlyburly House. I had been prepared by the 
 accounts of others, to expect much humiliation of spirit from 
 the surgeons, and to be treated by them like a door-mat, a 
 Trorrn, or any other meek and lowly article, whose mission it 
 is to be put down and walked upon ; nurses being considered 
 as mere servants, receiving the lowest pay, and, it s my private
 
 94 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 opinion, doing the hardest work of any part of the army, 
 except the mules. Great, therefore, was my surprise, when ] 
 found myself treated with the utmost courtesy and kindness. 
 Very soon my carefully prepared meekness was laid upon the 
 shelf; and, going from one extreme to the other, I more than 
 once expressed a difference of opinion regarding sundry messes 
 it was my painful duty to administer. 
 
 As eight of us nurses chanced to be off duty at once, we 
 had an excellent opportunity of trying the virtues of these 
 gentlemen ; and I am bound to say they stood the test admi 
 rably, as far as my personal observation went: Dr. O. a 
 Btethescope was unremitting in ils attentions ; Dr. S. brought 
 his buttons into my room twice a day, with the regularity of a 
 medical clock ; while Dr. Z. filled my table with neat little 
 bottles, which I never emptied, prescribed Browning, bedewed 
 me with Cologne, and kept my fire going, as if, like the 
 candles in St. Peter s, it must never be permitted to die out. 
 Waking one cold night, with the certainty that my last spark 
 had expired, and consequently hours of coughing were in 
 store for me, I was much amazed to see a ruddy light dancing 
 on the wall, a jolly blaze roaring up the chimney, and, down 
 upon his knees before it, Dr. Z., whittling shavings. I ought 
 to have risen up and thanked him on the spot ; but, knowing 
 that he was one of those who like to do good by stealth, I 
 only peeped at him as if he were a friendly ghost ; till, having 
 made things as cozy as the most motherly of nurses could 
 have done, he crept away, leaving me to feel, as somebody 
 says, "as if angels were a watching of me in my sleep ;" 
 though that species of wild fowl do not usually descend in 
 broadcloth and glasses. I afterwards discovered that he split 
 the wood himself on that cool January midnight, and went 
 about making or mending fires for the poor old ladies in their
 
 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 95 
 
 dismal dens ; thus causing himself to be regarded as a bright 
 and shining light in more ways than one. I never thanked him 
 as I ought ; therefore, I publicly make a note of it, and furthei 
 aggravate that modest M. D. by saying that if this was not 
 being the best of doctors aod the gentlest of gentlemen, I shall 
 be happy to see any improvement upon it. 
 
 To such as wish to know where these scenes took place, 1 
 must respectfully decline to answer ; for Hurly-burly House 
 has ceased to exist as a hospital ; so let it rest, with all its 
 sins upon its head, perhaps I should say chimney top. 
 When the nurses felt ill, the doctors departed, and the patients 
 got well, I believe the concern gently faded from existence, or 
 was merged into some other and better establishment, where I 
 hope the washing of three hundred sick people is done out of 
 the house, the food is eatable, and mortal women are not 
 expected to possess an angelic exemption from all wants, and 
 the endurance of truck horses. 
 
 Since the appearance of these hasty Sketches, I have heard 
 from several of my comrades at the Hospital ; and their 
 approval assures me that I have not let sympathy and fancy 
 run away with rne, as that lively team is apt to do when 
 harnessed to a pen. As no two persons see the same thing 
 with the same eyes, my view of hospital life must be taken 
 through my glass, and held for what it is worth. Certainly, 
 nothing was set down in malice, and to the serious-minded 
 party who objected to a tone of levity in some portions of the 
 Sketches, I can only say that it is a part of my religion to 
 look well after the cheerfulnesses of life, and let the dismals 
 shift for themselves ; believing, with good Sir Thomas More, 
 that it is wise to "be merrio in God." 
 
 The next hospital I entev will, I hope, be one for the 
 colored regiments, as they seem to be proving their right to
 
 96 HOSPITAL SKETCHES. 
 
 the admiration and kind offices of their white relations, who 
 owe them so large a debt, a little part of which I shall be 
 proud to pay. 
 
 Yours, 
 
 With a firm faith 
 
 In the good time coming, 
 TBIBULATION 
 
 HONCORD April, 1863.
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES.
 
 THE KING OF CLUBS 
 
 AND 
 
 THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. 
 
 A STORY FOR YOUNG AMERICA. 
 
 FIVE-and-twenty ladies, all in a row, sat on one side 
 of the hall, looking very much as if they felt like the 
 little old woman who fell asleep on the king s highway 
 and awoke Avith abbreviated drapery, for they were all 
 arrayed in gray tunics aiid Turkish continuations, pro 
 fusely adorned with many-colored trimmings. Five-and- 
 twenty gentlemen, all in a row, sat on the opposite side 
 of the hall, looking somewhat subdued, as men are apt to 
 do when they fancy they are in danger of making fools 
 of themselves. They, also, were en costume, for all the 
 dark ones had grown piratical in red shirts, the light ones 
 nautical in blue ; and a few boldly appeared in white, 
 making tip in starch and studs what they lost in color, 
 while all were more or less Byronic as to collar. 
 
 On the platform appeared a pile of dumb-bells, a 
 regiment of clubs, and a pyramid of bean-bags, and 
 stirring nervously among them a foreign-looking gen 
 tleman, the new leader of a class lately formed by 
 Dr. Thor Turner, whose mission it was to strengthen 
 the world s spiue, and convert it to a belief in air and 
 (09)
 
 IOO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES 
 
 exercise, by setting it to balancing its poles and spinning 
 merrily, while enjoying the u Sun-cure " on a large scale. 
 His advent formed fin epoch in the history of the town ; 
 for it was a quiet old village, guiltless of bustle, fashion, 
 or parade, where each man stood for what he was ; and, 
 being a sagacious set, every one s true value was pretty 
 accurately knoAvn. It was a neighborly town, with 
 gossip enough to stir the social atmosphere with small 
 gusts of interest or wonder, yet do no harm. A sensible, 
 free-and-easy town, for the wisest man in it wore the 
 worst boots, and no one thought the less of his under 
 standing ; the belle of the village went shopping with 
 a big sun-bonnet and tin pail, and no one found her 
 beaut-y lessened ; oddities of all sorts ambled peacefully 
 about on their various hobbies, and no one suggested 
 the expediency of a trip on the Avooden horse upon 
 which the chivalrous South is always eager to mount 
 an irrepressible abolitionist. Restless people were soothed 
 by the lullaby the river sang in its S!OAV journey to the 
 sea, old people found here a pleasant place to make 
 ready to die in, young people to survey the world from, 
 before taking their first flight, arid strangers looked back 
 upon it, as a quiet nook full of ancient legends and 
 modern lights, which would keep its memory green 
 when many a gayer spot was quite forgotten. Anything 
 based upon common sense found favor with the inhabit 
 ants, and Dr. Turner s theories, being eminently ,o, 
 were accepted at once, and energetically carried out. A 
 sort of heathen revival took place, for even the mini -{era 
 and deacons turned Mussclmcu ; old ladies tossed bean- 
 bags till their caps were aAvry, and winter-roses blos 
 somed on their cheeks ; school-children proved the worth
 
 KING OF CI.UBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. IO1 
 
 of the old proverb, " An ounce of prevention is worth a 
 pound of cure," by getting their backs ready before the 
 burdens came ; pale girls grew blithe and strong swing 
 ing their dumb namesakes ; and jolly lads marched to and 
 fro embracing clubs as if longevity were corked up in 
 those wooden bottles, and they all took " modest quench 
 ers " by the way. 
 
 August Bopp, the new leader of the class, was a Ger 
 man possessing but a small stock of English, though a 
 fine gymnast ; and being also a bashful man, the appointed 
 moment had no sooner arrived than he found his care 
 fully prepared sentences slipping aAvay from his memory 
 as the ice appears to do from under unhappy souls first 
 mounted upon skates. An awful silence reigned : Mr. 
 Bopp glanced nervously over his shoulder at the staring 
 rows, more appalling in their stillness than if they had 
 risen up and hooted at him ; then piling up the bags for 
 the seventh time, he gave himself a mental shake, and, 
 with a crimson visage, was about to launch his first 
 u Ladees imd gentlemen," when the door opened, and a 
 email, merry-faced figitre appeared, looking quite at ease 
 in the novel dress, as, with a comprehensive nod, it 
 \narchcd straight across the hall to its place amoug the 
 weaker vessels. 
 
 A general glance of approbation followed from the gen- 
 ilemcn s side, a welcoming murmur ran along the ladies , 
 and the fifty pairs of eyes changed their focus for a mo 
 ment. Taking advantage of which, Mr. Bopp righted 
 Lmn?clf, and burst out with a decided, 
 
 * Ladees und gentlemen : the time have arrived that 
 we ;.l all be^in. Will the jrentlemen serve the ladees to a
 
 IO2 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 wand, each one, Ilien spread theirselves about the hall, 
 and follow the motions I will make as I shall count." 
 
 Five minutes of chaos, then all fell into order, and 
 nothing was heard but the leader s voice and the stir of 
 many bodies movings imultaneously. An uninitiated ob 
 server would have thought himself in Bedlam ; for, as the 
 evening wore on, the laws of society seemed given to the 
 winds, and humanity gone mad. Bags flew in all direc 
 tions, clubs hurtled through the air, and dumb-bells played 
 a castinet accompaniment to peals of laughter that made 
 better music than any band. Old and young gave them 
 selves up to the universal merriment, and, setting dignity 
 aside, played like happy-hearted children for an hour. 
 Stout Dr. Quackenboss gasped twice round the hall on 
 one toe ; stately Mrs. Primmins ran like a girl of iif tecn 
 to get her pins home before her competitor ; Tommy 
 Inches, four feet three, trotted away with Deacon Stone 
 on his shoulder, while Mr. Stecpleton and Miss Maypole 
 hopped together like a pair of lively young ostriches, and 
 Ned Amandine, the village beau, blew arrows through a 
 pip-gun, like a modern Cupid in pegtops instead of 
 pinions. 
 
 The sprightly young lady whose entrance had been so 
 opportune seemed a universal favorite, and was over 
 whelmed with invitations to " bag," " hop," and " blow * 
 from the gentlemen who hovered about her, cheerfully 
 distorting themselves to the verge of dislocation in order 
 to win a glance of approbation from the mcrrv black 
 eyes which were the tapers where all these muscular 
 moths singed their wings. Mr. Bopp had never seen such 
 a little piece of earnestness before, and began to think 
 \he young lady must be training for a boat-race or the
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 103 
 
 ring. Her dumb-bells flew about till a pair of -white 
 arms looked like the sails of a windmill ; she hit out 
 from the shoulder \vuh a vigor that would have done 
 execution had there been anything but empty air to 
 " punish " ; and the " one, two, three ! " of the Zouave 
 movement went off with a snap ; while the color deep 
 ened from pink to scarlet in her cheeks, the black braids 
 tumbled down upon her shoulders, and the clasp of her 
 belt flew asunder ; but her eye seldom left the leader s 
 fate, and she followed every motion with an agility and 
 precision quite inspiring. Mr. Bopp s courage rose as 
 he watched her, and a burning desire to excel took pos 
 session of him, till he felt as if his muscles were made 
 of india-rubber, and his nerves of iron. He went into 
 his work heart and soul, shaking a brown mane out of 
 his eyes, issuing commands like a general at the head of 
 his troops, and keeping both interest and fun in full blast 
 till people laughed who had not laughed heartily for years ; 
 lungs got their fill for once, unsuspected muscles were 
 suddenly developed, and when the clock struck ten, all 
 were bubbling over with that innocent jollity which 
 makes youth worth possessing, and its memory the sun 
 shine of old age. 
 
 The last exercise was drawing to a close, and a large 
 ring of respectable members of society were violently 
 sitting down and rising up in a manner which would have 
 scandalized Miss "Wilhelmina Carolina Amelia Skeggs to 
 the last degree, when Mr. Bopp was seen to grow very 
 pale, and drop in a manner which it was evident his 
 pupils were not expected to follow. 
 
 At this unexpected performance, the gentlemen took 
 advantage of their newly-acquired agility to fly over all
 
 IO4 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 obstacles and swarm on to the platform, while the ladies 
 successfully lessened their unusual bloom by staring wildly 
 at one another and suggesting awful impossibilities. Tho 
 bustle subsided as suddenly as it arose ; and Mr. Bopp, 
 rather damp about the head and dizzy about the eye, but 
 quite composed, appeared, saying, with the broken Eug 
 lish and appealing manner which caused all the ladies to 
 pronounce him " a dear " on the spot, 
 
 " I hope you will excoose me for making this lesson to 
 be more short than it should ; but I have exercise nine 
 hours this day, and being just got well from a illness, I 
 have not recover the strength I have lost. Next week I 
 shall be able to take time by the hair, so that I will not 
 have so much engagements in one day. I thank you for 
 your kindness, and say good-cfening." 
 
 After a round of applause, as a last vent for their 
 spirits, the class dispersed, and Mr. Bopp was wrestling 
 with a vicious pin as he put on his collar (" a sure sign 
 lie has no ma to see to his buttons, poor lamb ! " thought 
 Mrs. Fairbairn, watching him from afar) ; when the 
 sprightly young lady, accompanied by a lad the masculine 
 image of herself, appeared upon the platform, saying, 
 with an aspect as cordial as her words, 
 
 " Good-evening, sir. Allow me to introduce my 
 brother and myself, Dick and Dolly Ward, and ask you, 
 ic my mother s name, to come home with us ; for the 
 tavern is not a cosy place, and after all this exertion you 
 should be made comfortable Please come, for Dr. Tur 
 ner always stayed with us, and we promised to do the 
 honors of the town to any gentleman he might send to 
 Biipply his place." 
 
 " Of course we did ; and mother is probably freezing
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. IOJ 
 
 her blessed nose off watching for us ; so don t disappoint 
 her, Bopp. It s all settled ; the sleigh s at the door, and 
 here s your coat ; so, come on ! " 
 
 Dick was a fine sample of young America in its best 
 aspect, and would have said " How are you? " to Louia 
 Napoleon if he had been at hand, and have done it so 
 heartily that the great Frenchman would have found it 
 hard to resist giving as frank an answer. Therefore, no 
 wonder that Mr. Bopp surrendered at once ; for the 
 young gentleman took possession of him bodily, and shook 
 him into his coat with an amiable impetuosity which 
 developed a sudden rent in the well-worn sleeve thereof, 
 and caused an expression of dismay to dawn upon the 
 owner s countenance. 
 
 " Beg pardon ; never mind ; mother ll sew you up in 
 two seconds, and your overcoat Avill hide the damage. 
 Where is it? I ll get it, and then we ll be off." 
 
 Mr. Bopp colored distressfully, looked up, looked down, 
 and then straight into the lad s face, saying simply, 
 
 " Thank you ; I haf no coat but one." 
 
 Dick opened his eyes, and was about opening his mouth 
 also, for the exit of some blunderingly good-natured 
 reply, when a warning poke from his sister restrained 
 him ; while Dolly, with the innocent hypocrisy which is as 
 natural to some wmen as the art of tying bows, said, ar 
 he led the way out, 
 
 " You see the worth of gymnastics, Dick, in this 
 delightful indifference to cold. I sincerely hope we may 
 reach a like enviable state of health, and look upon great 
 coats as effeminate, and mufflers a weakness of the flesh. 
 Do you think we shall, Mr. Bopp ? " 
 
 lie shook his head with a perceptible shiver as the keen
 
 IO6 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 north wind smote him in the face, but answered, with a 
 look half merry, half sad, 
 
 " It is not choice, but what you call necositee, with 
 me ; and I truly hope you may never haf to exercise to 
 keep life in you when you haf sold your coat to pay your 
 doctor s bill, or teach the art of laughing while your 
 heart is heavy as one stone. You would not like that, I 
 think, yet it is good, too ; for small things make much 
 happiness for me, and a kind word is often better than a 
 rix-dollar." 
 
 There was something in the young man s tone and 
 manner which touched and won his hearers at once. 
 Dolly secretly resolved to put an extra blanket on his bed, 
 and shower kind words upon him, while Dick tucked him 
 up in buffalo robes, where he sat helplessly beaming down 
 upon the red hood at his side. 
 
 A roaring fire shone out hospitably as they came, and 
 glorified the pleasant room, dancing on ancient furniture 
 and pictured walls till the jolly old portraits seemed to 
 wink a visible welcome. A cheery-faced little woman, 
 like an elder Dolly, in a widow s cap, stood on the 
 threshold, with a friendly greeting for the stranger, which 
 warmed him as no fire could have done. 
 
 If August Bopp had been an Englishman, he would 
 have felt much, but said less on that account ; if he hud 
 been an American, he would have tried to conceal his 
 poverty, and impress the family with his past grandeur, 
 present importance, or future prospects ; being a German, 
 he showed exactly what he was, with the childlike frank 
 ness of his race. Having had no dinner, he ate heartily 
 of what Avas offered him ; being cold, he basked in the 
 generous warmth ; boiug homesick aud solitary, he en-
 
 KINO OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 107 
 
 joyed the genial influences that surrounded him, and 
 told his story, sure of sympathy; for even in prosaic 
 Yankeedom he had found it, as travellers find Alpine 
 flowers among the snow. 
 
 It was a simple story of a laborious boyhood, being 
 early left an orphan, with a little sister dependent on him, 
 till an opening in America tempted him to leave her, and 
 come to try and earn a home for her and for himself. 
 Sickness, misfortune, and disappointment had been his 
 companions for a year ; but he still worked, still hoped, 
 and waited for the happy hour when little Ulla should 
 come to him across the sea. This was all ; yet as he 
 told it, with the magical accompaniments of gesture, 
 look, and tone, it seemed full of pathos and romance to 
 his listeners, whose faces proved their interest more flat 
 teringly than their words. 
 
 Mrs. Ward mended the torn coat with motherly zeal, 
 and gave it many of those timely stitches which thrifty 
 \vomen love to sew. The young folks devoted themselves 
 to their guest, each in a characteristic manner. Dick, as 
 host, offered every article of refreshment the house 
 afforded, goaded the fire to a perpetual roar, and discussed 
 gymnastics, Avith bursts of boyish admiration for the 
 grace and skill of his new leader, whom he christened 
 King of Clubs on the spot. Dolly made the stranger one 
 of them at once by talking bad German, as an offset to 
 his bad English, and unconsciously symbolized his future 
 bondage by giving him a tangled skein to hold for the 
 furtherance of her mother s somewhat lengthened job. 
 
 The Cupid of the present day Avas undoubtedly " raised" 
 in Connecticut ; for the ingenuity and shrewdness of that 
 srnall personage could have sprung from no other soil. In
 
 to8 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 former times his stratagems were of the romantic order. 
 Colin bleated forth his passion in rhyme, and cast sheep s 
 eyes from among his flock, while Phyllis coquetted wiih 
 her crook and stuck posies in his hat ; royal Ferdinand 
 and Miranda played at chess ; Ivanhoe upset his fellow- 
 men like nine-pins for love of lackadaisical Ilowcna ; and 
 " sweet Moll " turned the pages while her lover, Milton, 
 mg. But in our da^, the jolly little god, though still a 
 heathen in the severe simplicity of his attire, has become 
 modernized in his arts, and invented huskings, apple-bees, 
 sleigh-rides, " dropins," gymnastics, and, among his finer 
 snares, the putting on of skates, drawing of patterns, and 
 holding skeins, the last-named having superior advan 
 tages over the others, as all will testify who have enjoyed 
 one of those hand-to-hand skirmishes. 
 
 August Bopp was threc-and-twenty, imaginative, grate 
 ful and heart-whole ; therefore, when he found himself 
 sitting opposite a blooming little damsel, with a head 
 boimd by a pretty red snood bent down before him, and 
 very close to his own a pair of distracting hands, every 
 fmgcr of which had a hit to make, and made it, it is not 
 to be denied that he felt himself entering upon a new and 
 very agreeable experience. AVhcrc could he look but in 
 the face opposite, sometimes so girlishly merry and some 
 times so beautifully shy? It was a winning face, full of 
 smooth curves, fresh colors, and sunshiny twinkles, a 
 face every one liked, for it was as changeful as an April 
 day, and always pleasant, whether mischievous, mourn 
 ful or demure. 
 
 Like one watching a new picture, Mr. Bopp inspected 
 every feature of the countenance so near his own ; and 
 as his admiration " grew by what it fed on," he fell into
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 109 
 
 a chronic state of stammer and blush ; for the frank eyes 
 were very kind, the smooth cheeks reflected a pretty 
 shade of his own crimson, and the smiling lips seemed 
 constantly suggesting, with mute eloquence, that they 
 were made for kissing, while the expressive hands picked 
 at the knots till August felt like a very resigned fly in 
 the web of a most enticing young spider. 
 
 If the King of Clubs saw a comely face, the Queen of 
 Hearts* saw what observing girls call a " good face"; 
 and with a womanly respect for strength, the manliest 
 attribute of man, she admired the broad shoulders and 
 six feet one of her/ new master. This face was not hand 
 some, for, true to his fatherland, Bopp had an eminent 
 nose, a blonde beard, and a crop of "bonnie brown hair" 
 long enough to have been gathered into a ribbon, as in 
 the days of Schiller and Jean Paul ; but Dolly liked it, 
 for its strength was tempered with gentleness ; patience 
 and courage gave it dignity, and the glance that met her 
 own was both keen and kind. 
 
 The silk was wound at last, the coat repaired. Dick 
 with difficulty concealed the growing stiffness of his 
 shoulders, while Dolly turned up the lamp, which bluntly 
 hinted bedtime, and Mrs. Ward successfully devoured 
 six gapes behind her hand, but was detected in the 
 seventh by Mr. Bopp, who glanced at the clock, stopped 
 in the middle of a sentence, and, with a hurried " good 
 night," made for the door without the least idea whither 
 he was going. Piloted by Dick, he was installed in the 
 " best chamber," where his waking dreams were enliv 
 ened by a great fire, and his sleeping ones by an endless 
 succession of skeins, each rapturously concluded in the 
 style of Sam Weller when folding carpets with the pretty 
 maid.
 
 IIO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " I TELL you, Dolly, it won t do, and I m nut going to 
 have it." 
 
 " Oh, indeed ; and how Avill you help it, you absurd 
 boy?" 
 
 "Why, if you don t stop it, I ll just say to Bopp, 
 Look here, my dear fellow ; this sister of mine is a 
 capital girl, hut she will flirt, and " 
 
 " Add it s a family failing, Dick," cut in Dolly. 
 
 " Not a hit of it. I shall say, Take care of your 
 heart, Bopp, for she has a had hahit of playing battle 
 dore and shuttlecock with these articles ; and, though it 
 may he very good fun for a time, it makes them ache when 
 they get a last knock and arc left to lie in a corner. " 
 
 " What eloquence ! But you d never dare to try it on 
 Mr. Bopp ; and I shouldn t like to predict what would 
 happen to you if you did." 
 
 " If you say dare, I ll do it the first minute I see 
 him. As for consequences, I don t care that for em ; " 
 and Dick snapped his fingers with an aspect of much 
 disdain. But something in his sister s face suggested the 
 wisdom of moderation, and moved him to say, less like a 
 lord of creation, and more like a brother who privately 
 adored his sister, but of course was not going to acknowl 
 edge such a weakness, 
 
 "Well, but soberly, now, I wish you wouldn t plague 
 Bopr. ; for it s evident to me that he is hit ; and from the 
 way you ve gone on these t\vo months, what else was to 
 be expected? Now, as the head of the family, you 
 needn t laugh, for I am, I think I ought to interfere ; 
 and so I put it to you,* do you like him, and will you 
 have him ? or are you merely amusing yourself, as you
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. Ill 
 
 have done ever since you were out of pinafores ? If you 
 like him, all serene. I d rather have him for a brother 
 than any one I know, for he s a regular trump, though he 
 is poor ; but if you don t, I won t have the dear old fel 
 low floored just, because you like to see it done." 
 
 It may here be remarked that Dolly quite glowed to hear 
 her brother praise Mr. Bopp, and that she endorsed every 
 word with mental additions of double warmth ; but Dick 
 had begun all wrong, and, manlike, demanded her con 
 fidence before she had made up her mind to own she had 
 any to bestow ; therefore nothing came of it but vexa 
 tion of spirit ; for it is a well-known fact that, on some 
 subjects, if boys will tease, girls will fib, and both main 
 tain that it is right. So Dolly whetted her feminine 
 weapon, and assumed a lofty superiority. 
 
 " Dear me ! what a sudden spasm of virtue ; and why, 
 if it is such a sin, has not the head of the house taken 
 his sister to task before, instead of indulging in a like 
 degeneracy, and causing several interesting persons to 
 tear their hair, and bewail his forgetfulness, when they 
 ought to have blessed their stars he was out of the way ? " 
 
 Dick snow-balled a dozing crow and looked nettled ; for 
 he had attained that age when " Tom Brown at Oxford" 
 was the book of books, the twelfth chapter being the 
 favorite, and five young ladies having already been 
 endowed with the significant heliotrope flower, all of 
 which facts Dolly had skilfully brought to mind, as a 
 return-shot for his somewhat personal remarks. 
 
 " Buh ! they were only girls, and it don t amount to 
 anything among us young folks ; but Bopp is a grown 
 man, and you ought to respect him too much to play 
 such pranks with him. Besides, he s a German, and
 
 112 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 more tender-hearted than we rough Yankees, as auy oue 
 can see by the way he acts when you snub him. He is 
 proud, too, for all his meekness, and waits till he s sure 
 you like him before he says anything ; and he ll need the 
 patience of a family of Jobs at the rate you re going on, 
 a honey-pot one day and a pickle-jar the next. Do 
 make up your mind, and say yes or no, right off, Dolly." 
 
 " Would you have me meet him at the door with a 
 meek courtesy, and say, Oh, if you please, I m ready to 
 say, Yes, thank you, if you ll be good enough to say, 
 Will you ? " 
 
 " Don t be a goose, child ; you know I mean nothing 
 of the kind ; only you girls never will do anything 
 straight ahead if you can dodge and fuss and make a 
 mess of it. Just tell me one thing : Do you, or don t 
 you, like old Bopp ? " 
 
 " What an elegant way to put it ! Of course I like 
 him well enough as a leader ; he is clever, and sort of 
 cunning, and I enjoy his funny ways ; but what in the 
 world should I do with a great yellow-haired laddie who 
 could put me in his pocket, and yet is so meek that I 
 should never find the heart to hen-peck him? You are 
 welcome to him ; and since you love him so much, there s 
 DO need of my troubling myself on his account ; for with 
 you for a friend, he can have no earthly wish ungratified." 
 
 44 Don t try to be cutting, Dolly, because you look 
 homely when you do, and it s a woman s business to be 
 pretty always. All I ve got to say is, you will be 
 in a nice state of mind if you damage Bopp ; for every 
 one likes him, and will be down upon you for a heartless 
 little wretch ; and I shan t blame them, I promise you." 
 
 * I wish the town wouldn t put its fingers in other
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEX OF HEARTS. 113 
 
 people s pies, and you may tell it so, with my compli 
 ments ; and all /have to say is, that you men have more 
 liberty than you know what to do with, and we women 
 haven t enough ; so it s perfectly fair that we should show 
 you the worth of the thing by taking it away uow and 
 then. I shall do exactly as I please : dance, walk, ride 
 and flirt, whenever and with whomever I see fit ; and the 
 whole town, with Mr. Dick Ward at their head, can t 
 stop^ne if I choose to go on. Now then, what next?" 
 After which declaration of independence Dolly folded 
 her arms and wheeled about and faced her brother, a spir 
 ited statuette of Self- Will, in a red hood and mittens. 
 
 Dick sternly asked, 
 
 " Is that your firm decision, ma am ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And you will not give up your nonsense? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " You are quite sure you don t care for Bopp ? " 
 
 " I could slap him Avith all my heart." 
 
 * Very good. I shall see that you don t get a chance." 
 
 " I wouldn t try a skirmish, for you ll get beaten, 
 Dick." 
 
 " We ll prove that, ma am." 
 
 " We will, sir." 
 
 And the belligerents loftily paced up the lawn, with 
 their purpose so well expressed by outward signs that 
 Mrs. Ward knew, by the cock of Dick s hat and the 
 decided tap of Dolly s heels, that a storm was brewing, 
 before they entered the door. 
 
 This fraternal conversation took place some two 
 months from the evening of Mr. Bopp s advent, as the 
 young folks were strolling home from school, which school 
 8
 
 114 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 must be briefly alluded to in order to explain the fore 
 going remarks. It was an excellent institution in all 
 respects ; for its presiding genius stood high in the town- 
 folks esteem, and might have served as an example to 
 Dr. Watts " busy bee," in the zeal with which he im 
 proved his " shining hours," and laid up honey against 
 the winter, which many hoped would be long in coming. 
 All manner of aids were provided for sprouting souls and 
 bodies, diversions innumerable, and the best society. But, 
 sad to relate, in spite of all these blessings, the students 
 who resorted to this academy possessed an Adam-and- 
 Eve-like proclivity for exactly what they hadn t got and 
 didn t need ; and, not contented with the pleasures pro 
 vided, must needs play truant with that young scamp 
 Eros, and turn the ancient town topsy-turvy with modern 
 innovations, till scandalized spinsters predicted that the 
 very babies would catch the fever, refuse their panada in 
 jealous gloom, send billets-doux in their rattles, elope in 
 wicker-carriages, and set up housekeeping in dolls houses, 
 after the latest fashion. 
 
 Certain inflammable Southerners introduced the new 
 game, and left such romantic legends of their loves behind 
 them that their successors were fired with an ambition to 
 do the like, and excel in all things, from cricket to 
 captivation. 
 
 This state of things is not to be wondered at ; for 
 America, being renowned as a " fast" nation, has become 
 a sort of hot-bed, and seems to force humanity into early 
 bloom. Therefore, past generations must not groaa over 
 the sprightly present, but sit in the chimney-corner and 
 see boys and girls play the game which is too .apt to end 
 in a checkmate for one of the players. To many of the
 
 KING O! CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 115 
 
 lookers-on, the new order of things was as good as a 
 puppet-show; for, wilh the enthusiasm of youth, the 
 actors performed their parts heartily, forgetting the audi- 
 CQCC in their own earnestness. Bless us ! what revolu 
 tion? went on under the round jackets, and what 
 love-tokens lay in the pockets thereof. What plots and 
 counterplots occupied the heads that wore the innocent- 
 looking snoods, and what captives were taken in the 
 many-colored nets that would come off and have to be 
 takei/eare of. What romances blossomed like dandelions 
 along the road to school, and what tales the river might 
 have told if any one could have learned its musical 
 speech. How certain gates were glorified by daily liu- 
 gerings thereat, and what tender memories hung about 
 dingy desks, old pens, and books illustrated with all man 
 ner of symbolical designs. 
 
 Let those laugh who will : older and wiser men and 
 women might have taken lessons of these budding heroes 
 and heroines ; for here all was honest, sincere, and fresh ; 
 the old world had not taught them falsehood, self-interest, 
 or mean ambitions. When they lost or Avon, they frankly 
 grieved or rejoiced, and wore no masks except in play, 
 and then got them off as soon as possible. If blue-eyed 
 Lizzie frowned, or went home with Joe, Ned, with a wis 
 dom, older lovers would do well to imitate, went in for 
 another game of foot-ball, gave the rejected apple to little 
 Sally, and whistled " Glory Hallelujah " instead of 
 " Annie Laurie," which was better than blowing a rival s 
 brains out, or glowering at womankind forever after. 
 Or, when Tom put on Clara s skates three successive 
 days, and danced with her three successive evenings, 
 leaving Kitty to freeze her feet in the one instance and
 
 tl6 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 fold her hands in the other, she just had a " good cry," 
 gave her mother an extra kiss, and waited till the recreant 
 Tom returned to his allegiance, finding his little friend a 
 sweetheart in nature as in name. 
 
 Dick and Dolly were foremost in the ranks, and expert 
 in all the new amusements. Dick worshipped at many 
 shrines, but most faithfully at that of a meek divinity, 
 who returned charming answers to the ardent epistles 
 which he left in her father s garden wall, where, Pyramus 
 and Thisbe-like, they often chatted through a chink ; and 
 Dolly was seldom seen without a staff of aids who would 
 have "fought, bled, and died" for her as cheerfully as 
 the Little Corporal s Old Guard, though she paid them 
 only in words ; for her Waterloo had not yet come. 
 
 WITH the charming perversity of her sex in such 
 matters, no sooner had Dolly declared that she didn t 
 like Mr. Bopp, than she began to discover that she did ; 
 and so far from desiring " to slap him," a tendency to 
 regard him with peculiar good-will and tenderness devel 
 oped itself, much to her own surprise ; for with all her 
 coquetry and seeming coldness, Dolly had a right 
 womanly heart of her own, though she had never 
 acknowledged the fact till August Bopp looked at her 
 with so much love and longing in his honest eyes. 
 Then she found a little fear mingling with her regard, 
 felt a strong desire to be respected by him, discovered a 
 certain something which she called conscience, restraining 
 a reckles-s use of her power, and, soon after her lofty 
 denial to Dick, was forced to own that Mr. Bopp had
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 11^ 
 
 become her master in the finer species of gymnastic? 
 that came in with Adam and Eve, and have kept all 
 creation turning somersets ever since. Of course these 
 discoveries were unconfessed, even to that best bosom 
 friend which any of u& can have ; yet her mother sus 
 pected them, and, with much anxiety, saw all, yet held 
 her peace, knowing that her little daughter would, sooner 
 or later, give her a fuller confidence than could be de 
 manded ; and remembering the happiest moments of her 
 own liappy past, when an older Dick wooed another 
 Dolly, she left that flower, which never can be forced, to 
 open at its own sweet will. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mr. Bopp, though carrying his heart upon 
 his sleeve, believed his secret buried in the deepest gloom, 
 and enjoyed all the delightful miseries lovers insist upon 
 making for themselves. When Dolly was quiet or absent, 
 he became pensive, the lesson dragged, and people fan 
 cied they were getting tired of the humbug ; when Dolly 
 was blithe and bland, he grew radiant, exercised within 
 an inch of his life as a vent for his emotions, and people 
 went home declaring gymnastics to be the crowning tri 
 umph of the age ; and when Dolly was capricious, Mr. 
 Bopp became a bewildered weathercock, changing as the 
 wind changed, and dire was the confusion occasioned 
 thereby. 
 
 Like the sage fowl in the story, Dick said nothing, but 
 " kept up a terrible thinking," and, not having had expe 
 rience enough to know that when a woman says No she 
 is -\ cry apt to mean Yes, he took Dolly at her word. 
 Believing it to be his duty to warn " Old Bopp," he 
 resolved, to do it like a Roman brother, regardless of his 
 own feelings or his sister s wrath, quite unconscious tlnf
 
 Il8 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 the motive -power in the affair was a boyish love of ruling 
 the young person who ruled every one else. 
 
 Matters stood thus, when the town was electrified hy 
 a general invitation to the annual jubilee at Jolly boys 
 Hall, which this spring flowered into a masquerade, and 
 filled the souls of old and young with visions of splendor, 
 frolic and fun. Being an amiable old town, it gave 
 itself up, like a kind grandma, to the wishes of its chil 
 dren, let them put its knitting away, disturb its naps, keep 
 its hands busy with vanities of the flesh, and its mind in a 
 state of chaos for three mortal weeks. Young ladies were 
 obscured by tarlatan fogs, behind which they concocted 
 angels wings, newspaper gowns, Minnehaha s wampum, 
 and Cinderella s slippers. Inspired but incapable boys 
 undertook designs that would have daunted a costumer 
 of the first water, fell into sloughs of despond, and, 
 emerging, settled down from peers and paladins into 
 jovial tars, friar waterproofs, and officers in miscellane 
 ous iiniforms. Fathers laughed or grumbled at the whole 
 thing, and advanced pecuniary loans with good or ill 
 grace, as the case might be ; but the mothers, whose 
 interest in their children s pleasure is a sort of evergreen 
 that no snows of time can kill, seAved spangles by the 
 bushel, niftde Avilderncsses of tissue-paper blossom as the 
 lose, kept tempers sweet, stomachs full, and domestic 
 machinery Avorkiug smoothly through it all, by that ma 
 ternal magic which makes them the human providences 
 of this naughty world. 
 
 " What shall 1 go as ?" Avas the universal cry. Gai-reta 
 were taken by storm, cherished relics were teased out. of 
 old ladies laA endered chests (happy she AA^IO saAv them 
 n?ain !), hats Avere made into boots, gOAvns into doublets.
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 1 19 
 
 cloaks into liosc, Sunday bonnets despoiled of their 
 plumage, silken cauliflowers sown broadcast over the 
 land, and cocked-up caps erected in every style of archi 
 tecture, while " Tag, Hag, and Bobtail" drove a cmash- 
 ing business, and everybody knew what everybody else 
 was going to be, and solemnly vowed they didn t, 
 which transparent falsehood was the best joke of the 
 whole. 
 
 Dolljt allowed her mates to believe she was to be the 
 Queen of Hearts, but privately laid hold of certain 
 brocades worn by a trim grandmother half a century 
 ago, and one evening burst upon her brother in a charm 
 ing "Little Bo-Peep" costume, which, for the benefit of 
 future distressed damsels, may be described as a white 
 silk skirt, scarlet overdress, " neatly bundled up behind," 
 as ancient ladies expressed it, blue hose with red clocks, 
 high-heeled shoes with silver buckles, a nosegay in the 
 tucker, and a fly-way hat perched on the top of black 
 curls, which gave additional archness to Dolly s face aa 
 she entered, singing that famous ditty. 
 
 Dick surveyed her with approval, turning her about 
 like a lay figure, and expressing his fraternal opinion 
 that she was " the sauciest little turnout he ever saw," 
 and then wet-blanketed the remark by adding, " Of 
 com se you don t call it a disguise, do you? and don t 
 flatter yourself that you won t be known ; for Dolly 
 Ward is as plainly written in every curl, bow, and 
 gimcrack, as if you wore a label on your back." 
 
 " Then I shan t wear it " ; and off went the hat at one 
 fell blow, as Dolly threw her crook in one corner, her 
 posy in another, and sat down an image of despair. 
 
 " Now don t be a goose, and rip everything to bits,
 
 I2O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 just wear a domino over all, as Fan is going to, and 
 then, when you ve had fun enough, take it off and do the 
 pretty. It will make two rigs, you see, and bother the 
 boys to your heart s content." 
 
 " Dick, I insist upon kissing you for that brilliant sug 
 gestion ; and then you may run and get me eight yards 
 of cambric, just the color of Fan s ; but if you tell any 
 cue, I ll keep her from dancing with you the whole 
 evening ; " with which bribe and threat Dolly embraced 
 her brother, and shut the door in his face, while he, 
 putting himself in good humor by imagining she was 
 somebody else, departed on his muddy mission. 
 
 If the ghosts of the first settlers had taken their walks 
 abroad on the eventful Friday night, they would have 
 held up their shadowy hands at the scenes going on under 
 their venerable noses ; for strange figures flitted through 
 the quiet streets, and, instead of decorous slumber, there 
 was decidedly 
 
 " A sound of revelry by night." 
 
 Spurs clanked and swords rattled over the frosty 
 ground, as if the British were about to make another 
 flying call ; hooded monks and nuns paced along, on 
 carnal thoughts intent ; ancient ladies and bcwigged 
 gentlemen seemed hurrying to enjoy a social cup of tea, 
 and groan over the tax ; barrels staggered and stuck 
 through narrow ways, as if temperance were still among 
 the lost arts, while bears, apes, imps and elves pattered 
 or sparkled by, as if a second Walpurgis Night had 
 <;ome, and all were bound for Blocksberg. 
 
 " Hooray for the rooster ! " shouted Young Ireland, 
 encamped on tlio sidowalk to see the show, as Mephis-
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND OJJEEN OK HEARTS. 121 
 
 topheles red cock s feather skimmed up the stairs, and 
 he left a pink domino at the ladies dressing-room door, 
 with the brief warning, " Now cut your own capers and 
 leave me to mine," adding, as he paused a moment at 
 the great door, 
 
 44 By Jove ! isn t it a jolly sight, though? " 
 And so it was ; for a mammoth boot stood sentinel at 
 the entrance ; a Bedouin Arab leaned on his spear in on 
 rorner, looking as if ready to say, 
 
 " Fly to the desert, fly with me," 
 
 to the pretty Jewess on his arm ; a stately Hamlet, with 
 irreproachable legs, settled his plumage in another, still 
 undecided to which Ophelia he would first address 
 
 " The honey of his music vows." 
 
 Bluff King Hal s representative was waltzing in a way 
 that would have filled that stout potentate with respectful 
 admii ation, while Queen Katherine flirted with a Fire 
 Zouave. Alcibiadcs whisked Mother Goose about the 
 room till the old lady s conical hat tottered on her head, 
 and the Union held fast to a very little Mac. Flocks of 
 friars, black, white and gray, pervaded the hall, with 
 flocks of ballet-girls, intended to represent peasants, but 
 failing for lack of drapery ; morning and evening stars 
 rose or set, as partners willed ; lively red demons 
 harassed meek nuns, and knights of the Leopard, tho 
 Lion, or Griffin, flashed by, looking heroically uncom 
 fortable in their gilded cages ; court ladies promenaded 
 with Jack-tars, and dukes danced with dairy-maids, while 
 Brother Jonathan whittled, Aunt Dinah jabbered, Ingo
 
 122 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 rnar flourished his club, and every one felt warmly enthu 
 siastic and vigorously jolly. 
 
 " Ach himmel ! Das iat wunder schon ! " murmured a 
 tall, gray monk, looking in, and quite unconscious that 
 he spoke aloud. 
 
 " IIullo, Bopp ! I thought you weren t coming," cried 
 Mephistopheles in an emphatic whisper. 
 
 u Ah, I guess you I yes, you are well done. I should 
 like to be a Faust for you, but I haf no time, no purse 
 for a dress, so I throw this on, and run up for a hour 
 or t\vo. AVhcre is, who is all these people? Do you 
 know them? " 
 
 " The one with the Pope, Fra Diavolo, the telegraph, 
 and two knights asking her to dance, is Dolly, if that s 
 what you want to know. Go in and keep it up, Bopp, 
 while you can ; I am off for Fan ; " and Mephistopheles 
 departed over the banisters with a weird agility that de 
 lighted the beholders ; Avhile the gray friar stole into a 
 corner and watched the pink domino for half an hour, at 
 the end of which time his regards Averc somewhat con 
 fused by discovering that there were two pink damsels so 
 like that he could not tell which was the one pointed out 
 by Dick, and which the new-comer. 
 
 " She thinks I will not know her, but I shall go now 
 and find out for myself;" and, starting into sudden ac 
 tivity, the gray brother strode up to the nearest pink 
 lady, bowed, and offered his arm. With a haughty little 
 gesture of denial to several others, she accepted it, and 
 they joined the circle of many-colored promenaders that 
 eddied round the hall. As they went, Mr. Bopp scruti- 
 Dized his companion, but saw only a slender figure
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUKKN OF HEARTS. 1 2$ 
 
 shrouded from head to foot, and the tip of a white glove 
 resting on his arm. 
 
 " I will speak ; then her voice Avill betray her," he 
 thought, forgetting that his own was uudisguisable. 
 
 " Madame, permit me that I fan you, it is so greatly 
 warm." 
 
 A fan was surrendered with a boAV, and the masked 
 face turned fully towards his own, while the hood trem 
 bled ^ if its wearer laughed silently. 
 
 "Ah, it is you, I know the eyes, the step, the 
 laugh. Miss Dolly, did you thiuk you could hide from 
 me? " 
 
 " I did not wish to," was the whispered answer. 
 
 " Did you think I would come? " 
 
 " I hoped so." 
 
 " Then you are not displease with me?" 
 
 " Xo ; I am very glad ; I wanted you." 
 
 The pink head drooped a little nearer, and another 
 white glove went to meet its mate upon his arm with a 
 pretty, confiding gesture. Mr. Bopp instantly fell into a 
 state of bliss, the lights, imisic, gay surroundings, 
 and, more than all, this unwonted demonstration, put tho 
 crowning glory to the moment ; and, fired with the hopeful 
 omen, he allowed his love to silence his prudence, and 
 lead him to do, then and there, the very thing he had 
 often resolved never to do at all. 
 
 * Ah, Miss Dolly, if you knew how nwch, how very 
 much you haf enlarged my happiness, and made this 
 efeuing shine for me, you would more often be a little 
 friendly, for this winter has been all summer to me, 
 since I knew you and your kind home, and now I haf no 
 sorrow but that after the next lesson I come no more
 
 124 CAMP AND FIRESIDE RTOPTES. 
 
 unless you gif me leaf. See now I must say this even 
 here, when so much people are about us, because I can 
 not stop it ; and you will forgif me that I cannot wait 
 any longer." 
 
 " Mr. Bopp, please don t, please stop ! " began the 
 pink domino in a hurried whisper. But Mi. Bopp was 
 not to be stopped. lie had dammed up the stream so 
 long, that now it rushed on fast, full and uncontrollable ; 
 for, leading her into one of the curtained recesses near 
 by, he sat down beside her, and, still plying the fan, 
 went on impetuously, 
 
 " I feel to say that I lofe you, and tho I try to kill it, 
 my lofe will not die, because it is more strong than my 
 will, more dear than my pride, for I haf much, and I do 
 not ask you to be meine Frau till I can gif you more 
 than my heart and my poor name. But hear now : I 
 will work, and save, and wait a many years if at the end 
 you will take all I haf and say, August, I lofe you. 
 Do not laugh at me becau&c I say this in such poor 
 words ; you are my heart s dearest, and I must tell it or 
 never come again. Speak to me one kind yes, and I will 
 thank Gott for so much joy." 
 
 The pink domino had listened to this rapid speech 
 with averted head, and, when it ended, started up, saying 
 eagerly, " You are mistaken, sir, I am not Dolly ; " but 
 as she spoke her words were belied, for the hasty move 
 ment partially displaced her mask, and Mr. Bopp saw 
 Dolly s eyes, a lock of dark hair, and a pair of burning 
 checks, before the screen was readjusted. With re 
 doubled earnestness he held her back, whispering, 
 
 " Do not go mitout the little word, Yes, or No ; it ia 
 hot much to say."
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OP HEARTS. 125 
 
 " Well then, No ! " 
 
 " You mean it? Dolly ! truly mean it? " 
 
 " Yes, let me go at ouce, sir." 
 
 Mr. Bopp stood up, saying, slowly, "Yes, go now; 
 they told me you had no heart ; I beliefe it, and thank 
 you for that No ; " then bowed, and walked straight out 
 of the hall, while the pink domino broke into a fit of 
 laughter, saying to herself, 
 
 " I v done it ! I ve done it ! but what a piece of work 
 there ll be to-morrow." 
 
 " Dick, who was that tall creature Fan was parading 
 with last night? No one knew, and he vanished before 
 the masks were taken off," asked Dolly, as she and her 
 brother lounged in opposite corners of the sofa the 
 morning after the masquerade, " talking it over." 
 
 " That was old Bopp, Mrs. Peep." 
 
 " Gracious me ! why, he said he wasn t coming." 
 
 " People sometimes say what they don t mean, as you 
 may have discovered." 
 
 " But why didn t he come and speak to a body, 
 Dick?" 
 
 " Better employed, I suppose." 
 
 " Now don t be cross, dear, but tell me all about it, 
 for I don t understand how you allowed him to monopo 
 lize Fan so." 
 
 " Oh, don t bother, I m sleepy." 
 
 " No you re not ; you look wicked ; I know you ve 
 been in mischief, and I insist upon hearing all about it, 
 so come and tell this instant."
 
 T26 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Dolly proceeded to enforce her command by pulling 
 away his pillow and dragging her brother into a sitting 
 posture, in spite of his laughing resistance and evident 
 desire to exhaust her patience ; for Dick excelled in teas 
 ing, and kept his sister in a fidget from morning till 
 night, with occasional fits of penitence and petting which 
 lasted till next time. Therefore, though dying to tell, he 
 was undecided as to the best method of executing thai 
 task in the manner most aggravating to his listener and 
 most agreeable to himself, and sat regarding her with 
 twinkling eyes, and his curly pate in a high state of 
 rumple, trying to appear innocently meek, but failing 
 signally. 
 
 " Now, then, begin," commanded Dolly. 
 
 " Well, if you won t take my head off till I m done, 
 I ll tell you the best joke of the season. Are you sure 
 the pink domino with Bopp wasn t yourself, for she 
 looked and acted very like you ? " 
 
 " Of course I am. I didn t even know he was there, 
 and think it very rude and ungentlemauly in him not to 
 come and speak to me. You know it was Fan, so do go 
 on." 
 
 But it wasn t, for she changed her mind and wore a 
 black domino ; I saw her put it on myself. Her Cousin 
 Jack came unexpectedly, and she thought if she altered 
 Ler dress and went with him, you wouldn t know her." 
 
 " AVTio could it have been, Dick ? " 
 
 " That s the mystery, for, do you know, Bopp proposed 
 to her." 
 
 " lie didn t ! " and Dolly flew up with a startled loot 
 ...it, to adopt a phrase from his own vocabulary, waf 
 " nuts " to her brother.
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 127 
 
 ** Yes he did ; I heard him." 
 
 "When, where, and how?" 
 
 " In one of those flirtation boxes ; they dropped the 
 curtain, but I heard him do it, on my honor I did." 
 
 " Persons of honor don t listen at curtains and key 
 holes. What did they say ? " 
 
 "Oh, if it wasn t honorable to listen, it isn t to hear ; 
 so I wpn t tell, though I could not help knowing it." 
 
 " Mercy ! don t stop now, or I shall die with curiosity. 
 I dare say I should have done the same ; no one minds 
 at such a place, you know. But I don t see the joke 
 yet," said Dolly dismally. 
 
 " I do," and Dick went off into a shout. 
 
 " You idiotic boy, take that pillow out of your mouth, 
 and tell me the whole thing, what he said, what she 
 said, and what they both did. It was all fun, of course, 
 but I d like to hear about it." 
 
 " It may have been fun on her part, but it was solemn 
 earnest on his, for he went it strong I assure you. I d 
 no idea the old fellow was so sly, for he appeared 
 smashed with you, you know, and there he was finishing 
 up with this unknown lady. I wish you could have 
 heard him go on, with tears in his eyes " 
 
 " How do you know, if you didn t see him?" 
 
 " Oh, well, that s only a figure of speech ; I thought 
 so from his voice. He was ever so tender, and took to 
 Dutch when English was too cool for him. It was 
 really touching, for I never heard a fellow do it before : 
 and, upon my word, I should think it was rather a tough 
 job to say that sort of thing to a pretty woman, mask 01 
 no mask." 
 
 " What did she say ? " asked Dolly, with her hands
 
 128 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 pressed tight together, and a curious little quiver of tli 
 lips. 
 
 " She said No, as short as pie-crust ; and when he 
 rushed cut with his heart broken all to bits, apparently, 
 she just burst out laughing, and went and polked at a 
 two-forty pace for half an hour." 
 
 Dora unclasped her hands, took a long breath, aud 
 cried out, 
 
 44 She was a wicked, heartless hussy ! and if I know 
 her, I ll never speak to her again ; for if he was really 
 in earnest, she ought to be killed for laughing at him." 
 
 " So ought you, then, for making fun of poor Fisher 
 when he went down on his knees behind the berry bushes 
 last summer. He was earnest enough, for he looked as 
 blue as his berries when he got home. Your theory is 
 all right, ma am, but your practice is all bosh." 
 
 " Hold your tongue about that silly thing. Boys in 
 college think they know everything, can do everything, 
 have everything, and only need beckon, and all woman 
 kind will come and adore. It made a man of him, and 
 he ll thank me for taking the sentimental nonsense and 
 conceit out of him. You will need just such a lesson at 
 the rate you go on, and I hope Fan will give it to you." 
 
 "When the lecture is over, I ll go on with the joke, if 
 you want to know it." 
 
 "Isn t this all?" 
 
 41 Oh, bless you, no ! the cream of it is to conm 
 What would you give to know who the lady was ? " 
 
 " Five dollars, down, this minute." 
 
 " Very good, hand em over, and I ll tell you." 
 
 "Truly, Dick?" 
 
 44 Yes, aud prove it."
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 129 
 
 Dolly produced her purse, and, bill in hand, sat wait- 
 Ing for the disclosure. Dick rose with a melo-dramatic 
 bow, 
 
 " Lo, it was I." 
 
 " That s a great fib, for I saw you flying about tho 
 whole evening." 
 
 " You saw my dress, but I was not in it." 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! who did I keep going to, then? and what 
 did I b to make a fool of myself, I wonder ? " 
 
 Purse and bill dropped out of Dolly s hand, and she 
 looked at her brother with a distracted expression oi 
 countenance. Dick rubbed his hands and chuckled. 
 
 " Here s a jolly state of things ! Now I ll tell you the 
 whole story. I never thought of doing it till I saw Bopp 
 and told him who you were ; but on my way for Fan I 
 wondered if he d get puzzled between you two ; and then 
 a grand idea popped into my head to puzzle him myself, 
 for I can take you off to the life. Fan didn t want me 
 to, but I made her, so she lent me hoops, and gown, and 
 the pink domino, and if ever I thanked my stars I wasn t 
 tall, I did then, for the things fitted capitally as to length, 
 though I kept splitting something down the back, and scat 
 tering hooks and eyes in all directions. I wish you 
 could have heard Jack roar while they rigged me. He 
 had no dress, so I lent him mine, till just before tho 
 masks were taken oif, when we cut home and changed. 
 He told me how you kept running to him to tie up your 
 slippers, find your fan, and tell him funny things, think 
 ing it was me. I never enjoyed anything so much in my 
 life." 
 
 " Go on," said Dolly, in a breathless sort of voice, and 
 the deluded boy obeyed.
 
 I3O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " I knew Bopp, and hovered near till he came to find 
 out \vho I was. I took you off in style, and it deceived 
 him, for I m only an inch or two taller than you, and 
 kept my head down in the lackadaisical way you girls 
 do ; I whispered, so my voice didn t hetray me ; and 
 was very clinging, and sweet, and fluttery, and that 
 blessed old goose was sure it was you. I thought it was 
 all over once, for when he came the heavy in the recesa 
 I got a bit flustered, he was so* serious about it, my 
 mask slipped, but I caught it, so he only saw my eyes 
 and forehead, which are just like yours, and that finished 
 him, for I ve no doubt I looked as red and silly as you 
 would have done in a like fix." 
 
 "Why did you say No?" and Dolly looked as stem 
 as fate. 
 
 "What else should I say? You told me you wouldn t 
 have him, and I thought it would save you the bother of 
 saying it, and him the pain of asking twice. I told him 
 some time ago that you were a born flirt ; he said he 
 knew it ; so I was surprised to hear him go on at such a 
 rate, but supposed that I was too amiable, and that 
 misled him. Poor old Bopp, I kept thinking of him all 
 night, as he looked when he said, They told me you had 
 no heart, now I believe it, and I thank you for that No. 
 It was rather a hard joke for him, but it s over now, ami 
 he won t have to do it again. You said I wouldn t dare 
 tell him about you ; didn t I? and haven t I won the " 
 
 The rest of the sentence went spinning dizzily through 
 Dick s head, as a sudden tingling sensation pervaded his 
 left ear, followed by a similar smart in the right ; and, 
 for a moment, chaos seemed to have come again. What- 
 evei Dolly did was thoroughly done : when she danced,
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QJ7EEN OF HEARTS. 13! 
 
 the soles of her shoes attested the fact ; when she flirted, 
 it was warm work while it lasted ; and when she was 
 angry, it thundered, lightened, and blew great guns till 
 the shower came, and the whole affair ended in a rain 
 bow. Therefore, being outwitted, disappointed, mor 
 tified and hurt, her first impulse was to find a vent for 
 these conflicting emotions ; and possessing skilful hands, 
 she left them to avenge the wrong done her heart, which 
 they did so faithfully, that if ever a young gentleman s 
 ears "\fere vigorously and completely boxed, Dick was 
 that young individual. As the thunder-clap ceased, the 
 gale began, and blew steadily for several minutes. 
 
 "You think it a joke, do you? I tell you it s a 
 wicked, cruel thing ; you ve told a lie ; you ve broken 
 August s heart, and made me so angry that I ll never 
 forgive you as long as I live. What do you know about 
 my feelings? and how dare you take it upon yourself to 
 answer for me? You think because we are nearly the 
 same age that I am no older than you, but you re mis 
 taken, for a boy of eighteen is a boy, a girl of seventeen 
 is often a woman, with a woman s hopes and plans ; you 
 don t understand this any more than you do August s love 
 for me, which you listened to and laughed at. I said I 
 didn t like him, and I didn t find out till afterward that I 
 did ; then I was afraid to tell you, lest you d twit me 
 with it. But now I care for no one, and I pay I do like 
 him, yes, I love him with all my heart, and soul, and 
 might, and I d die this minute if I could undo the harm 
 you ve done, and see him happy ! I know I ve been 
 selfish, vain, and thoughtless, but I am not now ; I lioped 
 he d love me, hoped he d see I cared for him, that I d 
 done trilling, and didn t miud if he was poor, for I d
 
 132 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 enough for both ; that I longed to make his life plcasaat 
 after all his troubles ; that I d send for the little sister he 
 loves so well, and never let him suffer any more ; for ha 
 is so good, so patient, so generous, and dear to me, 1 
 cannot do enough for him. Now it s all spoilt ; now I 
 can never tell him this, never comfort him in any way, 
 never be happy again all my life, and you have done it ! " 
 
 As Dolly stood before her brother, pouring out her 
 words with glittering eyes, impetuous voice, and face 
 pale with passionate emotion, he was scared ; for, as Ixia 
 scattered wits returned to him, he felt that he had been 
 playing with edge-tools, and had cut and slashed in rather 
 a promiscuous manner. Dazed and dizzy, he sat staring 
 at the excited figure before him, forgetting the indignity 
 he had received, the mistake he had made, the damage 
 he had done, in simple wonder at the revolutions going 
 on under his astonished eyes. When Dolly stopped for 
 breath, he muttered with a contrite look, 
 
 "I m very sorry, it was only fun ; and I thought it 
 would help you both, for how the deuce should I know 
 you liked the man when you said you hated him?" 
 
 " I never said that, and if I d wanted advice I should 
 have gone to mother. You men go blundering off with 
 half an idea in your heads, and never see your stupidity 
 till you have made a mess that can t be mended ; we 
 women don t work so, but save peonle s feelings, and are 
 called hypocrites for our pains. I never meant to tell 
 you, but I will now, to show you how I ve been serving 
 you, while you ve been harming me : every one of those 
 notes from Fan which you admire so much, answer so 
 carefully, and wear out in your pocket, though copied by 
 her, were written by me."
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN O f HEARTS. 1^3 
 
 " The dickins they were ! " Up flew Dick, and clap 
 ping liis hand on the left-breast pocket, out came a dozen 
 piuk notes tied up with a blue ribbon, and much the 
 worse for wear. lie hastily turned them over as Dolly 
 went on. 
 
 "Yes, I did it, for she didn t know how to answer 
 your notes, and came to me. I didn t laugh at them, or 
 make fun of her, but helped her silly little wits, and made 
 you a happy boy for three months, though you teased mo 
 day and night, for I loved you, and hadn t the heart to 
 spoil your pleasure." 
 
 " You ve done it now with a vengeance, and you re a 
 pair of deceitful minxes. I ve paid you off. I ll give 
 Fan one more note that will keep her eyes red for a 
 mouth ; and I ll never love or trust a girl again as long 
 as I live, never ! never ! " 
 
 Red with wrath, Dick threw the treasured packet into 
 the fire, punched it well down among the coals, flung 
 away the poker, and turned about with a look and ges 
 ture which would have been very comical if they had not 
 been decidedly pathetic, for, in spite of his years, a very 
 tender heart beat under the blue jacket, and it was griev 
 ously wounded at the perfidy of the gentle little divinity 
 whom he worshipped with daily increasing ardor. His 
 eyes filled, but he winked resolutely ; his lips trembled, 
 but he bit them hard ; his hands doubled themselves up, 
 but he remembered his adversary was a woman ; and, as 
 a last effort to preserve his masculine dignity, he began 
 to whistle. 
 
 As if the inconsistencies of womankind were to be 
 shown him as rapidly as possible, at this moment the 
 shower came on ; for, taking him tenderly ubout the neck,
 
 134 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Dolly fell to weeping so infectiously, that, after standing 
 rigidly erect till a great tear dropped oiF the cud of his 
 nose, Dick gave in, and laying his head on Dolly s 
 shoulder, the brother and sister quenched their anger, 
 washed away their malice, and soothed their sorrow by 
 one of those natural processes so kindly provided for 
 poor humanity, and so ol ten despised as a weakness when 
 it might prove a better strength than any pride. 
 
 DICK cleared up first, with no sign of the tempest but 
 a slight mist through which his native sunshine glim 
 mered pensively. 
 
 " Don t, dear,, don t cry so ; it will make you sick, and 
 won t do any good, for things will come right, or I ll 
 make em, and we ll be comfortable all round." 
 
 " No, we never can be as we were, and it s all my 
 fault. I ve betrayed Fan s confidence, I ve spoiled your 
 little romance, I ve been a thoughtless, wicked girl, I ve 
 lost August ; and, oh, dear me, I wish I was dead ! " 
 with which funereal climax Dolly cried despairingly. 
 
 " Oh, come now, don t be dismal, and blame yourself 
 for every trouble under the sun. Sit down and talk it 
 over, and sec what can be done. Poor old girl, I forgive 
 you the notes, and say I was wrong to meddle with Bopp. 
 I got you into the scrape, and I ll get you out if the sky 
 don t fall, or Bopp blow his brains out, like a second 
 "Werlhcr, before to-morrow." 
 
 Dick drew the animated fountain to the wide chair, 
 where they had sat together since they were born, wiped 
 her eyes, and patted her back, with an idea that it was 
 soothing to babies, and why not to girls?
 
 KINO OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 135 
 
 " I wish mother was at home," sighed Dolly, longing 
 Cor that port which Avas always a haven of refuge in 
 domestic squalls like this. 
 
 " Write, and tell her not to stay till Saturday." 
 
 " No ; it would spoil her visit, and you know she 
 deferred it to help us through this dreadful masquerade. 
 But I don t know what to do." 
 
 "Why, bless your heart, it s simple enough. I ll tell 
 Bopp, beg his pardon, say Dolly s willing, and there 
 you are all taut and ship-shape again." 
 
 " I wouldn t for the world, Dick. It would be very 
 hard for you, very awkward for me, and do no good ill 
 the end ; for August is so proud he d never forgive you 
 for such a trick, would never believe that I had a heart 
 after all you ve said and I ve done ; and I should only 
 hear with my own ears that he thanked me for that No. 
 Oh, why can t people know when they are in love, and 
 not go heels over head before they are ready ! " 
 
 "Well, if that don t suit, I ll let it alone, for that is all 
 I can suggest ; and if you like your woman s way better, 
 try it, only you ll have to fly round, because to-morrow ia 
 the last night, you know." 
 
 " I shan t go, Dick." 
 
 "Why not? we are going to give him the rosewood 
 let of things, have speeches, cheers for the King of 
 Clubs, and no end of fun." 
 
 " I can t help it ; there would be no fun for me, and I 
 couldn t look him in the face after all this." 
 
 " Oh, pooh ! yes you could, or it will be the first time 
 you dared not do damage with those wicked eyes of 
 yours." 
 
 " It is the first time I ever loved any one." Dolly i
 
 136 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 voice was so low, and her head drooped so much, that 
 this brief confession was apparently put away in Dick* a 
 pocket ; and, being an exceedingly novel one, tilled 
 that ardent youth with a desire to deposit a similar 
 one in the other pocket, which, being emptied of its 
 accustomed contents, left a somewhat aching void in it -self 
 and the heart underneath. After a moment s silence, ho 
 said, 
 
 " TVell, if you won t go, you can settle it when ho 
 comes here, though I think we should all do better to 
 confess coming home in the dark." 
 
 " He won t come here again, Dick." 
 
 " Won t he ! that shows you don t know Bopp as well aa 
 I. He ll come to say good-by, to thank mother for her 
 kindness, and you and me for the little things we ve done 
 for him (I wish I d left the last undone !), and go away 
 like a gentleman, as he is, see if he don t." 
 
 " Do you think so? Then I must see him." 
 
 " I m sure he will, for we men don t bear malice and 
 sulk and bawl when we come to grief this way, but stand 
 up and take it without winking, like the young Spartan 
 brick when the fox was digging into him, you know." 
 
 " Then of course you ll forgive Fan." 
 
 I ll be hanged if I do," growled Dick. 
 
 " Ah ha ! your theory is very good, sir, but your prac 
 tice is bosh," quoted Dolly, with a gleam of the old mis 
 chief in her face. 
 
 Dick took a sudden turn through the room, burst out 
 laughing, and came back, saying heartily, 
 
 " I ll own up ; it is mean to feel so, and I ll think about 
 forgiving you both ; but she may stop up the hole in the 
 wall, for she won t get any more letters just yet ; and you
 
 RING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 137 
 
 ma Y devote your epistolary powers to A. Bopp in future. 
 Well, what is it ? free your mind, and have done with it ; 
 but don t make your nose red, or take the starch out of 
 my collar with any more salt water, if you please." 
 
 " No, I won t ; and I only want to say that, as you 
 owe the explanation to us both, perhaps it would be best 
 for you to tell August your part of the thing as you come 
 home to-morrow, and then leave the rest to fate. I can t 
 let him go away thinking me such a heartless creature, 
 and once gone it will be too late to mend the matter. 
 Can you do this without getting me into another scrape, 
 do you think ? " 
 
 " I haven t a doubt of it, and I call that sensible. I ll 
 fix it capitally, go down on my knees in the mud, if it 
 is necessary ; treat you like eggs for fear of another 
 smash-up ; and bring him home in such a tip-top state, 
 you ll only have to nod and find yourself Mrs. B. any 
 day you like. NOAV let s kiss and be friends, and then 
 go pitch into that pie for luncheon." 
 
 So they did ; and an hour afterward were rioting in 
 the garret under pretence of putting grandma s things 
 away ; for at eighteen, in spite of love and mischief, boya 
 and girls have a spell to exorcise blue devils, and a happy 
 faculty of forgetting that " the world is hollow, and their 
 dolls stuffed with sawdust." 
 
 Dick was right, for on the following evening, after the 
 lesson, Mr. Bopp did go home with him, " to say good-oy, 
 like a gentleman as he was." Dolly got over the first 
 greeting in the dusky hall, and as her guest passed on to 
 the parlor, she popped her head out to ask anxiously, 
 
 " Did you say anything, Dick ? " 
 
 " I couldn t ; something has happened to him ; he ll
 
 138 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 tell yru about it. I m going to see to the horse, so take 
 your time, and do what you like ; " with which vague 
 information Dick vanished, and Dolly wished herself any 
 where but where she was. 
 
 Mr. Bopp sat before the fire, looking so haggard and 
 worn-out that the girl s conscience pricked her sorely for 
 her part in the change ; but plucking up her courage, she 
 stirred briskly among the tea-cups, asking, 
 
 " What shall I give you, sir ? " 
 
 " Thank you, I haf no care to eat." 
 
 Something in his spiritless mien and sorrowful voice 
 made Dolly s eyes fill ; but knowing she must depend 
 upon herself now, and make the best of her position, she 
 said kindly, yet nervously, 
 
 "You look tired: let me do something for you if I 
 can ; shall I sing for you a little ? you once said music 
 rested you." 
 
 " You are kind ; I could like that I think. Excoose 
 me if I am dull, I haf, yes, a little air if you please." 
 
 More and more disturbed by his absent, troubled man* 
 ner, Dolly began a German song he had taught her, but 
 before the first line was sung he stopped her with an 
 imploring, 
 
 For Gott sake not that ! I cannot hear it this night -, 
 it was the last I sung her in the Vaterland." 
 
 " Mr. Bopp, what is it? Dick says you have a trou 
 ble ; tell me, and let us help you if we can. Are you 
 ill, in want, or has any one injured you in any way? 
 Oh, let me help you ! " 
 
 Tears had been streaming down Mr. Bopp s cheeks, 
 but as she spoke he checked them, and tried to answer 
 steadily,
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND OJJEEN OF HEARTS. 139 
 
 " No, I am not ill ; I liaf 110 wants now, and no one 
 has hurt me but in kindness ; yet I haf so great a grief, 
 I could not bear it all alone, and so I came to ask a lit 
 tle sympathy from your good Mutter, who has been kind 
 to me as if I was a son. She is not here, and I thought 
 I Avould stop back my grief; but that moosic was too 
 much ; you pity me, and so I tell you. See, now ! when 
 I find things go bright with me, and haf a hope of much 
 work? I take the little store I saved, I send it to my 
 friend Carl Hoffman, who is coming from my home, and 
 say, Bring Ulla to me now, for I can make life go well 
 to her, and I am hungry till I haf her in my arms again. 
 I tell no one, for I am bold to think that one day I come 
 here with her in my hand, to let her thank you in her so 
 bweet way for all you haf done for me. Well, I watch 
 the wind, I count the days, I haf no rest for joy ; and 
 when Carl comes, I fly to him. He gifs me back my 
 store, he falls upon my neck and does not speak, then I 
 know my little girl will never come, for she has gone to 
 Himmcl before I could make a home for her on earth. 
 Oh, my Ulla ! it is hard to bear ; " and poor Mr. Bopp 
 covered his face, and laid it down on his empty plate, as 
 if he never cared to lift it up again. 
 
 Then Dolly forgot herself in her great sympathy, and, 
 troing to him, she touched the bent head with a soothing 
 hand ; let her tears flow to comfort his ; and whispered 
 in her tenderest voice, 
 
 " Dear Mr. Bopp, I wish I could cure this sorrow, but 
 as I cannot, let me bear it with you ; let me tell you ho\v 
 we loved the little child, and longed to see her ; how we 
 should have rejoiced to know you had so dear a friend to 
 your life happy in this strange land ; how \v<> <h;i .I
 
 140 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 grieve for your great loss, and long to prove our respect 
 and love for you. I cannot say this as I ought, but, oh, 
 be comforted, for you will see the child again, and, 
 remembering that she waits for you, you will be glad to 
 go when God calls you to meet your Ulla in that other 
 Fatherland." 
 
 u Ah, I will go now ! I haf no wish to stay, for nil 
 my life is black to me. If I had found that other little 
 friend to fill her place, I should not grieve so much, 
 because she is wcller there above than I could make her 
 here ; but no : I Avait for that other one ; I save all my 
 heart for her ; I send it, but it comes back to me ; then 
 I know my hope is dead, and I am all alone in the 
 strange land." 
 
 There was neither bitterness nor reproach in these 
 broken words, only a patient sorrow, a regretful pain, as 
 if he saAv the two lost loves before him, and uttered over 
 them an irrepressible lament. It was too much for 
 Dolly, and with sudden resolution she spoke out fast and 
 low, 
 
 "Mr. Bopp, that Avas a mistake. It AA-as not me you 
 saAv at the masque ; it AVUS Dick. lie played a cruel 
 trick ; he insulted you and Avrouged me by that deceit, 
 and I find it very hard to pardon him." 
 
 " What! Avhat is that?" and Mr. Bopp looked up Avith 
 tears still shining in his beard, and intense surprise in 
 eA ery feature of his face. 
 
 Dolly turned scarlet, and her heart beat fast as she 
 repeated Avith an unsteady A*oice, 
 
 u It Avas Dick, not me." 
 
 A cloud SAvept over Mr. Bopp s face, and he knit hia 
 broAVS a moment as if Dolly had not been far from right
 
 KING OF CLUBS AND QUEEN OF HEARTS. 14 1 
 
 when she said " he never would forgive the joke." l res 
 ently, he spoke in a tone she had never heard before, 
 cold and quiet, and in his eye she thought she read 
 contempt for her brother and herself: 
 
 " I see now, and I say no more but this ; it was not 
 kind when I so trusted you. Yet it is well, for you and 
 Richart are so one, I haf no doubt he spoke your wish." 
 
 Here was a desperate state of things. Dolly had done 
 her best, yet he did not, or would not, understand, and 
 before she could restrain them, the words slipped over 
 her tongue, 
 
 " No ! Dick and I never agree." 
 
 Mr. Bopp started, swept three spoons and a tea-cup off 
 the table as he turned, for something in the hasty whisper 
 reassured him. The color sprang up to his cheek, the 
 old warmth to his eye, the old erectness to his figure, and 
 the eager accent to his voice. lie rose, drew Dolly 
 nearer, took her face between his hands, and bending, 
 fixed on her a look tender, yet commanding, as he said, 
 with an earnestness that stirred her as words had never 
 done before, 
 
 " Dollee, lie said No ! do you say Yes?" 
 
 She could not speak, but her heart stood up in her 
 eyes, and answered him so eloquently that he was satisfied. 
 
 " Thank the Lord, it s all right ! " thought Dick, as, 
 peeping in at the wiud(w ten minutes later, he saw Dolly 
 enthroned upon Mr. Bopp s knee, both her hands in his, 
 and an expression in her April countenance which proved 
 that she found it natural and pleasant to be sitting there, 
 with her head on the kind heart that loved her ; to hear 
 herself called " meine leibchen " ; to know that she alone
 
 142 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 could comfort him for little Ulla s loss, and fill her empty 
 place. 
 
 " They make a very pretty landscape, but too much 
 honey isn t good for em, so I ll go in, and we ll eat, 
 drink, and be merry, in honor of the night." 
 
 lie rattled the latch and tramped on the mat, to warn 
 them of his approach, and appeared just as Dolly was 
 skimming into a chair, and Mr. Bopp picking up the 
 spoons, which he dropped again to meet Dick, and kiss 
 ing him on both cheeks, after the fashion of his country, 
 as he said, pointing to Dolly, 
 
 " See, it is all fine again. I forgif you, and leave all 
 blame to that bad spirit, Mephistophelcs, who has much 
 pranks like that, but never pays one for their pain, aa 
 you haf me. Heart s dearest, come and say a friendly 
 word to Richart, then we will haf a little health : Long 
 life and happiness to the King of Clubs and the Queen 
 of Hearts." 
 
 " Yes, August, and as he s to be a farmer, we ll add 
 another: Wiser wits and better manners to the Knave 
 of Spades. "
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 
 
 A II. dear me, dear me, I m a deal too comfortable!"* 
 *-*- Judging from appearances, Mrs. Podgers certainly had 
 some cause for that unusual exclamation. To begin 
 with, the room Avas comfortable. It was tidy, bright, 
 and warm ; full of cosy corners and capital contrivances 
 for quiet enjoyment. The chairs seemed to extend their 
 plump arms invitingly ; the old-fashioned sofa was so 
 hospitable, that whoever sat down upon it was slow to get 
 up ; the pictures, though portraits, did not stare one out 
 of countenance, but surveyed the scene with an air of 
 tranquil enjoyment ; and the unshuttered Avindows al 
 lowed the cheery light to shine out into the snowy street 
 through blooming screens of Christmas roses and white 
 chrysanthemums. 
 
 The fire was comfortable ; for it was neither hidden in 
 a stove nor imprisoned behind bars, but went rollicking 
 up the wide chimney with a jovial roar. It flickered 
 over the supper-table as if curious to discover what 
 savory viands were concealed under the shining covers?. 
 It touched up the old portraits till they seemed to wink ; 
 it covered the walls with comical shadows, as if the portly 
 chairs had set their arms akimbo and were dancing a 
 jig ; it flashed out into the street with a voiceless greet 
 ing to every passer-by ; it kindled mimic fires in the 
 (H3)
 
 144 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 brass andirons and the teapot simmering on the hob, 
 and, best of all, it shone its brightest on Mrs. Podgers, 
 as if conscious that it couldn t do a better thing. 
 
 Mrs. Podgers was comfortable as she sat there, buxom, 
 Mooming, and brisk, in spite of her forty years and her 
 widow s cap. Her black gown was illuminated to such 
 an extent that it couldn t look sombre ; her cap had 
 given up trying to be prim long ago, and cherry ribbons 
 wouldn t have made it more becoming as it set off her 
 crisp black hair, and met in a coquettish bow under her 
 plump Aim ; her white apron encircled her trim waist, 
 as if conscious of its advantages ; and the mourning-pin 
 upon her bosom actually seemed to twinkle with satisfac 
 tion at the enviable post it occupied. 
 
 The sleek cat, purring on the hearth, was comfortable, 
 so was the agreeable fragrance of muffins that pervaded 
 the air, so was the drowsy tick of the clock in the corner ; 
 and if anything was needed to give a finishing touch to 
 the general comfort of the scene, the figure pausing in 
 the doorway supplied the want most successfully. 
 
 Heroes are always expected to be young and comely, 
 also fierce, melancholy, or at least what novel-readers 
 call "interesting"; but I am forced to o\vu that my 
 present hero Avas none of these. Half the real beauty, 
 virtiie, and romance of the world gets put into humble 
 souls, hidden in plain bodies. Mr. Jei usalem Turner 
 was an example of this ; and, at the risk of shocking 
 my sentimental readers, I must frankly state that he was 
 fifty, stout, and bald, .also that he used bad grammar, 
 had a double chin, and was only the Co. in a prosperous 
 grocery store. A hale and hearty old gentleman, with 
 cheerful brown eyes, a ruddy countenance, and curly gray
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 145 
 
 hair sticking up all round his head, Avith an air of energy 
 and independence that was pleasant to behold. There 
 he stood, beaming upon the unconscious Mrs. Podgers, 
 softly rubbing his hands, and smiling to himself with the 
 air of a man enjoying the chief satisfaction of his life,, 
 as he was. 
 
 "Ah, dear me, dear me, I m a deal too comfortable 1" 
 eighed Mrs. Podgers, addressing the teapot. 
 
 " Nfft a bit, mum, not a bit." 
 
 In walked the gentleman, and up rose the lady, saying, 
 with a start and an aspect of relief, 
 
 " Bless me, I didn t hear you ! I began to think you 
 were never coming to your tea, Mr. Rusalem." 
 
 Everybody called him Mr. Rusalem, and many people 
 were ignorant that he had any other name. He liked it, 
 for it began with the children, and the little voices had 
 endeared it to him, not to mention the sound of it from 
 Mrs Podgers lips for ten years. 
 
 " 1 know I m late, mum, but I really couldn t help it. 
 To-night s a busy time, and the lads are just good for 
 nothing with their jokes and spirits, so I stayed to steady 
 em, and do a little job that turned up unexpected." 
 
 " Sit right down and have your tea while you can, 
 then. I ve kept it warm for you, and the muffins are 
 done lovely." 
 
 Mrs. Podgers bustled about with an alacrity that 
 seemed to give an added relish to the supper ; and when 
 her companion was served, she sat -smiling at him with 
 her hand on the teapot, ready to replenish his cup befoio 
 he could ask for it. 
 
 "Have things been fretting of you, mum? You 
 looked down-hearted as I came in, and that ain t ao-
 
 146 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 cordin to the time of year, which is merry," said Mr, 
 Rusalem, stirring his tea with a sense of solid satisfaction 
 that would have sweetened a far less palatable draught. 
 
 " It s the teapot ; I don t know what s got into it 
 to-night ; but, as I was waiting for you, it set me 
 thinking of one thing and another, till I declare I felt as 
 if it had up and spoke to me, showing me how I wasn t 
 grateful enough for my blessings, but a deal more com 
 fortable than I deserved." 
 
 While speaking, Mrs. Podgers eyes rested on an 
 inscription which encircled the corpulent little silver tea 
 pot : " To our Benefactor. They who give to the poor lend 
 to the Lord" Now one wouldn t think there was any 
 thing in the speech or the inscription to disturb Mr 
 Ilusalem ; but there seemed to be, for he fidgeted in his 
 chair, dropped his fork, and glanced at the teapot with a 
 very odd expression. It was a capital little teapot, solid, 
 bright as hands could make it, and ornamented with a 
 robust young cherub perched upon the lid, regardless of 
 the warmth of his seat. With her eyes still fixed upon 
 it, Mrs. Podgers continued meditatively, 
 
 " You know how fond I am of the teapot for poor 
 Podgers sake. I really feel quite superstitious about 
 it ; and when thoughts come to me, as I sit watching it, 
 I have faith in them, because they always remind me of 
 the past." 
 
 Here, after vain efforts to restrain himself, Mr. Rusa 
 lem broke into a sudden laugh, so hearty and infectious 
 that Mrs. Podgers couldn t help smiling, even while she 
 fchook her head at him. 
 
 "I beg pardon, mum, it s hysterical ; I ll rever do it
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 14^ 
 
 agam," panted Mr. Rusalcm, as he got his breath, and 
 went soborly on with his supper. 
 
 It was a singular fact that whenever the teapot was 
 particularly alluded to he always behaved in this incom 
 prehensible manner, laughed, begged pardon, said it 
 was hysterical, and promised never to do it again. It 
 used to trouble Mrs. Podgers very much, but she had 
 grown used to it ; and having been obliged to overlook 
 many oddities in the departed Podgers, she easily forgave 
 Rusalem his only one. After the laugh there was a 
 pause, during which Mrs. Podgers sat absently polishing 
 up the silver cherub, with the memory of the little son 
 who died two Christmases ago lying heavy at her heart, 
 and Mr. Rusalem seemed to be turning something over 
 in his mind as he watched a bit of butter sink luxuri 
 ously into the warm bosom of a muffin. Once or twice 
 he paused as if listening, several times he stole a look at 
 Mrs. Podgers, and presently said, in a somewhat anxious 
 tone, 
 
 " You was saying just now that you was a deal too 
 comfortable, mum ; would you wish to be made uncom 
 fortable in order to realize your blessings? " 
 
 " Yes, I should. I m getting lazy, selfish, and forget 
 ful of other folks. You leave me nothing to do, and 
 make everything so easy for me that I m growing young 
 and giddy again. Now that isn t as it should be, 
 Rusalcm." 
 
 " It meets my views exactly, mum. You ve had your 
 hard times, your worryments and cares, and now it s 
 right to take your rest." 
 
 " Then why don t you take yours? I m sure you ve
 
 148 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 earned it drudging thirty years in the store, with more 
 extra work than holidays for your share." 
 
 " Oh well, mum, it s different with me, you know. 
 Business is amusing ; and I m so used to it I shouldn t 
 know myself if I was out of the store for good." 
 
 " Well, I hope you are saving up something against 
 the time when business Avon t be amusing. You are so 
 generous, I m afraid you forget you can t Avork for other 
 people all your days." 
 
 " Yes, mum, I ve put by a little sum in a safe bank 
 that pays good interest, and Avhen I m past work I ll fall 
 back and enjoy it." 
 
 To judge from the cheerful content of the old gentle 
 man s face he Avas enjoying it already, as he looked about 
 him Avith the air of a man Avho had made a capital 
 investment, and Avas in the receipt of generous dividends. 
 Seeing Mrs. Podgers bright eye fixed upon him, as 
 if she suspected something, and would have the truth 
 out of him in tAvo minutes, he recalled the conversation 
 to the point from Avhich it had Avandercd. 
 
 " If you Avould like to try IIOAV a little misery suits 
 you, mum, I can accommodate you if you ll step up 
 stairs." 
 
 "Good gracious, what do you mean? Who s up there? 
 Why didn t you tell me before?" cried Mrs. Podgers, in 
 a flutter of interest, curiosity, and surprise, as he kueAV 
 ehe Avould be. 
 
 "You see, mum, I Avas doubtful IIOAV you d like it. I 
 did it Avithout stopping to think, and then I was afraid 
 you d consider it a liberty." 
 
 Mr. Rusalem spoke Avith some hesitation ; but Mrs. 
 Podgers didn t Avait to hear him, for she Avas already at
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 149 
 
 the door, lamp in hand, and would have been off had she 
 known where to go, "up-stairs" being a somewhat vague 
 expression. The old gentleman led the way to the room 
 lie had occupied for thirty years, in spite of Mrs. Pod- 
 gers frequent offers of a better and brighter one. lie 
 was attached to it, small and dark as it was, for the joys 
 and sorrows of more than half his life had come to him 
 in that little room, and somehow when he was there it 
 brightened up amazingly. Mrs. Podgers looked well 
 about her, but saAv nothing new, and her conductor said, 
 as he paused beside the bed, 
 
 " Let me tell you how I found it before I show it. You 
 see, mum, I had to step down the street just at dark, and 
 passing the windows I give a glance in, as I ve a bad 
 habit of doing when the lamps is lighted and you a set 
 ting there alone. Well, mum, what did I see outside but 
 a ragged little chap a flattening his nose against the 
 glass, and staring in with all his eyes. I didn t blame 
 him much for it, and on I goes without a word. When 
 I came back I see him a lying close to the wall, and 
 mistrusting that he was up to some game that might give 
 you a scare, I speaks to him : he don t answer ; I 
 touches him : he don t stir ; then I picks him up, and see 
 ing that he s gone in a fit or a faint, I makes for the 
 store with a will. He come to rapid ; and finding that 
 he was most froze and starved, I fed and warmed and 
 fixed him a trifle, and then tucked him aAvay here, for 
 he s got no folks to worry for him, and was too used up 
 to go out again to-night. That s the story, mum ; and 
 now I ll produce the little chap if I can find him." 
 
 With that Mr. Rusalem began to grope about the bed, 
 chuckling, yet somewhat anxious, for not a vestige of an 
 9
 
 150 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 occupant appeared, till a dive downward produced a sud 
 den agitation of the clothes, a squeak, and the unexpected 
 appearance out at the foot of the bed of a singular figure, 
 that dodged into a corner, with one arm up, as if to 
 ward off a blow, while a sleepy little voice exclaimed 
 beseechingly, " I m up, I m up, don t hit me ! " 
 
 " Lord love the child, who d think of doing that ! 
 Wake up, Joe, and see your friends," said Mr. Rusa- 
 lem, advancing cautiously. 
 
 At the sound of his voice down went the arm, and 
 Mrs. Podgcrs saw a boy of nine or ten, arrayed in a 
 flannel garment that evidently belonged to Mr. Rusalem, 
 for though none too long it was immensely broad, and 
 the voluminous sleeves were pinned up, showing a pair 
 of wasted arms, chapped with cold and mottled with 
 bruises. A large blue sock stiU covered one foot, the 
 other was bound up as if hurt. A tall cotton nightcap, 
 garnished with a red tassel, looked like a big extinguisher 
 on a small caudle ; and from under it a pair of dark, 
 hollow eyes glanced sharply with a shrewd, suspicious 
 look, that made the little face more pathetic than the 
 marks of suffering, neglect, and abuse, which told the 
 child s story without words. As if quite reassured by 
 Kusalem s presence, the boy shuffled out of his corner, 
 saying coolly, as he prepared to climb into his nest 
 again, 
 
 " I thought it was the old one when you grabbed me. 
 Ain t this bed a first-rater, though?" 
 
 Mr. Rusalem lifted the composed young personage 
 into the middle of the big bed, where he sat bolt upright, 
 surveying the prospect from under the extinguisher with 
 an equanimity that quite took the good lady s breath
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 15) 
 
 away. But Mr. Rusalcm fell back and pointed to him, 
 saying, "There he is, mum," with as much pride and 
 satisfaction as if he had found some rare and valuable 
 treasure ; for the little child was very precious in his 
 sight. Mr 5 ?. Podgers really didn t know whether to 
 laugh or cry, and settled the matter by plumping down 
 beside the boy, saying cordially, as she took the grimy 
 little hands into her own, 
 
 " He s heartily welcome, Rusalem. Now tell me all 
 about it, my poor dear, and don t be afraid." 
 
 " Ho, I ain t afraid a you nor he. I ain t got nothin 
 to tell, only my name s Joe and I m sleepy." 
 
 " Who is your mother, and Avhere do you live, deary?" 
 asked Mrs. Podgers, haunted with the idea that some 
 woman must be anxious for the child. 
 
 " Ain t got any, we don t have em where I lives. The 
 old one takes care a me." 
 
 "Who is the old one?" 
 
 " Granny. I works for her, and she lets me stay 
 alonger her." 
 
 " Bless the dear ! what work can such a mite do ? " 
 
 " Heaps a things. I sifs ashes, picks rags, goes beg- 
 gin , runs arrants, and sometimes the big fellers lets me 
 call papers. That s fun, only I gets knocked round, 
 and it hurts, you d better believe." 
 
 " Did you come here begging, and, being afraid to ring, 
 stand outside looking in at me enjoying myself, like a 
 selfish creeter as I am ? " 
 
 " I forgot to ask for the cold vittles a lookin at warm 
 ones, and thinkin if they was mine what I d give the little 
 fellers when I has my tree." 
 
 "Your what, child?"
 
 152 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " My Christmas-tree. Look a here, I ve got it, and 
 all these to put on it to-morrer." 
 
 From under his pillow the boy produced a small 
 branch of hemlock, dropped from some tree on its pas- 
 gage to a gayer festival than little Joe s ; also an old 
 handkerchief which contained his treasures, only a 
 few odds and ends picked up in the streets : a gnarly 
 apple, half-a-dozen nuts, two or three dingy bonbons, 
 gleaned from the sweepings of some store, and a bit of 
 cheese, which last possession he evidently prized highly. 
 
 " That s for the old one ; she likes it, and I kep it for 
 her, cause she don t hit so hard when I fetch her 
 goodies. You don t mind, do you? "he said, looking 
 inquiringly at Mr. Ilusalem, who blew his nose like a 
 trumpet, and patted the big nightcap with a fatherly 
 gesture more satisfactory than words. 
 
 " What have you kept for yourself, dear? " asked Mrs. 
 Podgers, with an irrepressible sniff, as she looked at the 
 poor little presents, and remembered that they " didn t 
 have mothers " Avhere the child lived. 
 
 " Oh, I had my treat alonger him," said the boy, 
 nodding toward Rusalern, and adding enthusiastically, 
 " Wasn t that prime ! It was real Christmasy a settiii 
 by the fire, eating lots and not beiu hit." 
 
 Here Mrs. Podgers broke down ; and, taking the boy 
 in her arms, sobbed over him as if she had found her 
 lost Neddy in this sad shape. The little lad regarded 
 her demonstration with some uneasiness at first, but 
 there is a magic about a genuine Avoman that wins itf 
 way everywhere, and soon the outcast nestled to her, 
 feeling that this wonderful night was getting more 
 " Christmasy " every minute.
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 153 
 
 Mrs. Podgers was herself again directly ; and seeing 
 that the child s eyelids were heavy with weakness and 
 weariness, she made him comfortable among the pillows, 
 and began to sing the lullaby that used to hush her little 
 son to sleep. Mr. Rusalem took something from his 
 drawer, and was stealing away, when the child opened 
 his eyes and started up, calling out as he nodded, till the 
 tassel danced on this preposterous cap, 
 
 " JpSay ! good night, good night ! " 
 
 Looking much gratified, Mr. Rusalem returned, shook 
 the little hand extended to him, kissed the grateful face, 
 and went away to sit on the stairs with tear after tear 
 dropping off the end of his nose, as he listened to the 
 voice that, after two years of silence, sung the air this 
 simple soul thought the loveliest in the world. At first, 
 it was more sob than song, but soon the soothing music 
 flowed on unbroken, and the wondering child, for the 
 first time within his memory, fell asleep in the sweet 
 shelter of a woman s arms. 
 
 AYhen Mrs. Podgers came out, she found Mr. Rusalem 
 intent on stuffing another parcel into a long gray stocking 
 already full to overflowing. 
 
 "For the little chap, mum. He let fall that he d 
 never done this sort of thing in his life, and as he hadn t 
 any stockings of his own, poor dear, I took the liberty 
 of lending him one of mine," explained Mr. Rusalem, 
 surveying the knobby article with evident regret that it 
 wasn t bigger. 
 
 Mrs. Podgers said nothing, but looked from the stock 
 ing to the fatherly old gentleman who held it ; and it ia 
 my private belief, that if Mrs. Podgers had obeyed the 
 impulse of her heart, she would have forgotten decorum,
 
 . 54 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 and kissed him on the spot. She didn t, however, but 
 went briskly into her own room, whence she presently 
 returned with red eyes, and a pile of small garments in 
 her hands. Having nearly exhausted his pincushion in 
 trying to suspend the heavy stocking, Mr. Kusalem had 
 just succeeded as she appeared. He saw what she 
 carried, watched her arrange the little shirt, jacket and 
 trousers, the half-worn shoes and tidy socks, beside the 
 bed, with motherly care, and stand looking at the un 
 conscious child, with an expression which caused Mr. 
 Rusalem to dart down stairs, and compose himself by 
 rubbing his hair erect, and shaking his fist in the painted 
 fuce of the late Podgcrs. 
 
 An hour or two later the store Avas closed, the room 
 cleared, Mrs. Podgers in her arm-chair on one side of 
 the hearth, with her knitting in her hand, Mr. Rusalem 
 in his arm-chair on the other side, with his newspaper on 
 his knee, both looking so cosy and comfortable that any 
 one would have pronounced them a Darby and Joan on 
 the spot. Ah, but they weren t, you see, and that spoilt 
 the illusion, to one party at least. Both were rather 
 silent, both looked thoughtfully at the fire, and the fire 
 gave them both excellent counsel, as it seldom fails to do 
 when it finds any kindred warmth and brightness in the 
 hearts and souls of those who study it. Mrs. Podgers 
 kindled first, and broke out suddenly with a nod of great 
 determination. 
 
 " Rusalem, I m going to keep that boy if it s pos 
 sible ! " 
 
 " You shall, mum, whether it s possible or not," ne 
 answered, nodding back at her with equal decision. 
 
 " I don t know why I never thought of such a thing
 
 MRS. PODGERS* TEAPOT. 155 
 
 before. There s a many children suffering for mothers, 
 and heaven knows I m wearying for some little child 1o fill 
 my Neddy s place. I wonder if you didn t think of this 
 when you took that boy in ; it would be just like you ! " 
 
 Mr. Rusalem shook his head, but looked so guilty, 
 that Mrs. Podgers was satisfied, called him " a thought 
 ful dear," within herself, and kindled still more. 
 
 " Between you, and Joe, and the teapot, I ve got 
 another idea into my stupid head, and I know you won t 
 lau*h at it. That loving little soul has tried to get a 
 tree for some poor babies who have no one to think of 
 them but him, and even remembered the old one, who 
 must be a wretch to hit that child, and hit hard, too, I 
 know by the looks of his arms. Well, I ve a great 
 longing to go and give him a tree, a right good one, like 
 those Neddy used to have ; to get in the little fellers 
 he tells of, give them a good dinner, and then a regular 
 Christmas frolic. Can t it be done?" 
 
 " Nothing could be easier, mum ;" and Mr. Rusalem, 
 who had been taking counsel with the fire till he quite 
 glowed with warmth and emotion, nodded, smiled, and 
 rubbed his hands, as if Mrs. Podgers had invited him to 
 a Lord Mayor s feast, or some equally gorgeous jollifica 
 tion. 
 
 u I suppose it s the day, and thinking of how it came 
 to be, that makes me feel as if I wanted to help every 
 body, and makes this Christmas so bright and happy that 
 I never can forget it," continued the good woman, with 
 a heartiness that made her honest face quite beautiful to 
 behold. 
 
 If Mrs. Podgers had only known what was going on 
 under the capacious waistcoat opposite, she would have
 
 156 CAMP AND FIKESIDE STORIES. 
 
 held her tongue ; for the more charitable, earnest, and 
 tender-hearted she grew, the harder it became for Mr. 
 Rusalem to restrain the declaration which had been 
 hovering on his lips ever since old Podgers died. A3 
 the comely relict sat there talking in that genial way, 
 and glowing with good-will to all mankind, it was too 
 much for Mr. Ilusalem ; and finding it impossible to 
 resist the desire to know his fate, he yielded to it, gave 
 a porpentous hem, and said abruptly, 
 
 " Well, mum, have I done it? " 
 
 "Done what?" asked Mrs. P., going on with her 
 work. 
 
 " Made you uncomfortable, according to pro.n-se." 
 
 " Oh dear, no, you ve made me very happy, and will 
 have to try again," she answered, laughing. 
 
 " I will, mum." 
 
 As he spoke Mr. Rusalem drew his chair nearer, 
 leaned forward, and looking straight at her, said deliber 
 ately, though his voice shook a little, 
 
 " Mrs. Podgers, I love you hearty ; would you have 
 any objections to marrying of me? " 
 
 Not a word said Mrs. Podgers ; but her knitting 
 dropped out of her hand, and she looked as uncomfort 
 able as she could desire. 
 
 " I thought that would do it," muttered Mr. Rusalem , 
 but went on steadily, though his ruddy face got paler and 
 paler, his voice huskier and huskier, and his heart fuller 
 and fuller every word he attempted. 
 
 " You sec, mum, I have took the liberty of loving you 
 ever since you came, more than ten years ago. I was 
 eager to make it known long before this, but Podgers 
 spoke first and then it was no use. It corne hard for a
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 157 
 
 time, but I learned to give you up, though I couldn t 
 learn not to love you, being as it was impossible. Since 
 J odgers died I ve turned it over in my mind frequent, 
 but felt as if I was too old, and rough, and poor every 
 way tc ask so much. Lately, the wish has growed too 
 strong for me, and to-night it won t be put down. If 
 you ^ant a trial, mum, I should be that I ll warrant, for 
 do my best, I could never be all I m wishful of being 
 for your sake. Would you give it name, and if not 
 agreeable, we ll let it drop, mum, we ll let it drop." 
 
 If it hadn t been for the teapot, Mrs. Podgers would 
 1-ave said Yes at once. The word was on her lips, but as 
 sHe looked up the fire flashed brightly on the teapot 
 (which always occupied the place of honor on the 
 sideboard, for Mrs. P. was intensely proud of it), and 
 she stopped to think, for it reminded her of something. 
 In order to explain this, we must keep Mr. Rusalero 
 waiting for Kis answer a minute. 
 
 Rather more than ten years ago, old Podgers happen 
 ing to want a housekeeper, invited a poor relation to fill 
 that post in his bachelor establishment. He never would 
 have thought of marrying her, though the young woman 
 was both notable and handsome, if he hadn t discovered 
 that his partner loved her. Whereupon the perverse old 
 fellow immediately proposed, lest he should lose his 
 hoTisekeeper, and was accepted from motives of grati 
 tude. Mrs. Podgers was a dutiful wife, but not a very 
 happy one, for the world said that Mr. P. was a hard, 
 miserly man, and his wife was forced to believe tlio 
 world in the right, till the teapot changed her opinion. 
 There happened to be much suffering among the pool 
 one year, owing to the burning of the mills, and contra-
 
 158 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 butions were solicited for their relief. Old Podgers, 
 though a rich man, refused to give a penny, but it was 
 afterwards discovered that his private charities exceeded 
 many more ostentatious ones, and the word " miserly " 
 was changed to " peculiar." When times grew pros 
 perous again, the workmen, whose families had been so 
 quietly served, clubbed together, got the teapot, and left 
 it at Mr. Podgers door one Christmas Eve. But the 
 old gentleman never saw it ; his dinner had been too 
 much for him, and apoplexy took him off that very 
 afternoon. 
 
 In the midst of her grief Mrs. Podgers was surprised, 
 touched and troubled by this revelation, for she had 
 known nothing of the affair till the teapot came. Woman 
 like, she felt great remorse for what now seemed like 
 blindness and ingratitude ; she fancied she owed him 
 some atonement, and remembering how often he had 
 expressed a hope that she wouldn t marry again after he 
 was gone, she resolved to gratify him. The buxom 
 widow had had many opportunities of putting off her 
 weeds, but she had refused all offers without regret till 
 now. The teapot reminded her of Podgers and her vow ; 
 and though her heart rebelled, she thought it her duty to 
 check the answer that sprung to her lips, and slowly, but 
 decidedly, replied, 
 
 " I m truly grateful to you, Rusalem, but I couldn t 
 do it. Don t think you d ever be a trial, for you re the 
 last man to be that to any woman. It s a feeling I have 
 that it Avouldn t be kind to Podgers. I can t forget how 
 much I owe him, how much I Avronged him, and how 
 much I can please him by staying as I am, for hia
 
 MKS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 159 
 
 frequent woras were, Keep the property together, and 
 don t marry, ouae. " 
 
 " Very well, mum, then we ll let it drop, and fall back 
 into the old ways. Don t fret yourself about it, I shall 
 bear up, and " there Mr. Rusalem s voice gave out, 
 and he sat frowning at the lire, bent on bearing up mail* 
 fully, though it was very hard to find that Podgers dead 
 as well as Podgers living was to keep from him the hap 
 piness he had waited for so long. His altered face and 
 broken voice were almost too much for Mrs. P., and she 
 found it necessary to confirm her resolution by telling it. 
 Laying one hand on his shoulder, she pointed to the tea 
 pot with the other, saying gently, 
 
 "The day that came and I found out IIOAV good he 
 was, too late to beg his pardon and love him for it, I 
 said to myself, I ll be true to Podgers till I die, because 
 that s all I can do now to show my repentance and re 
 spect. But for that feeling and that promise I couldn t 
 say Xo to you, Rusalem, for you ve been my best friend 
 all these years, and I ll be yours all my life, though I 
 can t be anything else, my dear." 
 
 For the first time since its arrival, the mention of the 
 teapot did not produce the accustomed demonstration 
 from Mr. Rusalem. On the contrary, he looked at it 
 with a momentary expression of indignation and disgust, 
 strongly suggestive of an insane desire to cast the pre 
 cious relic on the floor and trample on it. If any such 
 temptation did assail him, he promptly curbed it, and 
 looked about the room with a forlorn air, that made 
 Mrs. Podgers hate herself, as he meekly answered, 
 
 " I m obliged to you, mum ; the feeling does you
 
 ISO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 honor. Don t mind me, it s rather a blow, but I ll be 
 up again directly." 
 
 He retired behind his paper as he spoke, and Mrs. 
 Podgers spoilt her knitting in respectful silence, till Mr. 
 Rusalem began to read aloud as usual, to assure her that 
 in spite of the blow he was up again. 
 
 In the gray dawn the worthy gentleman was roused 
 from his slumbers, by a strange voice whispering shrilly 
 in his ear, 
 
 " I say, there s two of em. Ain t it jolly? " 
 
 Starting up, he beheld a comical little goblin standing 
 at his bedside, with a rapturous expression of counte 
 nance, and a pair of long gray stockings in its hands. 
 Both were heaping full, but one was evidently meant for 
 Mr. Rusalem, for every wish, whim and fancy of his 
 had been guessed, and gratified in a way that touched 
 him to the heart. If it were not indecorous to invade 
 the privacy of a gentleman s apartment, I could describe 
 how there were two boys in the big bed that morning ; 
 how the old boy revelled in the treasures of his stocking 
 as heartily as the young one ; how they laughed and 
 exclaimed, pulled each others nightcaps off, and had a 
 regular pillow fight ; how little Joe was got into his new 
 clothes, and strutted like a small peacock in them ; how 
 Mr. Rusalem made himself splendid in his Sunday besf, 
 and spent ten good minutes in tying the fine cravat 
 somebody had hemmed for him. But lest it should b<i 
 thought improper, I will merely say, that nowhere in the 
 city did the sun shine on happier faces than these two 
 showed Mrs. Podgcrs, as Mr. Rusalem came in with 
 Joe on his shoulder, both wishing her a merry Christ-
 
 MRS. PODGERS* TEAPOT. l6l 
 
 mas, as heartily as if this were the first the world had 
 ever seen. 
 
 Mrs. Podgers was as brisk and blithe as they, though 
 she must have sat up one-half the night making presents 
 for them, and laid awake the other half making plans 
 for the day. As soon as she had hugged Joe, toasted 
 him red, and heaped his plate with everything on the 
 table, she told them the order of performances. 
 
 " _As soon as ever you can t eat any more you must 
 order home the tree, Rusalem, and then go with Joe to 
 invite the party, while I see to dinner, and dress up the 
 pine as well as I can in such a hurry." 
 
 " Yes, mum," answered Mr. Rusalem with alacrity ; 
 though how she was going to do her part was not clear 
 to him. But he believed her capable of working any 
 miracle within the power of mortal woman ; and having 
 plans of his own, he soon trudged away with Joe pranc 
 ing at his side, so like the lost Neddy, in the little cap 
 and coat, that Mrs. Podgers forgot her party to stand 
 watching them down the crowded street, with eyes that 
 saw very dimly when they looked away again. 
 
 Never mind how she did it, the miracle was wrought, 
 for Mrs. Podgers and her maid Betsey fell to work with 
 a will, and when women set their hearts on anything it 
 is a known fact that they seldom fail to accomplish it. 
 By uoon everything was ready, the tree waiting in the 
 best parlor, the dinner smoking on the table, and Mrs. 
 Podgcrs at the window to catch the first glimpse of her 
 coming guests. A last thought struck her as she stood 
 waiting. There was but one high chair in the house, 
 and the big ones would be doubtless too low for the little 
 people. Bent oa making them as comfortable as her
 
 I&2 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 motherly heart could desire, she set about mending the 
 matter by bringing out from Podgers* bookcase se\ eral 
 fat old ledgers, and arranging them in the chairs. While 
 busily dusting one of these it slipped from her hands, 
 and as it fell a paper fluttered from among the leaves. 
 She picked it up, looked at it, dropped her duster, and 
 became absorbed. It was a small sheet filled with figures, 
 and here and there short memoranda, not an interest 
 ing looking document in the least ; but Mrs. Podgers 
 stood like a statue till she had read it several times ; then 
 she caught her breath, clapped her hands, laughed and 
 cried together, and put the climax to her extraordinary 
 behavior by running across the room and embracing the 
 astonished little teapot. 
 
 How long she would have gone on in this wild manner 
 it is impossible ito say, had not the the jingle of bells, and 
 a shrill, small cheer announced that the party had arrived. 
 Whisking the mysterious paper into her pocket, and 
 dressing her agitated countenance in smiles, she hastened 
 to open the door before chilly fingers could find the bell. 
 
 Such a merry load as that was ! Such happy faces 
 looking out from under the faded hoods and caps ! Such 
 a hearty "Hurrah for Mrs. Podgers ! " greeted her 
 straight from the grateful hearts that loved her the 
 instant she appeared ! And what a perfect Santa Chui> 
 Mr. Rusalem made, Avith his sleigh full of bundles ;is 
 well as children, his face full of sunshine, his arms i ull 
 of babies, whom he held up that they too might clap 
 their little hands, while he hurrahed with all his might. 
 I really don t think reindeers, or the immemorial white 
 beard and fur cap, could have improved the picture ; and 
 the neighbors were of my opinion, 1 suspect.
 
 MRS. PODGERS* TEAPOT. 163 
 
 It was good to sec Mrs. Podgers welcome them all va 
 a way that gave the shyest courage, made the poorest 
 forget patched jackets or ragged gowns, and caused them 
 all to feel that this indeed was merry Christmas. It 
 was better still to see Mrs. Podgers preside over the 
 table, dealing out turkey and pudding Avith such a boun 
 teous hand, that the small feasters often paused, in 
 sheer astonishment, at the abundance before them, 
 and then fell to again with renewed energy, as if they 
 fear"ed to wake up presently and find the whole a dream. 
 It was best of all to see Mrs. Podgers gather them 
 Jbout her afterwards, hearing their little stories, learning 
 their many wants, and winning their young hearts by 
 such gentle wiles that they soon regarded her as some 
 beautiful, benignant fairy, who had led them from a cold, 
 dark world into the laud of innocent delights they had 
 imagined, longed for, yet never hoped to find. 
 
 Then came the tree, hung thick with bonbons, fruit 
 and toys, gay mittens and tippets, comfortable socks and 
 hoods, and, lower down, more substantial but less showy 
 gilts ; for Mrs Podgers had nearly exhausted the Dorcas 
 basket that fortunately chanced to be with her just then. 
 There was no time for candles, but, as if he understood 
 the matter and was bent on supplying all deficiencies, the 
 eun shone gloriously ou the little tree, and made it doubly 
 splendid in the children s eyes. 
 
 It would have touched the hardest heart to watch the 
 poor little creatures, as they trooped in and stood about 
 the wonderful tree. Some seemed ready to go wild with 
 delight, some folded their hands and sighed with sotamu 
 satisfaction, others looked as if bewildered by such 
 unwonted aud unexpected good fortune ; and when Mr.
 
 164 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Rusalem told them how this fruitful tree had sprung up 
 from their loving playmate s broken bough, little Joe hid 
 his face in Mrs. Podgers gown, and could find no vent 
 for his great happiness but tears. It was not a large 
 tree, but it took a long while to strip it ; and even when 
 the last gilded nut was gone the children still lingered 
 about it, as if they regarded it with affection as a gener 
 ous benefactor, and were loath to leave it. 
 
 Next they had a splendid round of games. I don t 
 know what will be thought .of the worthy souls, but Mr. 
 Rusalem and Mrs. Podgers played with all their might. 
 Perhaps the reason why he gave himself up so freely to 
 the spirit of the hour was, that his disappointment was 
 very heavy ; and, according to his simple philosophy, it 
 was wiser to soothe his wounded heart and cheer his sad 
 spirit with the sweet society of little children, than to 
 curse fate and reproach a woman. What was Mrs. 
 Podgers reason it is impossible to tell, but she behaved 
 as if some secret satisfaction filled her heart so full that 
 she was glad to let it bubble over in this harmless 
 fashion. Both tried to be children again, and both suc 
 ceeded capitally, though now and then their hearts got 
 the better of them. When Mr. Rusalem was blinded he 
 tossed all the little lads up to the ceiling when he caught 
 them, kissed all the little girls, and, that no one might 
 feel slighted, kissed Mrs. Podgers also. AVhen they 
 played " Open the gates," and the two grown people 
 stood hand in hand while the mirthful troops marched 
 under the tall arch, Mrs. Podgers never once looked Mr. 
 Rusalem in the face, but blushed and kept her eyes on 
 the ground, as if she was a bashful girl playing games 
 with some boyish sweetheart. The children saw nothing
 
 MRS. PODGERS* TEAPOT. 165 
 
 of all this, and, bless their innocent little hearts ! they 
 wouldn t have understood it if they had ; but it was per 
 fectly evident that the gray-headed gentleman and the 
 mature matron had forgotten all about their years, and 
 were in their teens again ; for true love is gifted with 
 immortal youth. 
 
 When weary with romping, they gathered round the 
 fire, and Mr. Rusalem told fairy tales, as if his dull 
 ledgers had preserved these childish romances like flowers 
 between their leaves, and kept them fresh in spite of 
 time. Mrs. Podgers sung to them, and made them sing 
 with her, till passers-by smiled and lingered as the child 
 ish voices reached them, and, looking through the screen 
 of roses, they caught glimpses of the happy little group 
 singing in the ruddy circle of that Christmas fire. 
 
 It was a very humble festival, but with these poor 
 guests came also Love and Charity, Innocence and Joy, 
 the strong, sweet spirits who bless and beautify the 
 world ; and though eclipsed by many more splendid cele 
 brations, I think the day was the better and the blither 
 for Mrs. Podgers little party. 
 
 When it was all over, the grateful farewells and 
 riotous cheers as the children were carried home, the 
 twilight raptures of Joe, and the long lullaby before he 
 could extinguish himself enough to go to sleep, the con 
 gratulations and clearing up, then Mr. Rusalem and 
 Mrs. Podgers sat down to tea. But no sooner were 
 they alone together than Mrs. P. fell into a curious flut 
 ter, and did the oddest things. She gave Mr. Rusalem 
 warm water instead of tea, passed the slop-bowl when 
 he asked for the sugar-basin, burnt her fingers, laid her 
 handkerchief on the tray, and tried to put her fork in he*
 
 1 66 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 pocket, and went on in such a way that Mr. Rusalem 
 began to fear the day had been too much for her. 
 
 "You re tired, mum," he said presently, hearing her 
 sigh. 
 
 " Not a bit," she answered briskly, opening the teapot 
 to add more water, but seemed to forget her purpose, 
 and sat looking into its steamy depths as if in search of 
 something. If it was courage, she certainly found it, 
 for all of a sudden she handed the mysterious paper to 
 Mr. Rusalem, saying solemnly, 
 
 " Read that, and tell me if it s true." 
 
 He took it readily, put on his glasses, and bent to 
 examine it, but gave a start that caused the spectacles to 
 fly off his nose, as he exclaimed, 
 
 " Lord bless me, he said he d burnt it ! " 
 
 "Then it is true? Don t deny it, Rusalem ; it s no 
 use, for I ve caught you at last ! " and in her excitement 
 Mrs. Podgers slapped down the teapot-lid as if she had 
 got him inside. 
 
 " I assure you, mum, he promised to burn it. He 
 made me write down the sums, and so on, to satisfy him 
 that I hadn t took more n my share of the profits. It 
 was my own ; aud though he called me a fool he let me 
 3o as I liked, but I never thought it would come up again 
 like this, mum." 
 
 " Of course you didn t, for it was left in one of the old 
 ledgers we had down for the dears to sit on. I found it, 
 I read it, and I understood it in a minute. It was you 
 tvho helped the mill-people, and then hid behind Podgers 
 because you didn t want to be thanked. When he died, 
 and the teapot came, you saw how proud I was of it, 
 bow I took comfort in thinking he did the kind things ;
 
 MRS. PODGERS TEAPOT. 167 
 
 and for my sake you never told the truth, not even last 
 light, when a word would have done so much. Oh, 
 Rusalem, how could you deceive me all these years?" 
 
 If Mr. Rusalem had desired to answer he would have 
 had no chance ; for Mrs. Podgers was too much in earn 
 est to let any one speak but herself, and hurried on, fear 
 ing that her emotion would get the better of her before 
 she had had her say. 
 
 " It was like you, but it wasn t right, for you ve robbed 
 yourself of the love and honor that was your due ; you ve 
 let people praise Podgers when he didn t deserve it ; 
 you ve seen me take pride in this because I thought he d 
 earned it ; and you ve only laughed at it all as if it was 
 a fine joke to do generous things and never take the 
 credit of em. Now I know what bank you ve laid up 
 your hard earnings in, and what a blessed interest you ll 
 get by and by. Truly they who give to the poor lend to 
 the Lord, and you don t need to have the good words 
 written on silver, for you keep em always in your 
 heart." 
 
 Mrs. Podgers stopped a minute for breath, and felt 
 that she Avas going very fast ; for Rusalem sat looking 
 at her with so much humility, love, and longing in his 
 1. mest face, that she knew it would be all up with her 
 directly. 
 
 " You saw how I grieved for Neddy, and gave me thi> 
 motherless boy to fill his place ; you knew I wanted some 
 one to make the housfe seem like home again, and you 
 oift.red me the lovingest heart that ever was. You 
 found I wasn t satisfied to lead such a selfish life, and 
 you showed me how beautiful Charity could make it 
 you taught me to find my duty waiting for me at my owa
 
 1 68 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 door; and, putting by your own trouble, you ee helped 
 to make this day the happiest Christmas of my life." 
 
 If it hadn t been for the teapot Mrs. Podgers would 
 have given out here ; but her hand was still on it, and 
 something in the touch gave her steadiness for one more 
 burst. 
 
 " I loved the little teapot for Podgers sake ; now I 
 love it a hundred times more for yours, because you ve 
 brought its lesson home to me in a way I never can for 
 get, and have been my benefactor as well as theirs, who 
 shall soon know you as well as I do. Kusalem, there s 
 only one way in which I can thank you for all this, and 
 I do it with my whole heart. Last night you asked me 
 for something, and I thought I couldn t give it to you. 
 Now I m sure I can, and if you still want it why " 
 
 Mrs. Podgers never finished that sentence ; for, with 
 an impetuosity surprising in one of his age and figure, 
 Mr. Rusalem sprang out of his chair and took her in hia 
 arms, saying tenderly, in a voice almost inaudible, 
 between a conflicting choke and chuckle, 
 
 " My dear ! my dear ! God bless you 1 **
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 
 
 DOCTOR FRANCK came in as I sat sewing up tbe 
 rents in an old shirt, that Tom might go tidily to hia 
 grave. NCAV shirts were needed for the living, and there 
 was no wife or mother to " dress him handsome when 
 he went to meet the Lord," as one woman said, describ 
 ing the fine funeral she had pinched herself to give 
 her son. 
 
 " Miss Dane, I m in a quandary," began the Doctor, 
 with that expression of countenance which says as plainly 
 as words, " I want to ask a favor, but I wish you d save 
 me the trouble." 
 
 " Can I help you out of it? " 
 
 " Faith ! I don t like to propose it, but you certainly 
 can, if you please." 
 
 " Then name it, I beg." 
 
 " You see a Reb has just been brought in crazy with 
 typhoid ; a bad case every way ; a drunken, rascally 
 little captain somebody took the trouble to capture, but 
 whom nobody wants to take the trouble to cure. The 
 wards are full, the ladies worked to death, and willing to 
 be for our own boys, but rather slow to risk their lives 
 for a Reb. Now, you ve had the fever, you like queer 
 patients, your mate will see to your ward for a while, and 
 (169)
 
 l^O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STOR1KS. 
 
 I will find you a good attendant. The fellow won t last 
 long, I fancy ; but he can t die without some sort of care, 
 you know. I ve put him in the fourth story of the west 
 wing, away from the rest. It is airy, quiet, and com 
 fortable there. I m on that ward, and will do my best 
 for you in every way. Now, then, will you go ? " 
 
 " Of course I will, out of perversity, if not common 
 charity ; for some of these people think that because I m 
 an abolitionist I am also a heathen, and I should rather 
 like to show them that, though I cannot quite love my 
 enemies, I am willing to take care of them." 
 
 " Very good ; I thought you d go ; and speaking of 
 abolition reminds me that you can have a contraband for 
 servant, if you like. It is that fine mulatto fellow who 
 was found burying his rebel master after the fight, and, 
 being badly cut over the head, our boys brought him 
 along. Will you have him ? " 
 
 " By all means, for I ll stand to my guns on that 
 point, as on the other ; these black boys are far more 
 faithful and handy than some of the white scamps given 
 me to serve, instead of being served by. But is this man 
 well enough ? " 
 
 "Yes, for that sort of work, and I think you ll like 
 him. He must have been a handsome fellow before he 
 got his face slashed; not much darker than myself; his 
 master s son, I dare say, and the white blood makes him 
 rather high and haughty about some things. He Avas in 
 a bad way when he came in, but vowed he d die in the 
 street rather than turn iu with the black fellows below; 
 so I put him up in the west Aving, to be out of the Avay, 
 and he s seen to the captain all the mornin,<>> When can 
 you go up ? " 
 
 x
 
 MY CONTRABAND. IJI 
 
 " As soon as Tom is laid out. Skinner moved, Hay- 
 wood washed, Marble dressed, Charley rubbed, Downg 
 taken up, Upham laid down, and the whole forty fed." 
 
 We both laughed, though the Doctor was on his way 
 to the dead-house and I held a shroiid on my lap. But 
 in a hospital one learns that cheerfulness is one s salva 
 tion ; for, in an atmosphere of suffering and death, heav 
 iness of heart would soon paralyze usefulness of hand, if 
 the blessed gift of smiles had been denied us. 
 
 In an hour I took possession of my new charge, find 
 ing a dissipated-looking boy of nineteen or twenty raving 
 in the solitary little room, with no one near him but 
 the contraband in the room adjoining. Feeling decidedly 
 more interest in the black man than in the white, yet 
 remembering the Doctor s hint of his being " high and 
 haughty," I glanced furtively at him as I scattered 
 chloride of lime about the room to purify the air, and 
 settled matters to suit myself. I had seen many contra 
 bands, but never one so attractive as this. All colored 
 men are called " boys," even if their heads are white ; 
 this boy was five-and-tweuty at least, strong-limbed and 
 manly, and had the look of one who never had been 
 cowed by abuse or worn with oppressive labor. He sat 
 on his bed doing nothing ; no book, no pipe, no pen or 
 paper anywhere appeared, yet anything less indolent or 
 listless than his attitude and expression I never saw. Erect 
 he sat, with a hand on either knee, and eyes fixed on the 
 bare wall opposite, so rapt in some absorbing thought as 
 to be unconscious of my presence, though the door stood 
 wide open and ray movements were by no means noise 
 less. His face was half averted, but I instantly approved 
 the Doctor s taste, for the profile which I saw possessed
 
 172 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 all the attributes of comeliness belonging to his mixed 
 race. He was more quadroon than mulatto, with Saxon 
 features, Spanish complexion darkened by exposure, 
 color in lips and cheek, waving hair, and an eye full of 
 the passionate melancholy which in such men always 
 seems to utter a mute protest against the broken law 
 that doomed them at their birth. What could he be 
 thinking of? The sick boy cursed and raved, I rustled 
 to and fro, steps passed the door, bells rang, and the 
 steady rumble of army-wagons came up from the street, 
 still he never stirred. I had seen colored people in what 
 they call " the black sulks," when, for days, they neither 
 smiled nor spoke, and scarcely ate. But this was some 
 thing more than that ; for the man was not dully brood 
 ing over some small grievance ; he seemed to see an 
 all-absorbing fact or fancy recorded on the wail, which 
 was a blank to me. I wondered if it were some deep 
 wrong or sorrow, kept alive by memory and impotent 
 regret ; if he mourned for the dead master to whom he 
 had been faithful to the end ; or if the liberty now hig 
 were robbed of half its sweetness by the knowledge that 
 some one near and dear to him still languished in the 
 nell from which he had escaped. My heart quite warmed 
 to him at that idea ; I wanted to know and comfort him ; 
 and, following the impulse of the moment, I went in and 
 touched him on the shoulder. 
 
 In an instant the man vanished and the slave appeared. 
 Freedom was too new a boon to have wrought its 
 blessed changes yet ; and as he started up, with his 
 hand at his temple, and an obsequious " Yes, Missis," 
 any romance that had gathered round him fled away, 
 leaving the saddest of all sad facts in living guise
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 173 
 
 before me. Not only did the manhood seem to die out 
 of him, but the comeliness that first attracted me ; for, 
 as he turned, I saw the ghastly wound that had laid open 
 cheek and forehead. Being partly healed, it was no 
 longer bandaged, but held together with strips cf that 
 transparent plaster which I never see without a shiver, 
 and swift recollections of the scenes with which it ia 
 associated in my mind. Part of his black hair had been 
 shorn away, and one eye was nearly closed ; pain so dis- 
 tortea, and the cruel sabre-cut so marred that portion of 
 his face, that, when I saw it, I felt as if a fine medal 
 had been suddenly reversed, showing me a far more 
 striking type of human suffering and wrong than Michael 
 Angelo s bronze prisoner. By one of those inexplicable 
 processes that often teach us how little we understand 
 ourselves, my purpose was suddenly changed ; and, though 
 I Avent in to offer comfort as a friend, I merely gave an 
 order as a mistress. 
 
 " Will you open these windows? this man needs more 
 air." 
 
 He obeyed at once, and, as he slowly urged up the 
 unruly sash, the handsome profile was again turned 
 toward me, and again I was possessed by my first impres 
 sion so strongly that I involuntarily said, 
 
 " Thank you." 
 
 Perhaps it was fancy, but I thought that in the look 
 of mingled surprise aud something like reproach which 
 he gave me, there was also a trace of grateful pleasure. 
 But he said, in that tone of spiritless humility these pool 
 Bouls learn so soon, 
 
 " I isn t a white man, Missis, I se a contraband."
 
 1 74 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Yes, I know it ; but a contraband is a free man, 
 and I heartily congratulate you." 
 
 He liked that ; his face shone, lie squared his shoulders, 
 lifted his head, and looked me full in the eye with a 
 brisk, 
 
 "Thank ye, Missis ; anything more to do fer yer?" 
 
 Doctor Franck thought you would help me with this 
 mau, as there are many patients and few nurses or 
 attendants. Have you had the fever?" 
 
 " No, Missis." 
 
 " They should have thought of that when they put 
 him here ; wounds and fevers should not be together. 
 I ll try to get you moved." 
 
 He laughed a sudden laugh : if he had been a white 
 man, I should have called it scornful ; as he was a few 
 shades darker than myself, I suppose it must be consid 
 ered an insolent, or at least an unmannerly one. 
 
 " It don t matter, Missis. I d rather be up here with 
 the fever than down with those niggers ; and there isn t 
 no other place fer me." 
 
 Poor fellow ! that was true. No ward in all the hos 
 pital would take him in to. lie side by side with the most 
 miserable white wreck there. Like the bat in -ZEsop s 
 fable, he belonged to neither race ; and the pride of one 
 nnd the helplessness of the other, kept him hovering 
 alone in the twilight a great sin has brought to over 
 shadow the whole land. 
 
 " You shall stay, then ; for I would far rather have 
 you than my lazy Jack. But are you well and strong 
 enough ? " 
 
 " I guess I ll do, Missis." 
 
 He spoke with a passive sort of acquiescence, as if
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 1^5 
 
 it did not much matter if he were not able, and no one 
 would particularly rejoice if he were. 
 
 " Yes, I think you will. By what name shall I 
 call you?" 
 
 " Bob, Missis." 
 
 Every woman has her pet whim ; one of mine waa 
 to teach the men self-respect by treating them respect 
 fully. Tom, Dirk, and Harry would pass, when lads 
 rejoiced in those familiar abbreviations ; but to address 
 men* often old enough to be my father in that style did 
 not suit my old-fashioned ideas of propriety. This " Bob " 
 would never do; I should have found it as easy to call 
 the chaplain "Gus" as my tragical-looking contraband 
 by a title so strongly associated with the tail of a kite. 
 
 " What is your other name ? " I asked. " I like to 
 call my attendants by their last names rather than by 
 their first." 
 
 " I se got no other, Missis ; we has our master s names, 
 or do without. Mine s dead, and I won t have anything 
 of his bout me." 
 
 " Well, I ll call you Robert, then, and you may fill this 
 pitcher for me, if you will be so kind." 
 
 He went ; but, through all the tame obedience years of 
 servitude had taught him, I could see that the proud 
 spirit his father gave him was not yet subdued, for the 
 look and gesture with which he repudiated his master s 
 name were a more effective declaration of independence 
 than any Fourth-of-July orator could ha\ e prepared. 
 
 We spent a curious week togciuer. Robert seldom 
 left his room, except upon my errands ; and I was a 
 prisoner all day, often all night, by the bedside of the 
 rebel. The fever burned itself rapidly away, for there
 
 1 76 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 seemed little vitality to feed it in the feeble frame of tb a 
 old young man, whose life had been none of the moot 
 righteous, judging from the revelations made by his 
 unconscious lips ; since more than once Robert authorita 
 tively silenced him, when my gentler bushings were ot 
 no avail, and blasphemous wanderings or ribald camp- 
 songs made my cheeks burn and Robert s face assume au 
 aspect of disgust. The captain was a gentleman in the 
 world s eye, but the contraband was the gentleman in 
 mine ; I was a fanatic, and that accounts for such 
 depravity of taste, I hope. I never asked Robert of 
 himself, feeling that somewhere there was a spot still too 
 sore to bear the lightest touch ; but, from his language, 
 manner, and intelligence, I inferred that his color had 
 procured for him the few advantages within the reacli of 
 a quick-witted, kindly-treated slave. Silent, grave, and 
 thoughtful, but most serviceable, was my contraband ; 
 glad of the books I brought him, faithful in the perform 
 ance of the duties I assigned to him, grateful for the 
 friendliness I could not but feel and show toward him. 
 Often I longed to ask what piirpose was so visibly alter 
 ing his aspect with such daily deepening gloom. But I 
 never dared, and no one else had either time or desire to 
 }>rj into the past of this specimen of one branch of the 
 chivalrous " F. F. Vs." 
 
 Oc the seventh night, Dr. Franck suggested that it 
 would be well for some one, besides the general watch 
 man of the ward, to be with the captain, as it might be 
 his last. Although the greater part of the two preceding 
 nights had been spent there, of course I offered to re 
 main, for there is a strange fascination in these scenes)
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 1 77 
 
 which renders one careless of fatigue and unconscious 
 of fear until the crisis is past. 
 
 " Give him water as long as he can drink, and if he 
 drops into a natural sleep, it may save him. I ll look in 
 at midnight, when some change will probably take place. 
 Nothing but sleep or a miracle will keep him now. 
 Good-night." 
 
 Away went the Doctor ; and, devouring a whole 
 mouthful of gapes, I lowered the lamp, wet the cap 
 tain s head, and sat down on a hard stool to begin my 
 watch. The captain lay with his hot, haggard face 
 turned toward me, filling the air with his poisonous 
 breath, and feebly muttering, with lips and tongue so 
 parched that the sanest speech would have been difficult 
 to understand. Robert was stretched on his bed in the 
 inner room, the door of which stood ajar, that a fresh 
 draught from his open window might carry the fever- 
 fumes away through mine. I could just see a long, dark 
 figure, with the lighter outline of a face, and, having 
 little else to do just then, I fell to thinking of this curious 
 contraband, who evidently prized his freedom highly, yet 
 seemed in no haste to enjoy it. Dr. Frauck had offered 
 to send him on to safer quarters, but he had said, " No, 
 thank yer, sir, not yet," and then had gone away to fall 
 into one of those black moods of his, which began to 
 disturb me, because I had no power to lighten them. Aa 
 t sat listening to the clocks from the steeples all about 
 us, I amused myself with planning Robert s future, as I 
 often did my own, and had dealt out to him a generous 
 hand of trumps wherewith to play this game of life 
 which hitherto had gone so cruelly against him, when 8 
 harsh choked voice called,
 
 178 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Lucy ! " 
 
 It was the captain, and some new terror seemed to 
 have gifted him with momentary strength. 
 
 " Yes, here s Lucy," I answered, hoping that by fol 
 lowing the fancy I might quiet him, for his face wag 
 damp with the clammy moisture, and his frame shaken 
 with the nervous tremor that so often precedes death. 
 His dull eye fixed upon me, dilating with a bewildered 
 look of incredulity and wrath, till he broke out fiercely, 
 
 "That s a lie! she s dead, and so s Bob, damn 
 him ! " 
 
 Finding speech a failure, I began to sing the quiet 
 tune that had often soothed delirium like this ; but hardly 
 had the line, 
 
 " See gentle patience smile on pain," 
 
 passed my lips, when he clutched me by the wrist, whis 
 pering like one in mortal fear, 
 
 " Hush ! she used to sing that way to Bob, but she 
 never would to me. I swore I d whip the devil out of 
 her, and I did ; but you know before she cut her throat 
 bhe said she d haunt me, and there she is ! " 
 
 He pointed behind me with an aspect of such pale 
 dismay, that I involuntarily glanced over my shoulder 
 and started as if I had seen a veritable ghost ; for, peer 
 ing from the gloom of that inner room, I saw a shadowy 
 face, with dark hair all about it, and a glimpse of scarlet 
 at the throat. An instant showed me that it was only 
 Robert leaning from his bed s foot, wrapped in a gray 
 army-blanket, with his red shirt just visible above it, 
 and his long hair disordered by sleep. But what a 
 strange expression was on his face ! The unmarred side
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 179 
 
 was toward me, fixed and motionless as when I first 
 observed it, less absorbed now, but more intent. His 
 eye glittered, his lips were apart like one who listened 
 with every sense, and his whole aspect reminded me of a 
 hound to which some wind had brought the scent of 
 unsuspected prey. 
 
 " Do you know him, Robert? Does he mean you?" 
 " Laws, no, Missis ; they all own half-a-dozen Bobs : 
 but hearin my name woke, me ; that s all." 
 
 He spoke quite naturally, and lay down again, while 
 I returned to my charge, thinking that this paroxysm 
 was probably his last. But by another hour I perceived 
 a hopeful change ; for the tremor had subsided, the cold 
 dew was gone, his breathing was more regular, and 
 Sleep, the healer, had descended -to save or take him 
 gently away. Doctor Franck looked in at midnight, 
 bade me keep all cool and quiet, and not fail to adminis 
 ter a certain draught as soon as the captain woke. Very 
 much relieved, I laid my head on my arms, uncomfort 
 ably folded on the little table, and fancied I was about 
 to perform one of the feats which practice renders pos 
 sible, " sleeping with one eye open," as we say : a half- 
 and-half doze, for all senses sleep but that of hearing ; 
 the faintest murmur, sigh, or motion will break it, and 
 give one back one s wits much brightened by the brief 
 permission to " stand at ease." On this night the experi 
 ment was a failure, for previous vigils, confinement, and 
 much care had rendered naps a dangerous indulgence. 
 Having roused half-a-dozen times in an hour to find all 
 quiet, I dropped my heavy head on my arms, and, drow 
 sily resolving to look up again in fifteen minutes, fell fasl 
 asleep.
 
 I So CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 The striking of a deep-voiced clock awoke me with a 
 start. " That is one," thought I ; but, to my dismay, two 
 more strokes followed, and in remorseful haste I sprang 
 up to see what harm my long oblivion had done. A 
 strong hand put me back into my seat, and held me there. 
 It was Robert. The instant my eye met his my heart 
 began to beat, and all along my nerves tingled that elec 
 tric flash which foretells a danger that we cannot see. 
 He was very pale, his mouth grim, and both eyes full 
 of sombre fire ; for even the wounded one was open 
 now, all the more sinister for the deep scar above and 
 below. But his touch was steady, his voice quiet, as he 
 said, 
 
 " Sit still, Missis" ; I won t hurt yer, nor scare yer, ef 
 I can help it, but yer waked too soon." 
 
 " Let me go, Robert, the captain is stirring, I 
 must give him something." 
 
 " No, Missis, yer can t stir an inch. Look here ! " 
 
 Holding me with one hand, with the other he took up 
 the glass in which I had left the draught, and showed me 
 it was empty. 
 
 "Has he taken it?" I asked, more and more bewil 
 dered. 
 
 " I flung it out o winder, Missis ; he ll have to do 
 without." 
 
 " But why, Robert? why did you do it? " 
 
 " Kase I hate him ! " 
 
 Impossible to doubt the truth of that ; his whole face 
 showed it, as he spoke through his set teeth, and launched 
 a fiery glance at the unconscious captain. I could only 
 hold my breath and stare blankly at him, Avondering 
 what mad act was coming next. I suppose I shook and
 
 MY CONTRABAND. iSl 
 
 turned irhite, as women have a foolish habit of doing 
 when sudden danger daunts them ; for Robert released 
 my arm, sat down upon the bedside just in front of me, 
 and said, Avith the ominous quietude that made me cold 
 to see and hear, 
 
 " Don t yer be frightened, Missis ; don t try to run 
 away, fer the door s locked and the key in my pocket ; 
 don t yer cry out, fer yer d have to scream a long while, 
 with my hand on yer mouth, efore yer was heard. Be 
 stilfj an I ll tell yer Avhat I m gwine to do." 
 
 " Lord help us ! he has taken the fever in some sud 
 den, violent way, and is out of his head. I must humor 
 him till some one comes " ; in pursuance of which swift 
 determination, I tried to say, quite composedly, 
 
 " I will be still and hear you ; but open the window. 
 Why did you shut it?" 
 
 " I m sorry I can t do it, Missis ; but yer d jump out, 
 or call, if I did, an I m not ready yet. I shut it to make 
 yer sleep, an heat would do it quicker n anything else I 
 could do." 
 
 The captain moved, and feebly muttered " Water ! " 
 Instinctively I rose to give it to him, but the heavy hand 
 came down upon my shoulder, and in the same decided 
 tone Robert said, 
 
 " The water went with the physic ; let him call." 
 
 Do let me go to him ! he ll die without care i " 
 
 "I mean he shall; don t yer meddle, if yer please, 
 Missis." 
 
 In spite of his quiet tone and respectful manner, I saw 
 murder in his eyes, and turned faint with fear ; yet the 
 fear excited me, and, hardly knowing what I did, I seized 
 the hands that had seized me, crying,
 
 1 82 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " No, no ; you shall not kill him ! It is base to hurt a 
 helpless man. Why do you hate him? He is not your 
 master." 
 
 " He s my brother." 
 
 I felt that answer from head to foot, and seemed to 
 fathom what was coming, with a prescience vague, but 
 unmistakable. One appeal was left to me, arid I 
 made it. 
 
 "Robert, tell me what it means? Do not commit a 
 crime and make me accessory to it. There is a better 
 way of righting wrong than by violence ; let me help 
 you find it." 
 
 My voice trembled as I spoke, and I heard the fright 
 ened flutter of my heart ; so did he, and if any little act 
 of mine had ever won affection or respect from him, the 
 memory of it served me then. He looked down, and 
 seemed to put some question to himself; whatever it was, 
 the answer was in my favor, for when his eyes rose 
 again, they were gloomy, but not desperate. 
 
 " I will tell yer, Missis ; but mind, this makes no 
 difference ; the boy is mine. I ll give the Lord a chance 
 to take him fust : if He don t, I shall." 
 
 " Oh, no ! remember he is your brother." 
 
 An \mwise speech ; I felt it as it passed my lips, for a 
 blfxck frown gathered on Robert s face, and his strong 
 bauds closed with an ugly sort of grip. But he did not 
 touch the poor soul gasping there behind him, and seemed 
 content to let the slow suffocation of that stifling room 
 end his frail life. 
 
 u I m not like to forgit dat, Missis, when I ve been 
 thinkin of it all this week. I knew him when they fetched 
 him in, an would a done it long fore this, but I wanted
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 183 
 
 (o ask where Lucy was ; he knows, he told to-night, 
 - -an* now he s done for." 
 
 " Who is Lucy? " I asked hurriedly, intent on keeping 
 his mind husy with any thought hut murder. 
 
 With one of the swift transitions of a mixed temper 
 ament like this, at my question Robert s deep eyes filled, 
 the clenched hands were spread before his face, and all 1 
 heard were the broken words, 
 
 " My wife, he took her " 
 
 In that instant every thought of fear was swallowed 
 , up in burning indignation for the wrong, and a perfect 
 passion of pity for the desperate man so tempted to 
 avenge an injury for which there seemed no redress but 
 this. He was no longer slave or contraband, no drop of 
 black blood marred him in my sight, but an infinite com 
 passion yearned to save, to help, to comfort him. Words 
 seemed so powerless I offered none, only put my hand on 
 his poor head, wounded, homeless, bowed down with 
 grief for which I had no cure, and softly smoothed the 
 long, neglected hair, pitifully wondering the while where 
 was the wife who must have loved this tender-hearted 
 man so well. 
 
 The captain moaned again, and faintly whispered, 
 ** Air ! " but I never stirred. God forgive me ! just then 
 I hated him as only a woman thinking of a sister 
 woman s wrong could hate. Robert looked up ; his eyes 
 were dry again, his mouth grim. I saw that, said, " Tell 
 me more," and he did ; for sympathy is a gift the poorest 
 may give, the proudest stoop to receive. 
 
 " Yer see, Missis, his father, 1 might say ours, ef 
 I vvarn t ashamed of both of em, his father died two 
 years ago, an left us all to Marster Ned, that s him
 
 184 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 here, eighteen then. He always hated me, I looked so 
 like old Marster : he don t, only the lij-.ht skin an hair. 
 Old Marster was kind to all of us, me specially, an 
 bought Lucy oiF .the next plantation down there in South 
 Car liua, when he found I liked her. I married her, all 
 I could ; it warii t much, hut we was true to one another 
 till Marster Ned come home a year after an made hell 
 fer hoth of us. He sent my old mother to be used up in 
 his rice-swamp in Georgy ; he found me with my pretty 
 Lur-y, an though young Miss cried, an I prayed to him 
 on my knees, an Lucy run away, he wouldn t have no 
 mercy ; he brought her back, an took her." 
 
 " Oh, what did you do?" I cried, hot Avith helpless 
 pain and passion. 
 
 How the man s outraged heart sent the blood flaming 
 up into his face and deepened the tones of his impetuous 
 voice, as he stretched his arm across the bed, saying, 
 with a terribly expressive gesture, 
 
 " I half murdered him, an to-night I ll finish." 
 
 " Yes, yes, but go on now ; what came next ? " 
 
 He gave me a look that showed no white man could 
 have felt a deeper degradation in remembering and con 
 fessing these last acts of brotherly oppression. 
 
 " They whipped me till I couldn t stand, an then they 
 sold me further South. Yer thought I Avas a Avhitc man 
 once, look here ! " 
 
 With a sudden AvreDrh he tore the shirt from neck to 
 waist, and on his strong, broAvn shoulders showed me fur 
 rows deeply ploughed, Avounds Avhich, though healed, 
 Avere ghastlier to me than any in that house. I could 
 not speak to him, and, Avith the pathetic dignity a great
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 185 
 
 grief lends the humblest sufferer, he ended his brief 
 tragedy by simply saying, 
 
 " That s all, Missis. I se never seen her since, an 
 now I never shall in this world, maybe not in t other." 
 
 " But, Robert, why think her dead? The captain was 
 wandering when he said those sad things ; perhaps he 
 will retract them when he is sane. Don t despair ; don t 
 give up yet." 
 
 " No, Missis, I spect he s right ; she was too proud to 
 bear*"that long. It s like her to kill herself. I told her 
 to, if there was no other way ; an she always miuded 
 me, Lucy did. My poor girl ! Oh, it warn t right ! No, 
 by God, it waru t ! " 
 
 As the memory of this bitter -wrong, this double 
 bereavement, burned in his sore heart, the devil that 
 lurks in every strong man s blood leaped up ; he put his 
 hand upon his brother s throat, and, watching the white 
 face before him, muttered IOAV between his teeth, 
 
 " I m lettin him go too easy ; there s no pain in this ; 
 we a n t even yet. I wish he knew me. Marster Ned ! 
 it s Bob ; wherc s Lucy ? " 
 
 From the captain s lips there came a long faint sigh, 
 and nothing but a flutter of the eyelids showed that he 
 still lived. A strange stillness filled the room as the 
 elder brother held the younger s life suspended in his 
 hand, while wavering between a dim hope and a deadly 
 hate. In the whirl of thoughts that went on in my brain, 
 only one was clear enough to aot upon. I must prevent 
 murder, if I could, but how ? What could I do up 
 there alone, locked in with a dying man and a lunatic? 
 for any mind yielded utterly to any unrighteous im 
 pulse is mad while the impulse rules it. Strength I had
 
 1 86 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 not,. nor much courage, ncithei* time nor wit for strata 
 gem, and chance only could bring me help before it was 
 too late. But one weapon I possessed, a tongue, 
 often a woman s best defence ; and sympathy, stronger 
 than fear, gave me power to use it. What I said Heaven 
 only knows, but surely Heaven helped me ; words burned 
 on my lips, tears streamed from my eyes, and some good 
 angel prompted me to use the one name that had power 
 to arrest my hearer s hand and touch his heart. For at 
 that moment I heartily believed that Lucy lived, and this 
 earnest faith roused in him a like belief. 
 
 He listened with the lowering look of one in whom 
 brute instinct was sovereign for the time, a look that 
 makes the noblest countenance base. He was but a 
 man, a poor, untaught, outcast, outraged man. Life 
 had few joys for him ; the world offered him no honors, 
 no success, no home, no love. What future Avould this 
 crime mar? and why should he deny himself /that sweet, 
 yet bitter morsel called revenge? How many white 
 men, with all New England s freedom, culture, Chris 
 tianity, would not have felt as he felt then? Should I 
 have reproached him for a human anguish, a human 
 longing for redress, all now left him from the ruin of his 
 few poor hopes ? Who had taught him that self-control, 
 self-sacrifice, are attributes that make men masters of 
 the earth, and lift them nearer heaven? Should I have 
 urged the beauty of forgiveness, the duty of devout sub 
 mission? lie had no religion, for he was no saintly 
 " Uncle Tom," and Slavery s black shadow seemed to 
 darken all the. world to him, and shut out God. Should 
 I have war ,ed him of penalties, of judgments, and tho 
 potency of taw? What did he know of justice, or the
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 1$7 
 
 mercy that should temper that stern virtue, when every 
 law, human and divine, had been broken on his hearth 
 stone? Should I have tried to touch him by appeals to 
 filial duty, to brotherly love? How had his appeals been 
 answered? What memories had father and brother 
 stored up in his heart to plead for either now? No, 
 all these influences, these associations, would have proved 
 worse than useless, had I been calm enough to try them. 
 1 was not ; but instinct, subtler than reason, showed me 
 the one safe clue by which to lead this troubled soul 
 from the labyrinth in which it groped and nearly fell. 
 When I paused, breathless, Robert turned to me, asking, 
 as if human assurances could strengthen his faith in 
 Divine Omnipotence, 
 
 " Do you believe, if I let Marster Ned live, the Lord 
 will give me back my Lucy ? " 
 
 " As surely as there is a Lord, you will find her here 
 or in the beautiful hereafter, where there is no black or 
 white, no master and no slave." 
 
 He took his hand from his brother s throat, lifted his 
 eyes from my face to the wintry sky beyond, as if 
 searching for that blessed country, happier even than the 
 happy North. Alas, it was the darkest hour before the 
 dawn ! there was n star above, no light below but 
 the pale glimmer of the lamp that showed the brother 
 ff\\o had made him desolate. Like a blind man who 
 believes there is a sun, yet cannot see it, he shook his 
 head, let his arms drop nervelessly upon his knees, and 
 sat there dumbly asking that question which many a soul 
 
 whose faith is firmer fixed than his has asked in hours 
 
 t 
 
 less dark than this, -Where is God?" I saw the 
 tide had turned* and strenuously tried to keep this rud-
 
 1 88 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 derless life-boat from slipping back into the whirlpool 
 wherein it had been so nearly lost. 
 
 k I have listened to you, Robert ; now hear me, and 
 heed what I say, because my heart is full of pity for 
 you, full of hope for your future, and a desire to help 
 you now. I want you to go away from here, from the 
 temptation of this place, and the sad thoughts that haunt 
 it. You have conquered yourself once, and I honor you 
 for it, because, the harder the battle, the more glorious 
 the victory ; but it is safer to put a greater distance 
 between you and this man. I Avill write you letters, 
 give you money, and send you to good old Massachusetts 
 to begin your new life a freeman, yes, and a happy 
 man ; for when the captain is himself again, I will learn 
 where Lucy is, and move heaven and earth to find and 
 give her back to you. Will you do this, Robert? " 
 
 Slowly, very slowly, the ansAver came ; for the pur 
 pose of a Aveek, perhaps a year, was hard to relinquish 
 in an hour. 
 
 " Yes, Missis, I will." 
 
 * Good ! NOAV you are the man I thought you, and 
 I ll work for you with all my heart. You need sleep, 
 my poor fellow ; go, and try to forget. The captain is 
 alive, and as yet you are spared that sin. No, don t look 
 there ; I ll care for him. Come, Robert, for Lucy s 
 sake." 
 
 Thank Heaven for the immortality of love ! for when 
 all other means of salvation failed, a spark of this vital 
 fire softened the man s iron Avill, until a woman s hand 
 could bend it. He let me take from him the key, let 
 me draAV him gently away, and lead him to the solitude 
 which now was the most healing balm I could bestow.
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 189 
 
 Once in his little room, he fell down on his bed and lay 
 there, as if spent with the sharpest conflict of his life. 
 I slipped the bolt across his door, and unlocked my own, 
 flung up the window, steadied myself with a breath of 
 air, then rushed to Doctor Franck. He came ; and till 
 dawn we worked together, saving one brother s life, and 
 taking earnest thought how best to secure the other s 
 liberty. When the sun came up as blithely as if it shone 
 only upon happy homes, the Doctor went to Robert. 
 For an hour I heard the murmur of their voices ; once 
 I caught the sound of heavy sobs, and for a time a 
 reverent hush, as if in the silence that good man were 
 ministering to soul as Avell as body. When he departed 
 he took Robert with him, pausing to tell me he should 
 get him off as soon as possible, but not before we met 
 again. 
 
 Nothing more was seen of them all day ; another 
 surgeon came to see the captain, and another attendant 
 came to fill the empty place. I tried to rest, but could 
 not, with the thought of poor Lucy tugging at my heart, 
 and was soon back at my post again, anxiously hoping 
 that my contraband had not been too hastily spirited 
 away. Just as night fell there came a tap, and, opening, 
 I saw Robert literally "clothed, and in his right mind." 
 The Doctor had replaced the ragged suit with tidy gar 
 ments, and no trace of that tempestuous night remained 
 but deeper lines upon the forehead, and the docile look 
 of a repentant child. He did not cross the threshold, 
 did not offer me his hand, only took off his cap, 
 spying, with a traitorous falter in his voice, 
 " God bless yer, Missis ! I m gwine." 
 t put out both my hands, and held his fast.
 
 IQO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 u Good-by, Robert! Keep up good heart, and when 
 I come home to Massachusetts we ll meet in a happier 
 place than this. Are you quite ready, quite comfortable 
 for your journey ? " 
 
 " Yes, Missis, yes ; the Doctor s fixed everything ; I e 
 gwine with a friend of his ; my papers are all right, au* 
 Fm as happy as I can be till I find " 
 
 He stopped there ; then went on, with a glance into 
 the room, 
 
 " I m glad I didn t do it, an I thank yer, Missis, fer 
 hinderin me, thank yer hearty ; but I m afraid I hate 
 him jest the same." 
 
 Of course he did ; and so did I ; for these faulty hearts 
 of ours cannot turn perfect in a night, but need frost and 
 fire, wind and rain, to ripen and make them ready for the 
 great harvest-home. Wishing to divert his mind, I put my 
 poor mite into his hand, and, remembering the magic of 
 a certain little book, I gave him mine, on Avhose dark 
 cover whitely shone the Virgin Mother and the Child, 
 the grand history of whose life the book contained. The 
 money went into Robert s pocket with a grateful murmur, 
 the book into his bosom, with a long look and a trem 
 ulous 
 
 " I never saw my baby. Missis." 
 
 I broke down then ; and though my eyes were too Urn 
 to see, I felt the touch of lips upon my hands, heard the 
 sound of departing feet, and knew my contraband was 
 gone. 
 
 When one feels an intense dislike, the less . ne says 
 about the subject of it the better ; therefore I shall 
 merely record that the captain lived, in time was 
 exchanged ; and that, whoever the other party was, 1
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 1 9! 
 
 am convinced the Government got the best of the bar 
 gain. But long before this occurred, I had fulfilled my 
 promise to Robert ; for as soon as my patient recovered 
 strength of memory enough to make his answer trust 
 worthy, I asked, without any circumlocution, 
 
 " Captain Fairfax, where is Lucy? " 
 
 And too feeble to be angry, surprised, or insincere, he 
 straightway answered. 
 
 " Dead, Miss Dane." 
 
 " And she killed herself when you sold Bob? " 
 
 "How the devil did you know that? "he muttered, 
 with an expression half-remorseful, half-amazed ; but I 
 was satisfied, and said no more. 
 
 Of course this went to Robert, waiting far away there 
 in a lonely home, waiting, working, hoping for his 
 Lucy. It almost broke my heart to do it ; but delay 
 was weak, deceit was wicked ; so I sent the heavy 
 tidings, and very soon the answer came, only three 
 lines ; but I felt that the sustaining power of the man s 
 life was gone. 
 
 " I tort I d never sec her any more ; I m glad to know 
 she s out of trouble. I thank ycr, Missis ; an if they let 
 us, I ll fight fer yer till I m killed, which I hope will be 
 fore long." 
 
 Six months later he had his wish, and kept his word. 
 
 Pvery one knows the story of the attack on Fort 
 Wagner ; but we should not tire yet of recalling how 
 our Fifty-Fourth, spent with three sleepless nights, a 
 day s fast, and a march under the July sun, stormed the 
 fort as night fell, facing death in many shapes, following 
 their brave leaders through a fiery rain of shot and shell, 
 fighting valiantly for "God and Governor Andrew,"
 
 192 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 how the regiment that went into action seven hundred 
 strong, came out having had nearly half its number 
 captured, killed, or wounded, leaving their young com 
 mander to be buried, like a chief of earlier times, with 
 his body-guard around him, faithful to the death. Surely, 
 the insult turns to honor, and the wide grave needs no 
 monument but the heroism that consecrates it in our 
 eight; surely, the hearts that held him nearest, see 
 through their tears a noble victory in the seeming sad 
 defeat ; and surely, God s benediction was bestowed, 
 when this loyal soul answered, as Death called the roll, 
 " Lord, here am I, with the brothers Thou hast given 
 me!" 
 
 The future must show how well that fight was fought ; 
 for though Fort Wagner once defied us, public prejudice 
 is down ; and through the cannon-smoke of that black 
 night, the manhood of the colored race shines before 
 many eyes that would not see, rings in many ears that 
 would not hear, wins many hearts that would not hith 
 erto believe. 
 
 "When the news came that we were needed, there was 
 none so glad as I to leave teaching contrabands, the new 
 work I had taken up, and go to nurse " our boys," as 
 my dusky flock so proudly called the wounded of the 
 Fifty-Fourth. Feeling more satisfaction, as I assumed 
 my big apron and turned up my cuffs, than if dressing 
 for the President s levee, I fell to work in Hospital No. 10 
 at Beaufort. The scene was most familiar, and yet 
 strange ; for only dark faces looked up at me from the 
 pallets so thickly laid along the floor, and I missed the 
 sharp accent of my Yankee boys in the slower, softer 
 voices calling cheerily to one another, or answering my
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 193 
 
 questions with a stout, " We ll never give it up, Missis, 
 till the last Reb s dead," or, " If our people s tree, we 
 can afford to die." 
 
 Passing from bed to bed, intent on making one pair of 
 hands do the work of three, at least, I gradually washed, 
 fed, and bandaged my way down the long line of sable 
 heroes, and coming to the very last, found that he was 
 my contraband. So old, so worn, so deathly weak and 
 wan, I never should have known him but for the deep 
 scaf on his cheek. That side lay uppermost, and caught 
 my eye at once ; but even then I doubted, such an awful 
 change had come upon him, when, turning to the ticket 
 just above his head, I saw the name, " Robert Dane." 
 That both assured and touched me, for, remembering 
 that he had no name, I knew that he had taken mine. 
 I longed for him to speak to me, to tell how he had fared 
 since I lost sight of him, and let me perform some little 
 service for him in return for many he had done for me ; 
 but he seemed asleep ; and as I stood re-living that 
 strange night again, a bright lad, who lay next him 
 softly waving an old fan across both beds, looked up and 
 said, 
 
 " I guess you know him, Missis? " 
 
 " You are right. Do you ? " 
 
 " As much as any one was able to, Missis." 
 
 " Why do you say was, as if the man were dead 
 aud gone ? " 
 
 " I s pose because I know he ll have to go. He s got 
 a bad jab in the breast, an is bleediu inside, the Doctor 
 says. He don t suffer any, only gets weaker V weaker 
 every minute. I ve been fanuin him this long while,
 
 T94 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 an he s talked a little ; but he don t know me uow, so 
 he s most gone, I guess." 
 
 There was so much sorrow and affection in I he boy s 
 face, that I remembered something, and asked, with 
 redoubled interest, 
 
 . Are you the one that brought him off? I was told 
 about a boy who nearly lost his life in saving that of hia 
 mate." 
 
 I dare say the young fellow blushed, as any modest 
 lad might have done ; I could not see it, but I heard the 
 chuckle of satisfaction that escaped him, as he glanced 
 from his shattered arm and bandaged side to the pale 
 figure opposite. 
 
 " Lord, Missis, that s nothin ; we boys always stan 
 by one another, an I warn t goin to leave him to be 
 tormented any more by them cussed Rebs. He s been a 
 slave once, though he don t look half so much like it as 
 me, an I was born in Boston." 
 
 He did not ; for the speaker was as black as the ace 
 of spades, being a sturdy specimen, the knave of clubs 
 would perhaps be a fitter representative, but the dark 
 freeman looked at the white slave with the pitiful, yet 
 puzzled expression I have so often seen on the faces of 
 our wisest men, when this tangled qiicstion of Slavery 
 presented itself, asking to be cut or patiently undone. 
 
 "Tell me what you know of this man; for, even if 
 he were awake, he is too weak to talk." 
 
 " I never saw him till I joined the regiment, an uo 
 one peared to have got much out of him. He was a 
 shut-up sort of feller, an didn t seem to care for anything 
 but gettiu at the Rebs. Some say he was the fust man 
 of us that enlisted ; 1 know he fretted till we were olf,
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 195 
 
 an when we pitched into old Wagner, lie fought like thy 
 devil." 
 
 " Were you with him when he was wounded? How 
 was it?" 
 
 " Yes, Missis. There was somethin queer about it ; 
 for he peared to know the chap that killed him, an the 
 chap knew him. I don t dare to ask, but I rather guess 
 one owned the other some time ; for, when they clinched, 
 the chap sung out, Bob ! an Dane, Marster Ned ! 
 theft they went at it." 
 
 I sat down suddenly, for the old anger and compassion 
 struggled in my heart, and I both longed and feared to 
 hear what was to follow. 
 
 "You see, when the Colonel, Lord keep an send 
 him back to us ! it a n t certain yet, you know, Missis, 
 though it s two days ago we lost him, well, when the 
 Colonel shouted, Rush on, boys, rush on ! Dane tore 
 away as if he was goiu to take the fort alone ; I was 
 next him, an kept close as we went through the ditch an* 
 up the wall. Hi ! warn t that a rusher ! " and the boy 
 flung up his well arm with a whoop, as if the mere mem 
 ory of that stirring moment came over him in a gust o 
 irrepressible excitement. 
 
 " Were you afraid?" I said, asking the question women 
 often put, aud receiving the answer they seldom fail to 
 get. 
 
 " No, Missis ! " emphasis on the " Missis " 1 
 never thought of anything but the damn Rebs, that scalp, 
 slash, an cul our ears off, when- they git us. I was 
 bound to let .lay light into one of em at least, an I did, 
 Hop he liked it!"
 
 1 96 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " It is evident that you did. Now go on about Robert, 
 for I should be at Avork." 
 
 " He was one of the fust up ; I was just behind, an 
 though the whole thing happened in a minute, I remem 
 ber how it was, for all I was yellin an knockin round 
 like mad. Just where we were, some sort of an officer 
 was wavin his sword an cheerin on his men ; Dane 
 saw him by a big flash that come by ; he flung away his 
 gun, give a leap, an went at that feller as if he was Jeff, 
 Beauregard, an Lee, all in one. I scrabbled after as 
 quick as I could, but was only up in time to see him git 
 the sword straight through him an drop into the ditch. 
 You needn t ask what I did next, Missis, for I don t 
 quite know myself ; all I m clear about is, that I man 
 aged somehow to pitch that Reb into the fort as dead as 
 Moses, git hold of Dane, an bring him off. Poor old 
 feller ! we said we went in to live or die ; he said he 
 went in to die, an he s done it." 
 
 I had been intently watching the excited speaker ; but 
 as he regretfully added those last words I turned again, 
 and Robert s eyes met mine, those melancholy eyes, 
 so full of an intelligence that proved he had heard, 
 remembered, and reflected with that preternatural power 
 which often outlives all other faculties. He knew me, 
 yet gave no greeting; was glad to see a woman s face, 
 yet had no smile wherewith to welcome it ; felt that he 
 was dying, yet uttered no farewell. He Avas too far 
 across the river to return or linger now ; departing 
 thought, strength, breath, were spent in one grateful 
 look, one murmur of submission to the last pang he 
 could ever feel. His lips moved, and, bending to them,
 
 MY CONTRABAND. 197 
 
 a whisper chilled my cheek, as it shaped the broken 
 words, 
 
 "I d V done it, but it s better so, I m sat 
 isfied." 
 
 Ah ! well he might be, for, as he turned his face 
 from the shadow of the life that was, the sunshine of the 
 life to be touched it with a beautiful content, and in the 
 drawing of a breath my contraband found wife and 
 home, eternal liberty and God.
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 
 
 DO you mean it, Rose ? " 
 " Yes." 
 
 You set a high price on your love ; I cannot pay it." 
 
 " I think you will." 
 
 She came a little nearer, this beautiful woman, whom 
 the young man loved with all the ardor of a first affec 
 tion, she laid her hand upon his arm, and looked up in 
 his face, her own wearing its most persuasive aspect ; for 
 tenderness seemed to have conquered pride, and Avill was 
 concealed under a winning softness which made her 
 doubly dangerous, as she said, in the slow, sweet voice 
 that betrayed her Southern birth, 
 
 " Remember what you ask, what I offer ; then tell me 
 which demands the highest price for love. You would 
 have me give up friends, fortune, home, all the opinions, 
 prejudices, and beliefs of birth and education, all the 
 hopes and purposes of years, for your sake. I ask noth 
 ing of you but the reliuquishment of a mistaken duty ; 
 I offer you all I possess : a life of luxury and power, and, 
 myself." 
 
 She paused there, with a gesture of proud humility, as 
 if she would ignore the fact, yet could not quite conceal 
 the consciousness, that she had much to bestow upon the 
 \over who had far less to offer. 
 
 " Oh, Rose, you tempt me terribly," he said; "not 
 (108)
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 199 
 
 with your possessions or a life of luxury, but with your 
 self, because I love you more than a thousand fortunes or 
 a century of ease and power. Yet, dear as you are to 
 me, and barren as the world will be without you, I dare 
 not turn traitor even for your sake." 
 
 " Yet you would have me do it for yours." 
 
 " No : treachery to the wrong is allegiance to the 
 right, and I only ask you to love your country better than 
 yourself, as I try to do." 
 
 ""Who shall say which is right and which wrong? I 
 am tired of the words. I Avant to forget the ills I cannot 
 cure, and enjoy life while I may. Youth was made for 
 happiness ; why waste it in a quarrel which time alone can 
 end? Robert, I do not ask you to turn traitor. I do 
 not care what you believe. I only ask you to stay with 
 tne, now that I have owned how much you are to me." 
 
 " God knows I wish I could, Rose ; but idleness is 
 treason in times like these. What right have I to think 
 of my own happiness when my country needs me ? It ia 
 like deserting my old mother in extremest peril to stand 
 idle now ; and when you tempt me to forget this, I must 
 deny your prayer, because it is the only one I cannot 
 grant," 
 
 " But, Robert, you are little to the rest of the world, 
 and everything to me. Your country does not need you 
 half so much as I, a stranger in a strange land ; for, 
 in a great struggle like this, what can one man do ? " 
 
 " His duty, Rose." 
 
 She pleaded eloquently with voice, and eyes, and 
 hands ; but something in the sad gravity of the young 
 man s face was a keener reproach than his words. She 
 felt that she could not win him so, and, with a swift and
 
 2OO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STOMES. 
 
 subtle change of counter ance and manner, she put him 
 from her, saying reproachfully, 
 
 "Then do yours, and make some reparation for the 
 peace of mind you have destroyed. I have a right * o ask 
 this. I came here as to a refuge, hoping to live unknown 
 till the storm was over. Why did you find me out, pro 
 tect me by your influence, lighten my exile by your soci 
 ety, and, under the guise of friendship, teach me to 
 love you?" 
 
 Robert Stirling watched her with lover s eyes, listened 
 with lover s ears, and answered like a lover, finding her 
 the fairer and dearer for the growing fear that a hard 
 test was in store for him. 
 
 " I found you out, because your beauty would not be 
 concealed ; I protected you, because you were a woman, 
 and alone ; I gave you friendship, because I wished to 
 prove that we of the North hold sacred the faith our 
 enemies place in us by sending to our keeping the treasure 
 they most value ; and, Rose, I loved you because I could 
 not help it." 
 
 She smiled then, and the color deepened beautifully in 
 the half-averted face, but she did not speak, and Robert 
 took heai t from the sign. 
 
 " I never meant to tell you this, fearing what has now 
 happened, and I resolved to go away. But, coming here 
 to say~good-by, your grief melted my resolve, and I told 
 you what I could no longer hide. Have I been ungen 
 erous and unjust? If you believe so, tell me what repa 
 ration I can make, and, if it is anything an honest man 
 may do, I will do it." 
 
 She knew that, was glad to know it ; yet, with the 
 exacting affection of a selfish woman, she felt a jealoua
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 2OI 
 
 fear that she loved more than she waa beloved, and 
 must assure herself by some trial that she was all in 
 all to her young lover. He waited for her answer with 
 such keen anxiety, such wistful tenderness, that she felt 
 confident of success ; and, yielding to the love of power 
 so strong within her, she could not resist the desire of 
 exercising it over this new subject, finding her excuse in 
 the fond yet wayward wish to keep from danger that 
 which was now so dear to her. 
 
 "1 have lost enough by this costly war : I will lose no 
 more," she said. "It is easier to part at once than later, 
 when time has more endeared us to each other. Choose 
 between the country which you love and the woman who 
 loves you, and by that choice we will both abide." 
 
 " Rose, this is cruel, this is hard ! Let me choose both, 
 and be the better man for that double service." 
 
 " It is impossible. No one can serve two mistresses 
 I will have all or nothing." 
 
 As she spoke she gently, but decidedly, freed herself 
 fi om his detaining hold, and stood away from him, as if 
 tj prove both her strength and her sincerity. The act 
 changed the words of separation trembling on Robert s 
 dps to words of entreaty ; for, though his upright nature 
 wned the hard duty, his heart clung to its idol, feeling 
 v >hat it must be wrenched away. 
 
 " Wait a little, Rose. Give me time to think. Let 
 me prove that I am no coward ; then I will serve you, 
 and you alone." 
 
 " No, Robert ; if you truly loved me, you would be 
 eager and glad to make any sacrifice for me. I would 
 willingly make many for you ; but this one I cannot, 
 because it robs me of you in a double sense. If you
 
 2O2 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 fall, I lose you ; if you come back alive, I lose you no 
 less, for how can I accept a hand reddened with the 
 blood of those I love ? " 
 
 He had no answer, and stood silent. She saw that this- 
 moment of keen suffering aud conflicting passions was 
 the turniug-point in the yoiing man s life, yet, nothing 
 doubting her power, she hardened herself to his pain that 
 she might gain her point now and repay his submission 
 by greater affection hereafter. Her voice broke the brief 
 silence, steady, sweet, and sad : 
 
 " I see that you have chosen ; I submit. But go at 
 once, while I can part as I should ; and remember, we 
 must never meet again." 
 
 He had dropped his face into his hands, struggling 
 dumbly with honest conscience and rebellious heart. 
 Standing so, he felt a light touch on his bent head, heard 
 the sound of a departing step, and looked up to see Hose 
 passing from his sight, perhaps forever. An exclamation 
 of love and longing broke from his lips ; at the sound she 
 paused, and, turning, let him see that her face was bathed 
 in tears. At that sight duty seemed doubly stern and 
 cruel, the sacrifice of integrity grew an easy thing, and 
 separation an impossibility. The tender eyes were on 
 him, the imploring hands oiitstretched to him, and tho 
 beloved voice cried, brokenly, 
 
 " Oh, Robert, stay ! " 
 
 ^ I will ! " 
 
 He spoke out defiantly, as if to silence the inward 
 monitor that would not yield consent ; he offered his hand 
 to seal the promise, and took one step toward the fair 
 temptation, no more ; for, at the instant, up from
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 203 
 
 below rose a voice, clear and mellow as a silver horn, 
 singing, 
 
 " He has sounded forth the trumpet 
 
 That shall never call retreat ; 
 He is sifting out the hearts of men 
 
 Before his judgment-seat; 
 Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer him; 
 Be jubilant, my feet ! 
 
 1 or God is inarching on." 
 
 The song broke the troubled silence with a martial 
 ring that, to one listener, sounded like a bugle-call, 
 banishing with its magic breath the weakness that had 
 nearly made a recreant of him ; for the opportune out 
 break of the familiar voice, the memories it woke, the 
 nobler spirit it recalled, all made that sweet and stirring 
 strain the young man s salvation. Both stood motion 
 less, and so still that every word came clearly through 
 the sunny hush that filled the room. Rose s face grew 
 anxious, a flash of anger dried the tears, and the ex 
 pression which had been so tender changed to one of 
 petulant annoyance. But Robert did not see it ; he no 
 longer watched her ; he had turned towards the open 
 window, and was looking far away into the distance, 
 where seemed to lie the future this moment was to make 
 or mar, while his whole aspect grew calm and steady, 
 as if with the sense of self-control came the power of 
 self-fcaerilice. 
 
 As the song ended, he turned, gave one parting look 
 at the woman whom he loved, said, * I have chosen ! 
 Hose, good-by," and was gone. 
 
 Out into the beautiful spring world he went, blind to 
 its beauty, deaf to its music, unconscious of its peace.
 
 204 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Before him went the blithe singer, a young man. with 
 uncovered head, brown hair blowing in the wind, thought 
 ful eyes bent on the ground, and lips still softly singing, 
 as he walked. This brother, always just and gentle, 
 always ready with sympathy and counsel, now seemed 
 doubly dear to the sore heart of Robert, as, hurrying to 
 him, he grasped his arm as a drowning man might clutch 
 at sudden help ; for, though the victory seemed won, he 
 dared not trust himself alone, with that great longing 
 tugging at his heart. 
 
 " Why, Rob ! what is it ? " asked his brother, pausing 
 to wonder at the change which had befallen him since 
 they parted but a little while ago. 
 
 " Ask no questions, Richard ; but sing on, sing on, 
 and, if you love me, keep me fast till we get home," 
 answered Robert, excitedly. 
 
 Something in his manner, and the glance he cast over 
 his shoulder, seemed to enlighten his brother. Richard s 
 face darkened ominously for a moment, then softened 
 with sincerest pity as he drew the hand closer through 
 his arm, and answered, with an almost womanly com 
 passion, 
 
 " Poor lad, I knew it would be so ! but I had no fear 
 that you would become a slave to that beautiful tyrant. 
 The bitter draught is often more wholesome than the 
 sweet, and you are wise to let her go before it is too late. 
 Tell me your trouble, Rob, and let me help you bear it." 
 
 " Not now ! not here ! Sing, Rick, if you would not 
 have me break away and go back to her again." 
 
 His brother obeyed him, not with the war-song, but 
 with the simpler air their mother s voice had made a 
 lullaby, beloved by them AS babies, boys, and men.
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 205 
 
 Now, as of old, it soothed and comforted ; and, though 
 poor Robert turned his face away and let his brother 
 lead him where he would, the first sharpness of his pain 
 was eased by a recollection born of the song ; for he 
 remembered that though one woman had failed him, 
 there still remained another whose faithful love Avould 
 know no shadow of a change. 
 
 As they came into the familiar room, where every 
 object spoke of the dear household league lasting un 
 broken for so many years, a softer mood replaced the 
 pain and passion that had struggled in the lover s heart ; 
 and, throwing himself into the ancient chair Avhere so 
 many boyish griefs had been consoled, he laid his head 
 upon his arms, and forgot his manhood for a little while. 
 Richard stood beside him, with a kind hand on his 
 shoulder, to assure him of a sympathy too deep and wise 
 for words, till the fitting moment should appear. It 
 Boon came ; and when the younger brother had made 
 kr>own his trouble, and the elder given what cheer he 
 could, he tried to lead Robert s thoughts to other things, 
 that he might forget disappointment in action. 
 
 " Nothing need detain you now, Rob," he said ; " for 
 the loss of one hope opens the way to the attainment of 
 another. You shall enlist at once, and march away to 
 fight the good fight." 
 
 "And you, Rick? We have both longed to go, but 
 could not decide which it should be. Why should not 
 you march away, and let me stay with mother till my 
 turn comes ? " 
 
 " Need I tell you why? We did delay at first, because 
 we could not choose which should stay with the dear old 
 lady who has only us left now. But lately you have
 
 2O6 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 lingered because of Rose, and I because I would not 
 leave you till 1 knew how you fared. That is all over 
 now ; and surely it is best for you to put States between 
 you, and let absence teach you to forget." 
 
 " You are right, and I am a weak fool to dream of 
 Staying. I ought to go ; but the spirit that once would 
 have made the duty easy has deserted me. Richard, 1 
 have los* faith in myself, and am afraid to go alone. 
 Conae with me, to comfort and keep me steady, as you 
 have done all my life." 
 
 il I wish I could. Never doubt nor despond, no ; but 
 remember that we trust you, we expect great things of 
 you, and are sure you never will disgrace the name father 
 gave into our keeping." 
 
 " I ll do my best, Rick ; but I shall need you more 
 than ever : and if mother only knew how it is with me, 
 I think she would say, Go. " 
 
 " Mother does say it, heartily ! " 
 
 Both started, and turned to see their mother watching 
 them with an untroubled face. A right noble old woman, 
 carrying her sixty years gracefully and well, for her 
 tall figure was unbent ; below the gray hair shone eyea 
 clear as any girl s, and her voice had a cheery ring to it 
 that roused energy and hope in those who heard it ; while 
 the benignant power of her glance, the motherly compas 
 sion of her touch, brought confirmation to the wavering 
 resolve and comfort to the wounded heart. 
 
 With the filial instinct which outlives childhood, Robert 
 leaned against her as she drew his head to the bosom that 
 could always give it rest, and told his sorrow in one 
 broken exclamation, 
 
 " Oh, mother, I loved her so ! "
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 2OJ 
 
 I know it, dear : I saw it, and I warned you. But 
 you thought me unjust. I desired to be proved so, and 
 it 1ms ended here. You have loved like a man, have 
 withstood temptation like a man ; now bear your loss like 
 one, and do not mar your sacrifice to principle by any 
 vain regrets." 
 
 " Ah, mother, all the courage, energy, and strength 
 seem to have gone out of me, and I am tired of my life." 
 
 " Not yet, Rob ; wait a little, and you will find that 
 life*" has gained a new significance. This trouble will 
 change the boy into a man, braver and better for the 
 past, because, if I know my son, he will never let his life 
 be thwarted by a selfish woman s folly or caprice." 
 
 She spoke proudly, and Robert lifted his head with an 
 air as proud. 
 
 " You are right. I will not. But you must let me go! 
 I cannot answer for myself if I stay here." 
 
 " You shall go, and Rick with you." 
 
 " But, mother, can we, ought we, to leave you 
 alone ? " began Richard, longing, yet loath, to go. 
 
 " No, my boys, you neither can nor will ; for I go 
 with you." 
 
 "With us?" cried both brothers, in a breath,, 
 
 " Ay, lads, that I will ! " she answered, heartily. 
 " There is work for the old hands as well as for the 
 young ; and while my boys fight for me, I Avill both nurse 
 and pray for them." 
 
 " But, mother, the distance and danger, the hardships 
 and horrors of such a life, will be too much for you. Let 
 one of us stay, and keep you safely here at home." 
 
 " Not while you are needed elsewhere. Other mothers 
 give their boys; why should not I give mine? Other
 
 ZOS CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 women endure the hardships and horrors of camps and 
 hospitals ; can I not do as much ? You offer your young 
 lives ; surely I may offer the remains of mine Say no 
 more : I must enlist with my boys. I could never sit 
 with folded hands at home, tormenting mytelf with fears 
 for you, although God knows I send you willingly." 
 
 "You should have been a Roman matron, mother, 
 with many sons to give for your country and few tears 
 tor yourself," said Richard, watching the fire of her 
 glance, and listening to the steady voice that talked so 
 cheerfully of danger and of death. 
 
 " Ah, Rob, the ancient legends preserved the brave 
 words of the Roman matrons, but they left no record of 
 the Roman mothers tears, because they kept them for 
 the bitter hours that came when the sacrifices had been 
 made." And, as she spoke, two great drops rolled down 
 to glitter upon Robert s hair. 
 
 For a moment no one stirred, as the three looked their 
 new future in the face, and, seeing all its perils, owned 
 its wisdom, accepted its duties, and stood ready to fulfil 
 (hem to the last. 
 
 Mrs. Stirling spoke first : 
 
 " My sons, these are times to try the metal of all souls ; 
 arid if we would have ours ring clear, we must follow 
 with devout obedience the strong convictions that prompt 
 and lead us to the right. Go, lads, and do your best, 
 remembering that mother follows you, to rejoice if yon 
 win, to comfort you if ypu fail, to nurse you if you need 
 it, and if you fall to lay you tenderly into your graves, 
 with the proud thought, They did their duty : God will 
 remember that, and comfort me. " 
 
 The faces of the brothers kindled as she spoke ; their
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 2CXJ 
 
 hearts answered her with a nobler fervor than the chiv 
 alrous enthusiasm of young blood, and both made a silenl 
 vow of loyalty, to last inviolate through all their lives, 
 us, laying a hand on either head, that brave old mothei 
 dedicated sons and self to the service of "the liberties 
 she loved. 
 
 II. 
 
 THE Army of. the Potomac was on its mirch aorth 
 wafd, to defeat Lee s daring raid and make a litile Penn 
 sylvania village forever memorable. The heights above 
 the town were already darkened by opposing troops ; the 
 quiet valley was already tumultuous with the tramp of 
 gathering thousands, and the fruitful fields already re- 
 ploughed for the awful human harvest soon to be gath 
 ered in. Every road swarmed with blue coats, every 
 hill-side was a camp, every grove a bivouac, every way 
 side stream a fountain of refreshment to hundreds of 
 weary men spent with the privations and fatigues of those 
 forced marches through midsummer heats. 
 
 By one of these little brooks a dusty regiment was 
 halted for brief repose. At the welcome order, many of 
 the exhausted men dropped down where they stood, to 
 snatch an hour s sleep ; some sought the grateful shade 
 of an orchard already robbed of its early fruit, and ate 
 their scanty fare with a cheerful content that made it 
 sweet ; others stretched themselves along the trampled 
 borders of the brook, bathing their swollen feet, or drink 
 ing long draughts of the turbid water, which, to their 
 parched lips, was a better cordial than the costliest wine. 
 Apart from all these groups, two comrades lay side by 
 sida iu the shadow of the orchard-wall. Both were
 
 -IO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 young and comely men, stalwart, keen-eyed, and already 
 bronzed by a Southern sun, although this was their first 
 campaign. Both were silent, yet neither slept, and in 
 their silence there was a marked difference, one lay 
 looking straight up through the waving boughs at the 
 clear blue overhead, with an expression as serene ; the 
 other half leaned on his folded arm, moodily plucking at 
 the turf which was his pillow, with now and then an 
 impatient sigh, a restless gesture. One of these dem 
 onstrations of discontent presently roused his comrade 
 from a waking dream. He sat up, laid a cool hand on the 
 other s hot forehead, and said, with brotherly solicitude, 
 
 "Not asleep yet, Rob? I hope you ve not had a sun 
 stroke, like poor Blake ; for, if you are left behind, we 
 shall both lose our share of the fight." 
 
 " As well die that way as with a rebel bullet through 
 your head ; though, if I had my choice, I d try the last, 
 as being the quickest," replied the other, gloomily. 
 
 "That doesn t sound like you, Rob, you ll think 
 better of it to-morrow, when you ve had a night s sound 
 sleep. This has been a hard march for a young soldier s 
 first." 
 
 " How much older are you than I, either as man or 
 soldier, Rick ? " asked Robert, half petulantly, half 
 proudly. 
 
 " Three hours older as a man, ten minutes as a sol 
 dier : you know I enlisted first. Yet I m much the elder 
 in many things, as you often tell me," said Richard, with 
 tho smile that always soothed his brother s more fiery 
 spirit. " One of the privileges of my seniority is the 
 care of you ; so tell me what harasses you and scares 
 rest away?"
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 211 
 
 "The old pain, Rick. All these weeks of absence 
 have not lessened it ; and the thought of going into a 
 battle out of which I may never come alive, without see 
 ing her once more, makes me almost resolve to desert, 
 and satisfy myself at any cost. You cannot understand 
 this, for you don t know what it is to love to have a 
 woman s face haunting you day and night, to hear a 
 woman s voice always sounding in your ears with a dis 
 tinctness that wiD not let you rest." 
 
 "tf know it all, Rob ! " 
 
 The Avords seemed to slip involuntarily from the young 
 man s lips, for he checked himself sharply, and cast 
 an anxious look at his brother. But Robert was too 
 absorbed in his own emotions to read those of another, 
 and only answered, in a cheerier tone, 
 
 " You mean mother. God bless her, wherever she is, 
 and send us safely home to her ! " 
 
 An almost pathetic patience replaced the momentary 
 agitation Richard s face betrayed, and his eyes turned 
 wistfully towards the green hills that lay between the 
 mother and her boys, as he answered, with a smile of 
 sorrowful significance, 
 
 " Every man is better and braver for a woman s love ; 
 so, as I have no younger sweetheart, I shall take the 
 dear old lady for my mistress, and try to serve her like a 
 loyal knight." 
 
 " Rick ! " exclaimed his brother, earnestly, " if the 
 coming battle proves my last as well as my first, promise 
 that for my sake you ll befriend poor Rose, that you 
 will forgive her, love her, care for her, as if in truth she 
 were my widow." 
 
 "Richard grasped the hand outstretched to him, and
 
 212 CAMP AXD FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 answered, with a fervor that fully satisfied his brother, 
 "I promise, Rob!" then added quickly, "But there 
 will be no need of that ; for, if mortal man can do it, I 
 will keep you, to care for Rose yourself." 
 
 Through the momentary pause that followed came the 
 pleasant sound of falling water. 
 
 "Hark, Rob! do you hear it? Give me your can 
 teen, and I ll bring you a cool draught that shall remind 
 you of the old well at home." 
 
 Rising as he spoke, Richard Avcnt to the low wall that 
 rose behind them, swung himself over, and, plunging 
 down a ferny slope, found a hidden spring dripping mu 
 sically from mossy crevices among the rocks into a little 
 pool below. Pausing a moment to let the shadowy soli 
 tude of the green nook bathe his weary spirit in its 
 peace, he turned to catch the coolest drops that fell ; but, 
 as he bent, the canteen slipped from his hand and 
 splashed unheeded into the pool, for, just opposite, 
 through thickly-growing brakes, he caught the glitter of 
 a pair of human eyes fixed full upon his face. An 
 instant he stood motionless, conscious of that subtle 
 thrill through blood and nerves which sudden danger or 
 surprise can bring to the stoutest heart. Before he could 
 move or speak, the brakes were parted, and the weird, 
 withered face of an old woman was lifted to the light. 
 One of the despised race, clothed in rags, covered with 
 dust, spent with weariness and pain, she lay there, such a 
 wild and woful object that the lonely spot seemed chosen 
 not as a resting-place, but as a grave. Leaning on one 
 arm, she stretched the other trembling hand towards the 
 young man, whispering, with an assuring nod, 
 
 " Don t be skecred, honey ; 1 se only a pore ole conty
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY". 213 
 
 ban , gwine up ter de Ian ob freedum, ef I doesn t drap 
 down by de way." 
 
 "Are you sick, or hurt, or only tired, my poor soul?" 
 asked Richard, with such visible compassion in his facf 
 that the woman s brightened as she answered, with f 
 cheerfulness which made her utter destitution more pa 
 (hetic, 
 
 " I se all dem, and starved inter de bargain ; but, bresa 
 yer, chile, I se done got used ter dat, and don t mind em 
 mifth ef I kin jes git on a piece ter-day. I se ben porely 
 fer a spell, and layin by ; but I se mendin fas , and de 
 sight ob de blue-coats and de kine face is mos as relishin 
 as vittles." 
 
 " You shall have all three, as far as I can give them 
 to you," said Richard, offering the last of his day s ra 
 tion, and sitting down opposite the poor old creature, 
 who, muttering hasty thanks, seized and devoured the 
 food with an almost animal voracity, which proved how 
 great her need had been. As the last morsel vanished, 
 she drew a long breath, uttered a sigh of satisfaction, 
 and, sitting more erect, said, with a depi*ecating gesture 
 and a grateful glance, 
 
 " Massa, I couldn t help forgittiu manners, kase I se 
 ben widout a mouffle sence yisterday, scept two green 
 applet and de mint growin ober dar." 
 
 " Have you been lying here all night? Where do yon 
 come from, and where are you going ? Tell me, without 
 fear, and let me help you if I can." 
 
 " De Lord lub yer kine heart, chile, and keep yer fer 
 yer mudder. My boys is all gone now ; but I knows de 
 feelin , and I ll trus yer, fer s I dares. Yer see, I SR 
 come from Souf Car liuy, and I se gwinc to de bressed
 
 214 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Norf to fine my ole man, what missis tuk wid her when 
 she lef us bery suddin." 
 
 " What part of the North do you want to find? " asked 
 Richard, eager to offer the desolate being such help as 
 lay in his power. She saw the friendly impulse, and 
 thanked him for it with a look ; but the distrust born of 
 many wrongs was stronger than the desire for sympaihy 
 and cautiously, yet humbly, she said, 
 
 " Massa mus please ter scuse me ef I doesn t tell jes 
 whar I se gwine. My pore old man is all dey s lef me ; 
 and ef missis knowed any ways dat I was lookin fer 
 him, she d tote him some place whar I couldn t come. It s 
 way off bery fur ; but de name of de town is wrote 
 down in my heart, and, ef I lives, I ll fine it, shore." 
 
 " Where are your boys ? " asked Richard, interested 
 in spite of the woman s uninviting aspect. 
 
 " I se had seven chil en, honey, but dey s ben sent 
 eberywhich way, and I doesn t know whar dey is now, 
 sccpt de dead ones. My darters was sole off years ago ; 
 one ob my boys was whipped to def, and one tore so wid 
 dc houu s it was a mercy de dear Lord tuk him. Two 
 was put to work on de fortycatious down dar ; and the 
 las one, my little Mose, starved in my arms as Ave was 
 vvadin fru de big swamps, Avhere we runncd when Avord 
 come dat de Yanks Avas comin and we d be free ef Ave 
 got to urn. It Avas bery hard to leave de pore chile dar, 
 but dere was two or free more little grabes to keep him 
 comp ny ; so I come on alone, and, Glory Halleluyer ! 
 here I is." 
 
 " NOAV, how cao I help you, ma am?" said Richard, 
 involuntarily adding respect to pity, as he heard the 
 short, sad story of the ^sses noAV past help.
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 215 
 
 " Ef yer has a bit of money dat yer could spar, cliile. 
 ilat would sist me a heap : I kin hide it handy, and git 
 vittles or a lif when de roads is bery bad. I se inos 
 wore out, for I se ben weeks a comin , kase I duuno de 
 way, and can t trus folks much. Now the Yanks is 
 gwine my road, I wants to foller fas as I kin, fer I so 
 shore dey s right." 
 
 While she rambled on, Richard had taken out hid 
 purse, and halving the small store it contained, offered 
 it, saying, kindly, 
 
 " There old friend ; I d gladly do more for you if I 
 could. I may be going where I shall never need money 
 any more ; and, you know, they who give to the poor 
 lend to the Lord : so this much will be saved up for me." 
 
 The woman rose to her knees, and, taking tha 
 generous hand in both her dusky ones, kissed it with 
 trembling lips, wet it with grateful tears, as she cried, 
 brokenly, 
 
 " Bress yer, chile ! bress yer ! I se no words white 
 nuff to tank yer in, but I ll member yer all my days, 
 aud pray de Lord to hold yer safe in de holler ob His 
 ban ." 
 
 u Thank you, ma am. What else can I do for you 
 before I go ? " 
 
 " Jes tell me yer name, honey, so I kin mind de Lord 
 ob yer tickerlally ; fer dcre s such a heap ob prayers 
 gwine up to Him dese bitter times, He mightn t mine 
 sech pore ones as ole June s ef de good name warn t in 
 mn." 
 
 * Richard Stirling," answered the young man, smiling 
 at, the poor soul s eagerness. " Good-by, old mother. 
 Keep up a stout heart, and trust the blue-conts wlien
 
 2l6 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 you see thorn, till you find your husband and the happy 
 North." 
 
 While he refilled the canteen, the contraband, with 
 the fine sentiment so often found in the least promising 
 of this affectionate race, hastily gathered a delicate fern 
 or two, and, adding the one wild rose that blossomed in 
 that shady spot, offered her little nosegay, with a hu 
 mility as touching as her earnestness. 
 
 " It s a pore give, chile ; but I se nuffin else sceptin 
 de wish dat yer ll hab all yer want in dis world and do 
 nex ." 
 
 As Richard took it, through his mind flashed the 
 memory of old romantic legends, wherein weird women 
 foretold happy fortunes to young knights pausing at some 
 wayside Avell, fortunes to be won only by unshaken 
 loyalty to virtue, love, and honor. Looking down upon 
 the flower, whose name lent it a double charm to him, 
 he said low, to himself, with quickened breath and 
 kindling eyes, 
 
 " A propitious wish ! May it be fulfilled, if I deserve 
 it!" 
 
 Then, as the first drum-beat sounded, he pressed the 
 hard hand that gave the gift, and sprang up the bank, 
 little dreaming how well the grateful heart he left behind 
 him would one day remember and repay hi? charity. 
 
 Three days later, the brothers stood side by side in the 
 ranks at Gettysburg, impatiently aAvaiting their turn to 
 attack a rebel battery that must be silenced. From 
 height to height thundered the cannon ; up and down 
 the long slopes surged a sea of stniggling humanity ; all 
 the air was darkened by wavering clouds of smoke and 
 dusl, which lifted only when iron messengers of dealb
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 217 
 
 tore their way through with deafening reports and sheets 
 of liame ; while, in the brief pauses that sometimes fell, 
 the bands crashed out with dance-music, as if the wild 
 excitement of the hour had made them fitting minstrels 
 for an awful " dance of death/ 
 
 " Remember, Rob, where that goes, we follow while 
 we can," whispered Richard, glancing up at the torn flag 
 streaming overhead. 
 
 " I m ready, Rick," returned his brother, with flashing 
 eyesf set teeth, and in every lineament such visible re 
 solve to do and dare, that one hour seemed to have made 
 the boy a hero and a man. 
 
 As the words left his lips, down the long line rang the 
 welcome order, " Forward ! charge ! " and, with a shout 
 that rose sharp and shrill above the din of arms, the 
 brave th dashed into the rain of shot and shell. 
 Stirred by one impulse, the brothers followed wherever 
 through the smoke they caught the flutter of the flag, as 
 it Avas borne before them up the hill. More than once 
 it dropped from a dead hand, to be caught up by a living 
 one before it touched the ground. Robert Stirling s was 
 one of these ; and, as he seized the staff, the battle- 
 madness seemed to fall upon him, for, waving the banner, 
 with a ringing shout he sprang upon the wall, behind 
 which rebel riflemen were lying. The sharp sting of a 
 ball in the right arm reminded him that he was mortal, 
 and at the same instant his brother s hand clutched him, 
 his brother s voice called through the din, 
 
 " You re wounded, Rob ! For God s sake fall back." 
 But, with a grim smile, Robert passed the banner into 
 the keeping of his other hand, saying, as his arm dropped 
 useless at his side,
 
 2l8 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Not yet. Clear the way for me, Rick, and let the 
 old flag be the first up." 
 
 A loyal cheer from behind drowned the rebel yell that 
 rose in front, as a blue wave rolled up and broke over 
 the wall, carrying the brothers with it. Above the deadly 
 conflict that went on below, the Stars and Stripes tossed 
 wildly to and fro ; but steadily the color-bearer struggled 
 higher, and steadily his body-guard of one went on before 
 him, forcing a passage through the press, till, in a single 
 instant, there came a hurtling sound, a deafening crash, 
 a fiery rain of death-dealing fragments, and, with an 
 awful vision of dismembered bodies, wrathful faces panic- 
 stricken in the drawing of a breath, and a wide gap in 
 the swaying mass before him, Robert Stirling was flung, 
 stunned and bleeding, against the wall so lately left. 
 
 Cries of mortal anguish roused him from a moment s mer 
 ciful oblivion, and showed him that, for his brother and 
 himself, the battle was already done. Not far away, half 
 hidden under a pile of mingled blue and gray, Richard 
 lay quiet on the bloody grass, and, as Robert s dizzy 
 eyes wandered up and down his own bruised body to dis 
 cover whence came the sharp agony that wrung his 
 nerves, he saw that but one arm how hung shattered at 
 his side ; the left was gone, and a single glance at the 
 ghastly wound sent such a pang of horror through him 
 that he closed his eyes, muttering, with white lips, 
 
 " Poor mother ! it will be hard to lose us both." 
 
 Something silken-soft swept across his face, and, look 
 ing up, he saw that the flag had fallen with him, and lay 
 half upright against the wall, still fluttering bravely 
 where many eyes could see it, many willing hearts press 
 on to defend it. Faithful to the last, he leaned across
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 2 19 
 
 (lie staff, and, making a shield of his maimed body, 
 waited patiently for the coming of friend or foe. How 
 fhe battle went he no longer knew ; he scarcely cared ; 
 for noW to him the victories and defeats of life seemed 
 over, and Death standing ready to bestow the pale cross 
 of the legion of honor, laid on so many quiet breasts as 
 the loyal souls depart to their reward. 
 
 With strange distinctness came the roar of cannon, the 
 sharp, shrill ringing of the minie-balls, the crash of 
 burning shells, the shouts, the groans, even the slow drip 
 of his blood, as it plashed down upon the stones ; yet 
 neither hope nor fear disturbed him now, as all the past 
 flashed through his mind and faded, leaving three mem 
 ories, his love for Rose, his brother s death, his 
 mother s desolation, to embitter the memorable moment 
 when, with a deathly coldness creeping to his heart, he 
 leaned there bleeding his young life away. 
 
 To him it seemed hours, yet but a few short minutes 
 passed before he became conscious of a friendly atmo 
 sphere about him, and, through the trance of suffering 
 fast reaching its climax, heard a commanding voice 
 exclaim, 
 
 " It is Stirling : I shall remember this. Take him to 
 the rear, and see that he is cared for." 
 
 Robert knew his Colonel s voice, and, gathering up 
 both failing strength and sense, he tried to stand erect, 
 tried to salute with his one arm, and, failing, said, with 
 a piteous look at either wound, 
 
 " I have done my best, sir." 
 
 " My brave fellow, you have ! What more could you 
 do for the old flag?" 
 
 Something in the glance, the tone, the words of the
 
 22O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 commander whom he so loved and honored, seemed to 
 send new life through the fainting man. His dim eye 
 kindled, his voice grew strong and steady, as, forgetful 
 of the maimed body it inhabited, the unconquerable 
 epirit answered, fervently, 
 
 " I could die for it." 
 
 Then, as if in truth he had done his best, had died for 
 it, Robert Stirling fell forward in the shadow of the 
 flag, his head upon the same green pillow where his 
 brother s lay. 
 
 III. 
 
 " HERE S the paper, and Fisher to read it for us, boys. 
 Hush, there, and let s hear what s up ! " 
 
 An instant silence reigned through the crowded ward 
 as the chief attendant entered with the morning sheet 
 that daily went the rounds. The convalescents gathered 
 about him ; the least disabled propped themselves upon 
 their arms to listen ; even the weakest turned wistful 
 eyes that way, and ceased their moaning, that they might 
 hear, as Fisher slowly read out the brief despatches, and 
 then the mournful lists of wounded, dead, and missing. 
 
 Among the many faces in the room, one female one 
 appeared ; a strong, calm face, with steadfast eyes, and 
 lips grown infinitely tender with the daily gospel of pa 
 tience, hope, and consolation which they preached in 
 words of motherly compassion. Still bathing and bind 
 ing up a shattered limb, she listened to the reading, 
 though her heart stood still to hear, and her face flushed 
 and paled with the rapid alternations of hope and fear. 
 Presently the one audible voice paused suddenly, and a 
 little stir ran through the group as the reader stole au
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 23 i 
 
 anxious glance at the woman. She saw it, divined its 
 meaning, and in an instant seemed to have nerved herself 
 for anything. Sponge and bandage dropped from her 
 hands, a quick breath escaped her, and an expression of 
 sharp anguish for a moment marred the composure of her 
 countenance ; but she fixed a tearless eye on Fisher, 
 asking, steadily, 
 
 44 Are my boys names there ? " 
 
 " Only one, ma am, only one, I do assure you ; and 
 he s *nerely lost an arm. That s better luck than half 
 of em have ; and now it s got to be a kind of an honor 
 to wear an empty sleeve, you know,"" replied the old man, 
 with a half-encouraging, half-remorseful look, as he con 
 eiderately omitted to add the words, " and seriously 
 wounded in the right," to the line, " R. Stirling, left 
 arm gone." 
 
 A long sigh of thanksgiving left the mother s lips ; 
 then, with one of the natural impulses of a strong char 
 acter, which found relief in action, she took up the roller 
 and resumed her work more tenderly than ever, for in 
 her sight that shattered arm was her boy s arm now, 
 only saying, with a face of pale expectancy, 
 
 " Read on, Fisher : I have another son to keep or lose." 
 
 So swift, so subtle, is the magnetism of human sym 
 pathy, that not a man in all that room but instantly for 
 got himself, his own anxieties, hopes, fears, and waited 
 breathlessly for tlie utterance of that other name. Several 
 sat upright in their beds to catch the good or evil tidings 
 in the reader s face ; one dying man sighed softly, from 
 the depths of a homesick heart, " Lord, keep him for his 
 mother ! " and the standing group drew closer about 
 Fisher, peering over his shoulder, that younger, keener
 
 222 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 eyes might read the words, and warn him lest they left 
 his lips too suddenly for one listener s ear. 
 
 Slowly name after name was read, and the long list 
 drew near its end. A look of relief already settled upon 
 Some countenances, and one friendly fellow had turned to 
 nod reassuringly at the mother, when a hand clutched 
 Fisher s shoulder, and with a start he stopped short ii 
 the middle of a word. Mrs. Stirling rose up to receive 
 the coming blow, and stood there mute and motionless, a 
 figure so full of pathetic dignity that many eyes grew 
 very dim. A gesture signified her wish, and, with choked 
 voice and trembling lips, poor Fisher softly read the brief 
 record that one Avord made so terrible, 
 
 " R. Stirling, dead." 
 
 " Give me the paper." 
 
 A dozen hands were outstretched to serve her ; and, as 
 she took it, trying to teach herself that the heavy tidings 
 were not false, several caps were silently swept off, an 
 involuntary tribute of respect to that great grief from 
 rough yet tender-hearted men who had no words to offer. 
 
 The hurried entrance of a surgeon broke the heavy 
 silence ; and his brisk voice jarred on every ear, as he 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Good-by, boys ! I m off to the front. God bless 
 me ! what s the matter ? " 
 
 " Bad news for Mrs. Stirling, sir. Do speak to her : 
 I can t," whispered Fisher, with two great tears running 
 down his waistcoat. 
 
 There was no time to speak ; three words had roused 
 her from the first stupor of her sorrow, and down the 
 long room she went, steady and strong again, straight to 
 the surgeon, saying, briefly,
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 223 
 
 " To the front? When do you go?" 
 
 " In half an hour. What can I do for you ? " 
 
 " Take me with you." 
 
 " Mrs. Stirling, it is impossible," began the astonished 
 gentleman. 
 
 " Nothing is impossible to me. I must find my boys, 
 one living and one dead. For God s sake don t deny 
 me this ! " 
 
 She stretched her hands to him imploringly ; she made 
 as Chough she would kneel down before him ; and her 
 stricken face pleaded for her more eloquently than her 
 broken words. 
 
 Dr. Hyde was an army surgeon ; but a man s heart 
 beat warm behind his bright buttons, unhardened by all 
 the scenes of suffering, want, and woe through which he 
 had been passing for three memorable years. Now it 
 yearned over this poor mother with an almost filial pity 
 and affection, as he took the trembling hands into his 
 own and answered, earnestly, 
 
 " Heaven knows I would not deny you if it were safe 
 and wise to grant your wish. My clear lady, you have 
 no conception of the horrors of a battle-field, or the awful 
 scenes you must witness in going to the front. Thes 
 hasty lists are not to be relied upon. Wait a little, and 
 let me look for your sons. On my soul, I promise to Jo 
 it as faithfully as a brother." 
 
 " I cannot wait. Another week of such suspense would 
 kill me. You never saw my boys. I do not even know 
 which is living and which is dead. Then how can you 
 look for them as well as I? You would not know the 
 poor dead face among a hundred ; you would not recog 
 nize the familiar voice even in the ravings of pain or the
 
 224 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 din and darkness of those dreadful transports. I can 
 bear anything, do anything, go anywhere, to find my 
 boys. Oh, sir, by the love you bear your mother, I im- 
 piore you to let me go ! " 
 
 The look, the tone, the agony of supplication, made 
 her appeal irresistible. 
 
 "You shall," replied the doctor, decidedly, putting all 
 objections, obstacles and dangers out of sight. " I ll 
 delay one hour for you, Mrs. Stirling." 
 
 Up she sprang, as if endowed with the spirit and ac 
 tivity of a girl ; hope, courage, gratitude, shone in her 
 eyes, flushed warm across her face, and sounded in her 
 eager voice, as she said, hurrying from the room, 
 
 " Not an instant for me. Go as you first proposed. I 
 shall be ready long before the time." 
 
 She was : for all her thought, her care, was for her 
 boys, not for herself ; and, when Dr. Hyde went to seek 
 her in the matron s room, that busy woman looked up 
 from the case of stores she was unpacking, and answered, 
 with a sob, 
 
 " Poor soul ! she s waiting for you in the hall." 
 
 News of her loss and her departure had flown through 
 the house ; for no nurse there was so beloved and honored 
 us "Madam Stirling," as the stately old lady was calk d 
 among the boys ; and when the doctor led her to the 
 ambulance, it was through a crowd of wan and cripple^ 
 creatures gathered there to see her off. Many eyes fol 
 lowed her, many lips blessed her, many hands were our- 
 stretched for a farewell grasp ; and, as the ambulance 
 went clattering away, old Fisher gave expression to tlu 
 general feeling, when he said, with an air of solemn con
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 225 
 
 viction in almost ludicrous contrast to the emotional con 
 tortions of his brown countenance, 
 
 " She ll find em ! It s borne in upon me uncommon 
 strong that the Lord won t rob such a woman of her 
 sons, bless her stout heart ! so give her a cheer, boys, 
 and then clear the way ! " 
 
 They did give her a cheer, a right hearty one, though 
 the voices were none of the strongest, and nearly as many 
 crutches as caps were waved in answer to the smile she 
 Beift them as she passed from sight. 
 
 It was not a long journey that lay before her, yet to 
 Mrs^ Stirling it seemed interminable ; for a heavy heart 
 went with her, and, through all the hopeful or despond 
 ent thoughts that haunted her, one unanswerable question 
 continually sounded, like a sorrowful refrain, " One 
 killed, one wounded. Which is living ? which is dead ? " 
 
 All along the road they went two streams of life con 
 tinually flowed, in opposite directions : one, a sad proces 
 sion of suffering humanity passing hospital, or home 
 ward, to live or die, as Heaven willed ; the other, an 
 almost equally sad procession of pilgrims journeying to 
 \\ie battle-field, to find their wounded or to weep their 
 dead, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, 
 all animated by a spirit which made them as one great 
 family, through the same costly sacrifice, the same sore 
 affliction. It was well for Mrs. Stirling that the weary 
 way was a little shortened, the heavy hours a little light 
 ened, for her, by the companionship of others bent on a 
 like errand. In this atmosphere of general anxiety and 
 excitement, accustomed formalities and reserves were for 
 gotten or set aside ; strangers spoke freely to each other ; 
 women confidingly asked and gratefully received tha
 
 226 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 
 
 chivalrous protection of men, and men yearning for sym 
 pathy always found it ready in the hearts and eyes of 
 women as they told their sorrows and were comforted. 
 Many brief tragedies were poured into Mrs. Stirling s 
 ear ; more than one weaker nature leaned upon her 
 strength ; more than one troubled soul felt itself calmjtl 
 by the pious patience which touched that worn and ven 
 erable countenance with an expression which made it an 
 unconscious comfort to many eyes ; and in seeing, sol 
 acing the woes of others, she found fresh courage to sus 
 tain her own. 
 
 They came at last, with much difficulty and many de 
 lays, to the little town in and along which lay nine thou 
 sand dead, and nearly twenty thousand wounded men. 
 Although a week had not yet passed since the thunder of 
 the cannon ceased, the place already looked like the vast 
 cemetery which it was soon to become ; for, in groves 
 and fields, by the roadside and along the slopes, wherever 
 they fell, lay loyal and rebel soldiers in the shallow graves 
 that now are green. The long labor of interment was 
 but just begun ; for the living appealed more urgently to 
 both friend and stranger, and no heart was closed, no 
 hand grew weary, while strength and poAver to aid re 
 mained. All day supply wagons and cars came full am) 
 departed empty ; all day ambulances rolled to and fro, 
 bringing the wounded from remoter parts of the wid^ 
 battle-field to the railroad for removal to fixed hospitals 
 elsewhere ; all day the relief-stations, bearing the blessed 
 sign, " U. S. San. Com.," received hundreds of sulferers 
 into the shelter of their tents, who must else have laid 
 waiting their turn for transportation in the burning July 
 sun ; all day, and far into the night, red-bauded surgeona
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 227 
 
 etood at the rude tables, heart-sick and weary with their 
 hard yet merciful labors, as shattered body after body 
 was laid before them, while many more patiently, even 
 cheerfully, awaited their turn ; and all day mothers, 
 wives, and widows, fathers, friends, and lovers, roamed 
 the hills and valleys, or haunted the field-hospitals, search 
 ing for the loved and lost. 
 
 Dr. Hyde was under orders ; but for many hours he 
 neglected everything but Mrs. Stirling, going with her 
 froft houses, tents, and churches, to barns, streets, and 
 crowded yards ; for everywhere the wounded lay thick as 
 autumn leaves, some on bloody blankets, some on scat 
 tered straw, a feAv in cleanly beds, many on the bare 
 ground ; and if anything could have added to the bitter 
 pain of hope deferred, it would have been the wistful 
 glances turned on the new-comers from eyes that, seeing 
 no familiar face, closed Again Avith a pathetic patience that 
 wrung the heart. All day they searched ; but nowhere 
 did the mother find her boys, nor any tidings of them ; 
 and, as night fell, her companion besought her to rest 
 from the vain search, and accept the hospitality of a 
 friendly citizen. 
 
 " Dear Mrs. Stirling, wait here till morning," the doc- 
 lor said. " I must go to my work, but will not till I 
 know that you are safe ; for you can never wander here 
 alone. I will send a faithful messenger far and wide, to 
 make inquiries through the night, and hope to greet you 
 in the morning with the happiest news." 
 
 She scarcely seemed to hear him, so intent was her 
 mind upon the one hope that absorbed it. 
 
 " Go to your work, kind friend," she said ; " the poor 
 souls need you more than I. Have no fears for me. I
 
 228 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 want neither rest nor food ; I only want my boys ; and I 
 must look for them both day and night, lest one hour of 
 idleness should make my coming one hour too late. I 
 shall go back to the station. A constant stream of 
 wounded men is passing there ; and, while I help and 
 comfort them, I can see that my boys are not hurried 
 away while I am waiting for them here." 
 
 He let her have her will, well knowing that for such 
 as she there was no rest till hope came, or exhausted 
 nature forced her to pause. Back to the relief-station 
 they went, and, while Dr. Hyde dressed wounds, issued 
 orders, and made diligent inquiry among the throngs that 
 came and went, Mrs. Stirling, with other anxious yet 
 hopeful, helpful women, moved about the tents, preparing 
 nourishment for the men, who came in faster than they 
 could be served. Through the whole night she worked, 
 lifting water to lips too parched to syllable the word, 
 wetting wounds unbandaged for days, feeding famished 
 creatures who had lain suffering in solitary places till 
 some minister of mercy found and succored them, Avhis 
 pering words of good cheer, and, by the cordial comfort 
 of her presence, sending many a poor soul on his way 
 rejoicing. But, while she worked so tirelessly for others, 
 she still hungered for her children, and would not be 
 comforted. No ambulance came rumbling from the field 
 that she did not hurry out to scan the new-comers with 
 an eye that neither darkness nor disguise could deceive ; 
 not a stretcher with its helpless burden was brought in 
 that she did not bend over it with the blessed cup of water 
 in her hand, and her poor heart fluttering in her breast ; 
 and often, among the groups of sleepers that lay every 
 where, there went a shadowy figure through the night,
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 229 
 
 turning the lantern s glimmer on each pallid face ; but 
 nowhere did Rick or Rob look back at her with the glad 
 cry, " Mother ! " 
 
 At dawn, Dr. Hyde came to her. With difficulty did 
 he prevail upon her to eat a morsel and rest a little, Avhile 
 he told her of his night s attempts, and spoke cheerfully 
 of the many mishaps, the unavoidable disappointments 
 and delay, of such a quest at such a time and place. 
 
 " We have searched the town ; and Blake and Snow 
 will fee that no Stirling leaves by any of the trains 
 to-day. But the hospitals on the outskirts still remain 
 for us, besides the heights and hollows ; for, on a 
 battle-field like this, many men might lie unfound for 
 days while search wa6 going on about them. I have a 
 wagon here, a rough affair, but the best I can get ; 
 and, if you will not rest, let us go together, and look 
 again for these lost sons of yours." 
 
 They went ; and for another long, hot, summer day 
 looked on sights that haunted their memories for years, 
 listened to sounds that pierced their souls, and with each 
 hour felt the weight of impotent compassion weigh heavier 
 and heavier upon their hearts. Various and conflicting 
 rumors, conjectures, and relations from the comrades of 
 the brothers perplexed the seekers, and augmented the 
 difficulties of their task. One man affirmed that he saw 
 both Stiiiings fall ; a second, that both were taken pris 
 oners ; a third, that he had seen both march safely away ; 
 and a fourth, that Richard was mortally wounded and 
 Robert missing. But all agreed in their admiration for 
 the virtue and the valor of the brothers, heartily Avishing 
 their mother success, and unconsciously applying, by their 
 commendations, the only balm that could mitigate her
 
 f$O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 pain. Up and down, from dawn till dusk, went the heavy- 
 hearted pair ; but evening carne again, and still no sure 
 intelligence, no confirmed fear or happy meeting, light 
 ened the terrible uncertainty that tortured them. 
 
 " Dear madam, we have done all that human patience 
 and perseverance can do. Now, leave your boys in 
 God s hand, and let me care for you as if you were my 
 mother," said the compassionate doctor, as they paused, 
 dusty, jaded, and dejected, at the good citizen s hospitable 
 door. 
 
 Mrs. Stirling did not answer him. She sat there, an 
 image of maternal desolation, her hands locked together 
 on her knee, her eyes fixed and unseeing, and in her face 
 a still, white anguish piteous to see. With gentlest 
 constraint, her friend led her in, laid the gray head down 
 upon a woman s breast, and left her to the tender care 
 of one who had known a grief like hers. 
 
 For hours she lay where kind hands placed her, phys 
 ically spent, yet mentally alert as ever. No passing 
 face escaped her, no sound fell unheeded on her ear, no 
 movement of those about her was unobserved : yet she 
 neither spoke, nor stirred, nor slept, till midnight gath 
 ered cool and dark above a weary world. Then a brief 
 lapse into unconsciousness partially repaired the ravages 
 thos^ two hard days had wrought. But even when the 
 exhausted body rested, the unwearied soul continued its 
 sad quest, and in her dreams the mother ftmnd her boys. 
 So vivid was the vision, that she suddenly awoke to find 
 herself thrilled with a strange joy, trembling with a 
 strange expectancy. She rose up in her bed, she put 
 wvvay her fallen hair, fast whitening with sorrow s frost,
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 231 
 
 Rud held her breath to listen ; for a cry, urgent, implor 
 ing, distant, yet near, seemed ringing through the room. 
 
 From without came the ceaseless rumble of ambu 
 lances and the tread of hurrying feet ; from within, the 
 sound of women weeping for their dead, and the low 
 moaning of a brave officer fast breathing his life away 
 upon his young wife s bosom. No voice spoke, that 
 human ear could hear ; yet through the mysterious hush 
 that fell upon her in that hour, her spirit heard an 
 exceeding bitter cry, 
 
 " Mother ! mother ! come to me ! " 
 
 Like one possessed by an impulse past control, she 
 left her bed, flung on her garments, seized the little store 
 of comforts untouched till now, and, without sign or 
 sound, glided like a shadow from the house. 
 
 The solemn peace of night could not so soon descend 
 upon those hills again ; nature s tranquillity had been 
 rudely broken ; and, like the suffering humanity that 
 cumbered her wounded breast, she seemed to moan in 
 her troubled sleep. Lights flashed from hill and hollow, 
 some fixed, some wandering, all beacons of hope to 
 the living or funeral torches for the dead. Many feet 
 went to and fro along the newly-trodden paths ; dusky 
 figures flitted everywhere, and sounds of suffering filled 
 the night-wind with a sad lament. But, upheld by a 
 power beyond herself, led by an instinct in which she 
 placed blind faith, and unconscious of doubt, or weari 
 ness, or fear, the solitary woman walked undaunted and 
 unscathed through that Valley of the Shadow of Death. 
 
 Out from the crowded town she went, turning neither 
 to the right nor left, up a steep path her feot had trcdden 
 once that day, straight to the ruined breastworks formed
 
 232 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 of loose fragments of stone, piled there by many hands 
 whose earthly labor was already doiie. There, gathered 
 from among the thickly-strewn dead, and sheltered fry 
 an awning till they could be taken lower, lay a score of 
 men, blue coats and gray, side by side on the bare earth, 
 equals now in courage, suffering, and patience. The 
 one faithful attendant who kept his watch alone waa 
 gone for water, that first, greatest need and comfort in 
 hours like those, and the dim light of a Single lantern 
 flickered through the gloom. Utter silence filled the 
 dreary place, till from the remotest corner came a faint, 
 imploring cry, the more plaintive and piteous for being a 
 man s voice grown childlike in its weak wandering : 
 
 " Mother ! mother ! come to me ! " 
 
 "Who spoke?" 
 
 A woman s voice, breathless and broken, put the 
 question ; a woman s figure stood at the entrance of the 
 rude shelter ; and when a wakeful sufferer answered, 
 eagerly, " Robert Stirling, just brought in dying. For 
 God s sake help him if you can," a woma)i s face, 
 transfigured with a sudden joy, flashed swiftly, silently 
 before his startled eyes, to bend over one low bed, 
 whence came the sound of tender speech, prayerful 
 thanksgiving, and the strong sobbing of a man who in 
 his hour of extremest need found solace and salvation in 
 the dear refuge of his mother s arms. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THEY were alone together, the mother and her one son, 
 after weeks of suffering an i a long, slow journey, safely 
 at home at last. Poor Rob was a piteous sight now, for
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 233 
 
 both arms wore gone, one at the shoulder, the other at 
 the elbow ; yet sadder than the maimed body was tho 
 altered face, for, though wan and wasted by much suffer 
 ing, a strong soul seemed to look out at the despairing 
 eyes, as if the captivity of helplessness were more than 
 he could bear. A still deeper grief cast its shadow over 
 him, making the young man old before his time, for day 
 and night his heart cried out for his brother, as if the tie 
 between the twin-born could not be divided even by 
 death. ? This longing, which the consolations of neither 
 tenderness nor time could appease, was now the only 
 barrier to his recovery. Vainly his mother assured him 
 that Richard s death had been confirmed by more than 
 one account ; vainly she tried to comfort him by hopeful 
 reminders of a glad reunion hereafter, and endeavored to 
 rouse him by appeals to his filial love, telling him that he 
 was her all now, and imploring him to live for his old 
 mother s sake. He listened, promised, and tried to be 
 resigned, but still cherished an unconquerable belief that 
 Richard lived, in spite of all reports, appearances, or seem 
 ing certainties. Asleep, he dreamed of him ; awake, he 
 talked of him ; and the hope of seeing him again in this 
 world seemed the only thiag that gave Rob patience and 
 courage to sustain the burden which life had now become 
 to him. 
 
 "Mother, when shall I be freed from this dreadful 
 bed ? " he broke out, suddenly, as she laid down the book 
 she had been reading to deaf ears, and brushed away a 
 lock of hair the wind had blown across his forehead, for 
 her watchful eye and tireless hand spared him the pain 
 of asking any service that recalled his loss. 
 
 " Weeks yet, dear. It takes nature long to repair
 
 234 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 such rents in her fine handiwork ; but the wounds are 
 healing rapidly, thanks to your temperate life and hardy 
 frame." 
 
 " And your devoted care, most faithful of nurses," 
 added Robert, turning his lips to the hand that had 
 strayed caressingly from forehead to check. " Do youf 
 best for me, mother, and you can do more than any 
 other in the world ; get me on my feet again as soon ag 
 may be, and then, God willing, I ll find Rick if he s 
 above the sod." 
 
 Mrs. Stirling opened her lips to remonstrate against 
 the vain purpose, but, seeing the sudden color that lent 
 the wan face a semblance of health, hearing the tone of 
 energy that strengthened the feeble voice, and remem 
 bering how deep a root the hope had taken in the broth 
 er s heart, she silently resolved to let it sustain him if it 
 could, undisturbed by a look or word of unbelief. 
 
 " We will go together, Rob. My first search was suc 
 cessful ; Heaven grant my second may be so likewise. I 
 will do my best ; and when I see you your old self again 
 f shall be ready to follow anywhere." 
 
 " My old self again ! I never can be that, and why I 
 was spared to be a burden to you while Rick was taken 
 no, not taken I ll neither say nor think that. If ho 
 were dead I should either follow him or find comfort in 
 the thought that he was at peace ; but he is alive, for 
 day and night his spirit calls to mine, and I must answer 
 it as you answered me when I cried to you in what I 
 thought to be my dying hour. Remember, mother, how 
 many of our men were found after they were believed to 
 to have been killed or taken. John King s grave was 
 pointed out to his wife, you know ; and, when she had
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 235 
 
 tilmost broken her poor heart over it, she went home, to 
 find him waiting for her there. Why should not some 
 such happy chance befall us? Let us believe and hope 
 till we can do so no longer, and then I will learn sub 
 mission." 
 
 His mother only answered with a gentler touch upon 
 his head, for in her heart she believed that her son was 
 dead. Perhaps the great fear of losing "both had mado 
 the loss seem less when one was spared, or perhaps she 
 thought that if either must go Richard was fittest for the 
 change, and the nearness she still felt to him made the 
 absence of his visible presence less keenly felt than that 
 of Robert would have been ; for, though as dear, he was 
 not so spiritually akin to her as that stronger, gentler 
 /son. 
 
 "Is Rose in town, mother?" was the abrupt question 
 that broke a momentary silence. 
 
 " Yes, she is still here." 
 
 " Does she know we have come ? " 
 
 " She cannot help knowing, when half the town has 
 been trooping by with welcomes, messages, and gifts for 
 you." 
 
 "Do you think she will come to welcome us?" 
 
 " Not yet, dear." 
 
 " Ah ! her pride will keep her away, you th?,nk ? " 
 
 " Her pity, rather. Rose has generous impulses, and, 
 but for her mistaken education, would have been a right 
 noble woman. 6he may be yet, if love proves strong 
 enough to teach her the hard, though happy lesson, that 
 shall give her back to you again." 
 
 " That can never be, mother. What woman could 
 love such a wreck ; and what right have I to expect or
 
 236 AMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 hope it, least of all from Rose? No, I am done with 
 love ; my dream has had a stern awakening ; do not talk 
 of the impossible to me." 
 
 His mother smiled the wise smile of one who under 
 stood the workings of a woman s heart, and, knowing 
 both its weakness and its strength, believed that all things 
 are possible to love. Perhaps some village gossip had 
 breathed a hint into her ear which confirmed her hope ; 
 or, judging another by herself, she ventured to comfort 
 her son by prophesying the return of the dream which he 
 believed forever ended. 
 
 " I will leave that theme for a younger, more persuasive 
 woman to discourse upon, when the hour comes in which 
 you find that hearts do not always change with changing 
 fortunes, that affliction often deepens affection, and when 
 one asks a little pity one sometimes receives much love." 
 
 " I shall never ask either of Rose." 
 
 " If she truly loves you there will be no need of ask 
 ing, Rob." 
 
 His face brightened beautifully as he listened ; his eyes 
 shone, and he moved impetuously, as if the mere thought 
 had power to lift and set him on his feet, a hale and 
 happy man again. But weakness and helplessness held 
 him down ; and, with a sharper pang than that of the 
 half-healed wounds, he lay back, exclaiming with a bitter 
 sigh, 
 
 " No hope of such a fate for me ! I must be content 
 with the fulfilment of my other longing, and think of poor 
 Rick all the more because I must not think of Rose. 
 Oh ! if my worst enemy should bring the dear lad home 
 to me, I d joyfully forgive, love, honor him for that one 
 act"
 
 LOVK AND LOYALTY. 237 
 
 As Robert spoke with almost passionate earnestne-s, a 
 ihadow that had lain across the sunny threshold cf the 
 ioor vanished as noiselessly as it had come ; and unseen, 
 unheard, Rose glided back into the green covert of the 
 lane, saying within herself, as she hurried on, agitated 
 by the mingled pain, pride and passion of the new-born 
 purpose at her heart, 
 
 " Yes, Mrs. Stirling, love shall prove strong enough to 
 make me what I should be, and Robert shall yet forgive 
 and honor me ; for, if human power can do it, I will 
 bring his brother home to him." 
 
 Completely absorbed by the design that had taken pos 
 session of her, she hastened back, thinking intently as 
 she went ; and, when she called her one faithful servant 
 to her, all her plans were laid, her resolution fixed, and 
 every moment seemed wasted till the first step was taken, 
 for now her impetuous spirit could not brook delay. 
 
 " Jupiter, I am going to Washington in the morning, 
 and shall take you with me so be ready," was the 
 rapid order issued to the astonished old man. who had no 
 answer to make, but the usual obedient " Yes, missis." 
 
 " I am going to look for Mrs. Stirling s son, the one 
 who is supposed to be dead." 
 
 " Lors, missis, he is dead, shore, ain t he?" 
 
 " I intend to satisfy myself on that point, if I search 
 Ibe prisons, camps, hospitals, and graveyards, from Get 
 tysburg to Richmond. I have strength, courage, money, 
 and some power, and what better use can I make of them 
 than to look for this good neighbor, and ease the hearta 
 of those who love him best. Go, Jupe, tell no one of 
 my purpose, make ready in all haste, and be sure I will 
 reward you well if you serve me faithfully now.
 
 2^ CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 "Yes, missis, you may pcnd on me," 
 
 At dawn they were away, the young mi&tress and 
 her old slave. No one knew why they had gone, nor 
 whither ; and village rumor said Miss Rose had left 
 so suddenly because young Stirling and his mother 
 bad come home. When Mrs. Stirling heard of the 
 departure, her old eyes kindled with indignation, while 
 her voice trembled with grief, as she said to her 
 son, 
 
 " I am bitterly disappointed in her ; think of her no 
 more, Rob." 
 
 But Robert turned his face to the wall, and neither 
 spoke nor stirred for many hours. 
 
 In ancient times, young knights went out to defend 
 distressed dames and free imprisoned damsels ; but, in 
 our day, the errantry is reversed, and many a strong- 
 hearted woman goes journeying up and down the land, 
 bent on delivering some beloved hero from a captivity 
 more terrible than any the old legends tell. Rose was 
 now one of these ; and, though neither a meek Una nor 
 a dauntless Britomart, she resolutely began the long quest 
 which was to teach her a memorable lesson, and make a 
 loyal woman of the rebel beauty. 
 
 At first she haunted hospitals ; and, while her heart 
 was wrung by the sight of every form of suffering, she 
 marked many things that sunk deep into her memory, 
 and forced it to bear testimony to the truth. She saw 
 Confederate soldiers lying side by side Avith Union men, 
 as kindly treated, almost as willingly served, and twice 
 conquered by those who could smite hard like valiant 
 soldiers, and then lift up their fallen enemy like Christian 
 jentlemeu. This sight caused her to vt^all other eceuea
 
 JLOVE AND LOYALTY. 239 
 
 rn other hospitals, where loyal prisoners lay perishing for 
 help, while rebels close by were cherished with every 
 demonstration of indulgent care by men and women, 
 who not only hardened their hearts against the sadder 
 sufferers, but found a cruel pleasure in tormenting them 
 by every deprivation and indignity their hatred could 
 devise. She had seen a woman, beautiful and young, go 
 through a ward leaving fruit, flowers, delicate food and 
 kind words behind her, for every Southern man that lay 
 
 there ; then offer a cup of water to a Northern soldier, 
 and as the parched lips opened eagerly to receive the 
 blessed draught, she flung it on the ground and went her 
 way with a scornful taunt. This picture was in Rose s 
 mind as she stood in a Washington hospital, by the 
 death-bed of a former neighbor of her own, hearing the 
 fervent thanks uttered with the last breath he drew, 
 watching the sweet-faced nurse close the weary eyes, 
 fold the pale hands, and then forgetting everything but 
 the one fact, that some woman loved and mourned the 
 lost rebel, she " kissed him for his mother," while Rose 
 turned away with full heart and eyes, never again to 
 speak contemptuously of Northern men and women. 
 She visited many battle-fields and graveyards, where 
 
 the low mounds rose thickly everywhere, and an army 
 of brave sleepers lay awaiting the call to God s great 
 review. Here, too, despite the dreary task before her, 
 and the daily disappointment that befell her, she could not 
 but contrast the decent burial given to dead enemies 
 with the sacrilegious brutality with which her friends 
 often tried to rob death of its sanctity by mutilation, 
 burning, butchery, and the denial of a few feet of earth 
 to cover some poor body which a brave soul had ennobled
 
 240 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 by its martyrdom. Seeing these things, she could not 
 but blush for those whom she once had blindly honored , 
 could not but heartily respect those whom she once had 
 as blindly distrusted and despised. 
 
 She searched many prisons ; for, when neither eloquence 
 nor beauty could win its way, money proved a golden key, 
 and let her in. Here, as elsewhere, the same strong con 
 trast was forced upon her ; for, while one side fed, clothed, 
 and treated their conquered with courteous forbearance, 
 often sending them back the richer and better for their 
 sojourn, the other side robbed, starved, tormented, and 
 often wantonly murdered the helpless victims of the 
 chances of war, or returned them worn out with priva 
 tion and neglect to die at home, or to endure the longer 
 captivity of strong souls pent in ruined bodies. And 
 Rose felt her heart swell with indignant grief and shame, 
 as she came out into the free world again, finding the 
 shadow of prison-bars across its sunshine, hearing the 
 sighs of long-suffering men in every summer wind, and 
 fully seeing at last how black a blight slavery and 
 treason had brought upon the land she loved. 
 
 She Avent to Hospital Directories, those kindly insti 
 tuted intelligence offices for anxious hearts, and there 
 she saw such sorrowful scenes, yet heard such cheerful, 
 courageous words, that sympathy and admiration con 
 tended for the mastery in the Southern woman s breatt. 
 She hoard an old mother say proudly, as she applied for 
 a pass, " I have had seven sons in the army ; three are 
 dead, and two are wounded, but I m glad my boys went." 
 She saw a young wife come to meet her husband, and 
 learn that he was waiting for her in his coffin ; but 
 though her heart was broken, there was no murmuring
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 2^1 
 
 at the heavy loss, no bitter denunciation of those who 
 had made her life so desolate, only a sweet submission, 
 and sustaining consolation in the knowledge that the 
 great sarrifice had been freely made, and the legacy of 
 an honorable name had been bequeathed to the baby at 
 her breast. Lads came asking for fathers, and whether 
 they found them dead or wounded, the spirit of patriot 
 ism burned undiminished in their enthusiastic hearts, 
 and each was eager to fill the empty place, undau ited 
 uy pain and peril of the life. Old men mingled, with 
 their tearless lamentations for lost sons, their own re 
 grets that they too could not shoulder guns, and fight the 
 good fight to the end. 
 
 All these loyal demonstrations sunk deeply into Rose s 
 softened heart, and in good time bore fruit ; for now she 
 began to think within herself, " Surely, a war which 
 does so much for a people, making women glad to give 
 their best and dearest, men eager to lay down their lives, 
 strengthening, purifying, and sustaining all, must be a 
 holy war, approved by God, and sure of victory in the 
 end." The last touch needed to complete the work of 
 regeneration was yet to come ; but slowly, surely this 
 long discipline made her ready to receive it. 
 
 tier search, meanwhile, had not proved fruitless, for 
 after many disappointments one fact was established 
 beyond doubt : Richard Stirling was not killed at Gettys 
 burg. By the merest chance she met, in one of the 
 Union hospitals which she visited, a rebel lieutenant who 
 told her that the same shell wounded both Stirling acci 
 himself, and when the first attack was repulsed, that 
 Richard was taken prisoner, and sent to the rear with 
 others of his regiment. An hour later, the lieutenant 
 16
 
 242 CAMP AND FIRESTDK STORIES. 
 
 himself was taken by our men when they returned to 
 the charge ; but whether Stirling lived or died he could 
 not tell : probably the latter, being severely wounded in 
 head and chest. 
 
 The smile, the thanks Rose gave in return for these 
 good tidings, and the comforts she gratefully provided, 
 would have made captivity dangerously alluring to the 
 young lieutenant had she remained. But armed with 
 this intelligence she went on her way rejoicing, eager to 
 trace and follow the army of prisoners that had gone 
 southward. Weeks had been consumed in her search, 
 and already rumors of the horrors of the Libby Prison- 
 house and Belle Island had disturbed and shocked the 
 North. Haunted with woful recollections of all the 
 varied sufferings she had seen, her imagination pictured 
 Richard weak and wounded, shivering and starving, 
 while she waited with full hands and eager heart to save, 
 and heal, and lead him home. Intent on reaching Rich 
 mond, she besieged officials in high places as well as low, 
 money flowed like water, and every faculty was given to 
 the work. It seemed as if she had undertaken an irnpossi- 
 bilty ; for though all pitied, tried to help, and heartily 
 admired the beautiful brave woman, no one could servo 
 her as she would be served ; and she began to exercise 
 her fertile wit in devising some way in which she could 
 attain her object by stratagem, if all other means should 
 fail. 
 
 Waiting in her carriage, one day, at the door of a 
 helpful friend s office, while Jupe carried up a message, 
 she was startled from an anxious reverie by the sudden 
 appearance of an agitated black countenance at the win-
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 243 
 
 dow, and the sound of an incoherent voice, exclaiming, 
 between laughter and tears, 
 
 " Oh, bress de Lord, and sing hallyluyer ! I se foun 
 her ! I se foun her ! Doesn t yer kuoAv me, Missy Kose ? 
 I se old June, and Fse run away ; but I doesn t kere 
 nuilm what comes ob me ef missy ll jes lem me see my 
 pore jle man once more." 
 
 To Juno s infinite surprise, no frown appeared upon 
 the face of her young mistress, and no haughty repri- 
 *uand followed the recognition of the half-ludicrous, half- 
 pathetic tatterdemalion who addressed her, but a white 
 hand was put forth to draw the new-comer in, and the 
 familiar voice answered with a friendliness never heard 
 before, 
 
 " Jupe is safe, and you shall see him soon. Come in, 
 you poor old soul, come in." 
 
 In bundled the delighted creature, and began to tell 
 her story, but stopped in the middle to dart out again, 
 and fall upon the neck of the bewildered Jupiter, as he 
 came soberly up to deliver his message. Fortunately it 
 was a quiet street, else tlftit tumultuous meeting might 
 have been productive of discomfort to all parties ; for the 
 old couple wept, laughed, and sung, went, down upon 
 their knees to thank Heaven, got up to embrace, and 
 dance, and weep again, in a perfect abandonment of 
 gratitude, affection and delight. When Rose could 
 make herself heard, she bade them both enter the car 
 riage ; then drawing down the curtains, and ordering the 
 coachman to drive slowly round the square, she let the 
 reunited husband and wife give free vent to their emo 
 tions, till from sheer weariness they grew calm again. 
 
 " We hopes missis will scuse us actin so wild, but
 
 244 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 pears like Ave couldn t help it, comin so bery sudden an 
 undispected, apologized Jupe, wiping away the last of 
 his own and Juno s tears with the same handkerchief, 
 which, very properly, was a miniature star-spangled 
 banner. 
 
 But Rose s own eyes were wet ; and in her sight there 
 was nothing unlovely or unmannerly in that natural out 
 break of affection, for she had learned to feel for others 
 now, and the same stern discipline which made her both 
 strong and humble, taught her to see much that was true 
 and touching in the spectacle of the gray heads bent 
 towards each other ; the wrinkled faces shining with joy ; 
 the hard hands locked together, as the childless, friend 
 less old pair found freedom, happiness, and rest for a 
 moment in each other s arms. Like a true woman, Juno 
 calmed herself first, that she might talk ; and, embold 
 ened by the gracious change in her once imperious 
 mistress, she told the story of her wanderings at length, 
 not forgetting the chief incident of her long and lonely 
 flight, the meeting with Robert Stirling. At the sound 
 of his name, both Rose and Jupe exclaimed, and Juno 
 was rapidly made acquainted with the mission which 
 had brought them there. Deeply impressed with the 
 .-.ircumstance, and a sense of her own importance, the 
 good soul entered heartily into the matter, saying, with 
 thtj pious simplicity of her race, 
 
 " De ways ob de Lord is mazing sterious! but we s 
 boun to b lieve dat He ll take special kere ob dat dear 
 chile, elseways we shouldn t hab ben brung togedder so 
 cur us. I tole de blessed gen l man I d member him, and 
 [ has ; I prayed ter be spared ter see his kine face agin, 
 an I Avas."
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 245 
 
 " Where? whcr ? Oh, Juno, you were surely sent to 
 me in iny last extremity," cried Rose, now trembling 
 with interest and impatience. 
 
 " It was dis way, missy. When dat dear genTman 
 lef me I creeped on a piece, but was tuk sick, an a kind 
 fam ly kep me a long time. Den I come on agin bery 
 slow, an one day as I was gwine fru a town, I se los 
 de name, but it don t matter, as I was gwine fru dat 
 town, dere come a lot ob pris ners frum Gettysbury, 
 oifsome place like dat, a gwiue to Richmun. Dear heart, 
 honey, dey was an orfle sight, all lame, an rags, an hungry, 
 an de folks run out into de street wid bread ter feed um. 
 De guard was bery ugly, and wouldn t let de folks come 
 nigh ter do it, so dey jes fell back and frowed de vittles 
 ober de heads of dem rebs, and de pore souls cotched it 
 as ef it was de inanny dey tells of in de Bible. I helped 
 um ; yes, missy, I couldn t stay still noways, so I runned 
 into a bake-shop wid some more women, and we stood in 
 de winders and hev de bread down to de starvin creeterg 
 in de street mighty hearty, you m be shore ob dat. I 
 had a big loaf in my hau , and was lookin roun for de 
 etarvinest man dar, when I saw de bery face dat looked 
 so kine inter mine yonder by de spring. I tank de Lord 
 I d kep de name handy, fer I screeched right out, Oh, 
 AlaBsa Stirliu ! Massa Stirlin ! dis yere s for you wid 
 my lub. He looked up, he membered me, he larfed all 
 over his pore thin face, jes as he done de day I gib him 
 de rose. Oh, missy ! he was hurted bad ; dey had tuk 
 away his hat, and coat, and shoes, and I saw his head 
 was tied up, and dere was a great red stain on de bosom 
 ob his shirt, and he looked so weak and wore down dat 
 I jes bus out cry in , and forgot all bout de bread till I
 
 246 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 was gwine to wipe my eyes wid it. Den I got my wita 
 togedder and gib de loaf sudfi. a great chuck dat I mos 
 fell out a winder, but he got it ; I sawed him break it in 
 bits and gib em roun to de pore boys side ob him, some 
 wid no arms to grab wid, some too hurted to fight and 
 run for it like de res. Den I se fraid he won t had nuf 
 for his self, so I gets more and fros it far, and he larfe 
 out hearty like a boy, and calls to me, I tank yer, ma am. 
 God bless yer ! Dat set me cryin agin, like a ole fool 
 as I is, and when I come to dey was movin on agin, and 
 de las I see ob dat dear soul he was marchin brave, wid 
 de sun beatin down on his pore head, de hot sand burniu 
 his pore feet, and a sick boy haugin on his arm. But 
 fer all dat he kep lookiu back, noddin and smiliu till 
 dey was clean gone, and dere was nuffiu left but prayers 
 and sobbin all dat da} fer me." 
 
 " It is certain then that he has gone to Richmond ; I 
 must follow. Jupe, what message did Mr. Norton send 
 me?" asked Rose, remembering her unanswered inquiry 
 at last. 
 
 " He bery busy, Missis, elseways he come doAvn and 
 see yer ; but he says dere s no gittin any passes, and do 
 only vice he cau gib, is dat you goes to Napolis and 
 looks dere, kase dere s beu some pris oers fetched dero 
 frum Belle Island, and dere s jes one chance dat Massa 
 Stirliu mought be mong em." 
 
 " I ll go ! Jupe, order the man back to the hotel. 
 There s not a moment to be lost," said Rose. 
 
 " Oh, missy, lem me go wid you ! " implored Juno. " I 
 knows I don t look bery spectable, but I ll follow on hind 
 yer some ways : I se good at nussin , I can pry roun in 
 places whar a lady couldn t, and ef dat bressed geii l man
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 247 
 
 ain t dar, I ll jcs go back and try to fetch him out ob de 
 Ian ob bondage like I did myself." 
 
 " You shall go, Juno, for without you I should still be 
 groping in the dark. Surely Heaven helps me. and I 
 feel that I shall find him now." 
 
 She did find Lim, but how? She went to Annapolis, 
 where a hundred and eighty exchanged prisoners had 
 just arrived, and entering the hospital, stood aghast at 
 the sight before her. Men who for weeks had been con- 
 fiuefl on that desert waste, Belle Island, without shelter 
 or clothing, almost without food, and no help, sick or 
 well, lay there dead or dying from starvation and neglect. 
 Nurses, inured to many forms of suffering, seemed dis 
 mayed at the awful spectacle of living skeletons famish 
 ing for food, yet too weak to taste when eager hands tried 
 to minister to them. Some were raving in the last stage 
 of their long agony ; some were hopelessly insane ; many 
 had died unconscious that they were among friends ; and 
 others were too far gone to speak, yet dumbly grateful 
 for the help that came too late. 
 
 Heart-wrung and horror-stricken, Rose could only pray 
 that she might not find Richard among these victims of a 
 barbarous revenge which made her disown and denounce 
 the cause she had clung to until then, and oppressed her 
 with a bitter sense of remorse for ever giving it her alle 
 giance. As she stood struggling with a flood of thoughts 
 and feelings too strong for utterance, old Juno, who had 
 pressed on before her, beckoned with an eager hand. 
 Going to her, Rose found her bending over the mournful 
 ghost of a man who lay there like one dead, with hollow 
 eyes fast shut, the pinched mouth breathless, the wasted 
 limbs stiff and cold, and no trace of Richard Stirling vis-
 
 248 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 iblej for the frightful emaciation, the long, neglected hair 
 and beard, so changed him that his own mother might 
 have passed by without a glance of recognition. 
 
 " It is not he, Juno. Poor soul, poor soul ! cover his 
 face, and let him rest," sighed Rose, with tremulous lips, 
 bending to lay her delicate handkerchief over the piteous 
 face, one glance at which had made her eyes too dim for 
 seeing, and seemed to utter a mute reproach, as if the 
 loss of this life lay at her door. 
 
 " It is de dear boy, missy ; I se shore ob it, fer see 
 what I foun* in dis faded little bag dat lay on his heart, 
 when I feeled to see if dere was any beat lef. Here s a 
 bit ob gray har in a paper wid somefin wrote on it, an 
 here s de flower I gib him. I knows it by de red string 
 I pulled out ob my old shawl to tie de posy wid. Ah, 
 honey, I specks he smiled so when he tuk de rose, an* 
 kep it, kase he tort ob you, and lubbed you bery dear." 
 
 The little case and the dead flower fell from Rose s 
 hand, as she read these words upon the worn paper that 
 held the gray curl : " For Rick from mother, May 10, 
 1863 " ; and she laid her warm cheek down beside that 
 chilly one, crying through the heartiest, happiest tears 
 she ever shed. 
 
 " Oh, Richard, have I come too late? " 
 
 Something in the touch of tender lips, the magnetism 
 of a living, loving heart, seemed to arrest the weary 
 spirit in its flight, and call it back to life by the power of 
 that passion which outlives death. 
 
 " De heart s a beatin . and de bref s a comin , shore. 
 Lif up his head, honey ! Jupe, fan him bery kereful, 
 while I gets a drop ob brandy down his frote, an rubs
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 249 
 
 dese pore bans dat is all bones. Dear boy, we s got yei 
 Def may go way now ! " 
 
 Juno both worked and spoke as if the young man wer 
 her son ; for she forgot all differences of rank, color, anr 
 condition, in her glad gratitude to nurse him like * 
 mother. Rose laid the unconscious head upon he] 
 bosom, and, brushing back the tangled hair, watched th 
 faint flutter of the eyelids, as life came creeping back, 
 and hope dawned again for both of them ; for she felt that 
 Ricliard s restoration would win Robert s pardon, and be 
 her best atonement for the past. 
 
 It was long before he was himself again, but Juno 
 never left him, day or night ; Jupe was a sleepless, tire 
 less guard, and Rose ministered to him with heart as 
 well as hand, seeming to hold death at bay by the sheer 
 force of an indomitable will. He knew the forms about 
 him, at last ; and the happiest moment of Rose s life was 
 that in which he looked up in her face with eyes that 
 blessed her for her care, and whispered feebly, 
 
 " I thought I had suffered much, but this atones for 
 all ! " 
 
 After that, every hour brought fresh strength, and 
 renewed assurances that the danger had gone by. At 
 this point Juno discovered that her soul was stronger 
 than her body, for the latter gave out, and Rose com 
 manded her to rest. 
 
 " I need you no longer, for my work is nearly done," 
 she said. " Jupe, I told you that if you served me well 
 you should be rewarded, and I will keep my word. This 
 paper assures your freedom, and your wife s, forever ; this 
 purse contains a little fortune, to keep you above want 
 while you live- Take the late gift, my good old friends,
 
 .550 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 and forgive me for the wrong I have done you all these 
 years." 
 
 Rose s subdued yet earnest manner, and the magnitude 
 of the gift, restrained the rapture of the old pair, which 
 iound vent only in a demonstration that touched Rose 
 more thau a stream of thanks and blessings. Holding 
 fast the precious paper that gave them freedom only at 
 life s close, they put back the money, feeling too rich in 
 that other gift to fear want, and, taking one of the white 
 hands in their black ones, they kissed them, wet them 
 with grateful tears, and clung to them, imploring to be 
 allowed to stay with her, to serve her, love her, and he 
 her faithful followers to the end. 
 
 Much moved, she gave the promise ; and happier thau 
 any fabled king and queen of Olympus were the old 
 freedman and his wife, when they went away to nurse 
 each other for a little while, at their mistress s desire, 
 leaving her to tend the " General," as Jupe insisted upon 
 calling Richard, laboring under a delusion that, be 
 cause he had suffered much, he must have received honor 
 and promotion. 
 
 Very quiet, useful hours were those that followed, and 
 these proved the sincerity of her amendment, by the zeal 
 with which she performed many a distasteful duty for 
 Richard and his companions in misfortune, the patience 
 with Avhich she bore many discomforts, the energy with 
 which she met and conquered all obstacles to the fulfil 
 ment of her purpose. Unconsciously Richard did more 
 for her than she for him : because, though unseen, his 
 work Avas both more difficult and more enduring than her 
 own. She nursed and nourished an exhausted body ; 
 he, by the influence of character, soothed and sustained
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 251 
 
 an anxious soul, helped Rose to find her better self, and, 
 through the force of a fair example, inspired her with 
 noble emulation. They talked much, at first : Rose waa 
 the speaker, and an eloquent one ; for Richard was v ery 
 like his brother, as she had last seen him, and she felt the 
 charm of that resemblance. Then, as Richard gained 
 strength, he loved to lie conversing upon many themes, 
 too happy in her presence to remember the sad past, or to 
 cherish a fear for the unknown future. Having lived a 
 deep and earnest life of late, Rose found herself fitted to 
 comprehend the deep and earnest thoughts that found 
 expression in those confidential hours ; for if ever men 
 and women are their simplest, sincerest selves, it is when 
 suffering softens the one, and sympathy strengthens the 
 other. 
 
 Often Rose caught a wistful look fixed on her face, as 
 she read or worked beside her patient, in the little room 
 cow set apart for him, and she could not but interpret, it 
 aright, since the story of the rose had given her a key to 
 that locked heart. Poor Richard loved her still, and was 
 beginning to hope that Juno s wish might be fulfilled, for 
 Rose seldom spoke of Rob, had shivered and turned 
 pale when she told his great misfortune, and, man-like, 
 Richard believed that her love had changed to pity, and 
 might, in time, be given to Robert s unmarred counter 
 part. He was very slow to receive this hope, very re 
 morseful when he thought of Rob, and very careful not 
 to betray the troubled joy that was doing more toward 
 his recovery than any cordial that passed his lips. But, 
 vvhen the time came for them to think of turning home 
 ward, he felt that he could not meet his brother with any 
 secret hidden in his heart ; and, with the courage that
 
 252 CAMi AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 was as natural to him as his patience, he ended his sus 
 pense, and manfully went to meet his fate. 
 
 Rose had been reading him to sleep one night, and 
 fancying, from his stillness, that she had succeeded, she 
 closed her book, and sat watching the thin face that looked 
 so pale and peaceful in the shaded light that filled the 
 room. Not long did she study it, for suddenly the clear 
 eyes opened, and, as if some persistent thought found 
 utterance, almost against his will, he asked, 
 
 " Rose, why did you come to find me ? " 
 
 She divined the true meaning of the look, the words, 
 with a woman s instinct, and answered both with the 
 perfect truth which they deserved. 
 
 " Because your brother wanted you." 
 
 " For his sake you came for me ? " 
 
 " Yes, Richard." 
 
 " Then, Rose, you you love him still?" 
 
 " How can I help it, when he needs me more than 
 ever ? " 
 
 For a moment Richard s face changed terribly ; then 
 something seemed to gush warm across his heart, send 
 ing a generous glow to cheek and forehead, banishing 
 the despair from his eyes, and lending to his voice a 
 heai-tiness unheard before. 
 
 " Forgive me, Rose ; you are a nobler woman than 1 
 thought you. He does need you more than ever ; give 
 him your whole heart, and help me to make his hard life 
 happy." 
 
 " I will God bless my brother Rick ! " and, bond 
 ing, Rose kissed him softly on the forehead, the onlv 
 token that ever betrayed her knowledge of his love, the
 
 LOVfc AND LOYALTY. 253 
 
 culy atonement she had it in her power to make him for 
 his loss. 
 
 Richard held the beautiful, beloved face close to his 
 own an instant, then turned his head away, and Rose 
 heard one strong, deep sob, but never any word of lam 
 entation or reproach. Too much moved to speak, yet 
 too full of sympathy to leave him, she leaned her head 
 apon the arm of the cushioned chair in which she sat, 
 and soon forgot the lapse of time in thoughts both sweet 
 an (f bitter. A light rustle and a faint perfume recalled 
 her to the present ; and looking, without moving, she saw 
 Richard s almost transparent hand hold the dead rose in 
 the flame of the lamp until its ashes fluttered to the 
 ground ; she saw him watch the last spark fade, and 
 shiver as he glanced drearily about the room, as if all the 
 warmth and beauty had died out of his life, leaving it 
 very desolate and dark ; she saw him turn toward her 
 while his face grew clear and calm again, and, believing 
 himself unseen, he lifted a little fold of her dress to his 
 lips, as if he bade the woman whom he loved a long fare 
 well ; then he lay down like one spent with some sore 
 struggle, which, though hardly fought, had been wholly 
 won. 
 
 At that sight Rose s tears fell fast ; and, long after 
 Richard slept the sleep of utter weariness, she still sat 
 there, with her head pillowed on her arms, keeping a 
 vigil in which she consecrated her whole life to the ser 
 vice of that cause which, through many trials, had taught 
 her a truer loyalty, a purer love. 
 
 In the ruddy glow of an October sunset, Rose led 
 Richard across the threshold of the dear old home, and
 
 254 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIEn. 
 
 gave him to his mother s arms. At first, a joyful tumult 
 reigned ; then, as the wonder, gratitude, and joy sub 
 sided, all turned to Rose. She stood apart, silently re 
 ceiving her reward ; and, though worn and weary with 
 her long labor, never had she seemed so beautiful as 
 then ; for the once proud eyes were grown sweetly 
 humble, the serenity of a great content shone in her face, 
 and a fine blending of gentleness and strength gave the 
 crowning grace to one who was now, in truth, a "right 
 noble woman." 
 
 The mother and her sons regarded her in silence for a 
 moment, and silently she looked back at them Avith a 
 glance, a gesture that said more eloquently than any 
 words : " Forgive me, love me, and forget the past." Mrs. 
 Stirling opened her arms, and Rose clung to that moth 
 erly bosom, feeling that no daughter could be dearer 
 than she was now, that all her pain and penitence was 
 known, and her reward secure at last. 
 
 " Rose, I have but one thing precious enough to give 
 you in return for the great service you have so beautifully 
 conferred upon me. If I read your heart aright, this is 
 the prize for which you have striven and suffered ; and, 
 loving you the dearer for your constancy, I freely give 
 one-half my treasure to your keeping, sure that you will 
 find life richer, happier, and better for your devotion to 
 the man you love." 
 
 Rose understood her, felt that the mother wished to 
 prove the woman s pride, the lover s truth, and well 
 she stood the test ; for going straight to Robert, who had 
 scarcely spoken, but whose eye had never left her since 
 she came, she said, clearly and steadily, too earnest
 
 LOVE AND LOYALTY. 255 
 
 for maiden shame, too humble for false pride, too hope 
 ful for any fear, 
 
 " Robert, you once said you would never ask either 
 pity or love of me. Will you accept both when I offer 
 them humbly, heartily, and tell you that all my happiness, 
 my hopes, my peace, are now bound up in you? " 
 
 Poor Rob ! he had no arms in which to receive her, 
 no words wherewith to welcome her, for speech failed 
 him when those tender eyes looked up into his own, and 
 she so generously gave him the desire of his life. He 
 only bowed his head before her, deliciously oppressed 
 with the happiness this double gift conferred. Rose read 
 his heart, and with a loving woman s skill robbed the mo 
 ment of all its bitterness and left only its sweetness ; for, 
 putting both arms about his neck, she whispered like a 
 pleading child, 
 
 u Dear, let me stay ; I am so happy here ! " 
 
 There was but one answer to that appeal ; and as it 
 was given, Mrs. Stirling turned to beckon Richard from 
 the room, glad to have him all her own again. He had 
 already stolen out, and standing in the autumn sunshine, 
 looked across the quiet river with a countenance as cheer 
 ful as the sunshine, as tranquil as the stream. His 
 mother scanned his face with a searching yet sorrowful 
 eye, that dimmed with sudden dew as, reading its sigufi- 
 cance, her sou met it with a glance that set her anxiety 
 at rest. 
 
 " Have no fears for me, mother ; I have fought my 
 double light, and am freed from my double captivity. 
 The lost love is not dead, but sleeping, never to waken 
 in this world, and its grave is growing green." 
 
 "Ah, my good son, the world will .see Rob s sacrifice,
 
 256 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES 
 
 and honor him for it, but yours is the greater one, for 
 through many temptations you have been loyal, both to 
 your country and yourself. God and your mother love 
 and honor you tor that, although to other eyes you seem 
 to stand forgotten and alone." 
 
 But Richard drew the gray head tenderly, reverently 
 down upon his breast, and answered, with the cheerlul 
 smile unchanged, 
 
 44 Never alone while I have you, mothar."
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA; 
 
 OR, THE LITTLE OLD SHOE. 
 
 HOW IT WAS LOST. 
 
 A MONG green New-England hills stood an ancient 
 *- house, many-gabled, mossy-roofed, and quaintly 
 built, but picturesque and pleasant to the eye ; for a 
 brook ran babbling through the orchard that encompassed 
 it about, a garden-plot stretched upward to the whisper 
 ing birches on the slope, and patriarchal elms stood sen 
 tinel upon the lawn, as they had stood almost a century 
 ago, when the Revolution rolled that way and found 
 them young. 
 
 One summer morning, when the air was full of coun 
 try sounds, of mowers in the meadow, blackbirds by 
 the brook, and the low of cattle on the hill-side, the old 
 house wore its cheeriest aspect, and a certain humble 
 history began. 
 
 " Nan ! " 
 
 " Yes, Di." 
 
 And a head, brown-locked, blue-eyed, soft-featured, 
 looked in at the open door in answer to the call. 
 
 "Just bring me the third volume of Wilhelm Meis- 
 tr, there s a dear. It s hardly worth while to rouse such 
 H restless ghost as I, when I m once fairly laid." 
 
 (257)
 
 2t) CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 As she spoke, Di pushed up her black braids, thumped 
 the pillow of the couch where she was lying, and with 
 eager eyes went down the last page of her book. 
 
 " Nan ! " 
 
 " Ye*, Laura," replied the girl, coming back with the 
 third volume for the literary cormorant, who took it witli 
 a nod, still too intent upon the " Confessions of a Fair 
 Saint " to remember the failings of a certain plain sinner. 
 
 " Don t forget the Italian cream for dinner. I depend 
 upon it ; for it s the only thing fit for me this hot weather." 
 
 And Laura, the cool blonde, disposed the folds of her 
 white gown more gracefully about her, and touched up 
 the eyebrow of the Minerva she was drawing. 
 
 " Little daughter ! " 
 
 " Yes, father." 
 
 " Let me have plenty of clean collars in my bag, for I 
 must go at three ; and some of you bring me a glass of 
 cider in about an hour, I shall be in the lower garden/ 
 
 The old man went away into his imaginary paradise, 
 and Nan into that domestic purgatory on a summer day, 
 the kitchen. There were vines about the windows, 
 sunshine on the floor, and order everywhere ; but it was 
 haunted by a cooking-stove, that family altar whence such 
 varied incense rises to appease the appetite of household 
 gods, before which such dire incantations are pronounced 
 to ease the wrath and woe of the priestess of the fire, 
 arid about which often linger saddest memories of wasted 
 temper, time, and toil. 
 
 Nan Avas tired, having risen with the birds, hurried, 
 having many cares those happy little housewives never 
 know, and disappointed in a hope that hourly " dwindled, 
 peaked, and pined." She was too young to make the
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 259 
 
 anxioup lines upon her forehead seem at home there, too 
 patient to be burdened with the labor others should have 
 shared, too light of heart to be pent up when earth and 
 sky were keeping a blithe holiday. But she was one of 
 that meek sisterhood who, thinking humbly of themselves, 
 believe they are honored by being spent in the service of 
 less conscientious souls, whose careless thanks seem 
 quite reward enough. 
 
 To and fro she went, silent and diligent, giving the 
 grace of willingness to every humble or distasteful task 
 the day had brought her ; but some malignant sprite 
 seemed to have taken possession of her kingdom, for 
 rebellion broke out everywhere. The kettles would boil 
 over most obstreperously, the mutton refused to cook 
 with the meek alacrity to ba expected from the nature of 
 a sheep, the stove, with unnecessary warmth of tem 
 per, would glow like a fieiy furnace, the irons would 
 scorch, the linens would dry, and spirits would fail, 
 though patience never. 
 
 Nan tugged on, growing hotter and wearier, more 
 hurried and more hopeless, till at last the crisis came ; for 
 in one fell moment she tore her gown, burnt her hand, 
 and smutched the collar she was preparing to finish in 
 the most unexceptionable stylo. Then, if she had been 
 a nervous woman, she would have scolded ; being a 
 gentle girl, she only " lifted up her voice and wept." 
 
 " Behold, she watercth her linen with salt tears, and 
 bewaileth herself because of much tribulation. But, lo ! 
 help cometh from afar : a strong man bringeth lettuce 
 wherewith to stay her, plucketh berries to comfort, her 
 withal, and clasheth cymbals that she may dance for joy." 
 
 The voice came from the porch, aud, with her hope
 
 260 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 fulfilled, Nan looked up to greet John Lord, the house- 
 friend, who stood there with a basket on his arm ; and aa 
 she saw his honest eyes, kind lips, and helpful hands, the 
 girl thought this plain young man the comeliest, most 
 welcome sight she had beheld that day. 
 
 " How good of you, to come through all this heat, and 
 not to laugh at my despair ! " she said, looking up like a 
 grateful child, as she led him in. 
 
 " I only obeyed orders, Nan ; for a certain dear old 
 lady had a motherly presentiment that you had got into 
 a domestic whirlpool, and sent me as a sort of life pre 
 server. So I took the basket of consolation, and came 
 to fold my feet upon the carpet of contentment in the 
 tent of friendship." 
 
 As he spoke, John gave his own gift in his mother s 
 name, and bestowed himself in the wide window-seat, 
 where morning-glories nodded at him, and the old butter 
 nut sent pleasant shadows dancing to and fro. 
 
 His advent, like that of Orpheus in Hades, seemed to 
 soothe all unpropitious powers with a sudden spell. The 
 fire began to slacken, the kettles began to lull, the meat 
 began to cook, the irons began to cool, the clothes began 
 to behave, the spirits began to rise, and the collar was 
 finished off with most triumphant success. John watched 
 the change, and, though a lord of creation, abased him- 
 self to take compassion on the weaker vessel, and was 
 seized with a great desire to lighten the homely tasks 
 that tried her strength of body and soul. He took a com 
 prehensive glance about the room ; then, extracting a 
 dish from the closet, proceeded to imbrue his hands in 
 the strawberries blood. 
 
 "Oh, John, you needn t do that; I shall have time
 
 A MODERN CIXDERELLA. 26l 
 
 when I ve turned the meat, made the pudding, and done 
 these things. See, I m getting on finely now, you re a 
 judge of such matters ; isn t that nice?" 
 
 As she spoke, Nan offered the polished absurdity for 
 inspection with innocent pride. 
 
 " Oh that I were a collar, to sit upon that hand ! " 
 sighed John ; adding, argumentatively, " As to tho 
 berry question, I will merely say, that, as a matter of 
 public safety, you d better leave me alone ; for such is 
 tffe destructiveness of my nature, that I shall certainly 
 eat something hurtful, break something valuable, or sit 
 upon something crushable, unless you let me concentrate 
 my energies by knocking off these young fellows hats, 
 and preparing them for their doom." 
 
 Looking at the matter in a charitable light, Nan con 
 sented, and went cheerfully on with her work, wondering 
 bx>AV she could have thought ironing an infliction, and 
 been so ungrateful for the blessings of .her lot. 
 
 " "Where s Sally? " asked John, looking vainly for the 
 energetic functionary who usually pervaded that region like 
 a domestic police-woman, a terror to cats, dogs, and men. 
 
 " She has gone to her cousin s funeral, and won t be 
 back till Monday. There seems to be a great fatality 
 among her relations, for one dies, or comes to grief in 
 some way, about once a month. But I don t blame pocr 
 Sally for wanting to get away from this place now and 
 then. I think I could find it in my heart to murder an 
 imaginary friend or two, if I had to stay here long." 
 
 And Nan laughed so blithely, it was a pleasure to 
 hear her. 
 
 "Where s Di?" asked John, seized with a most un- 
 masculine curiosity all at once.
 
 2t>2 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " She is in Germany, with Wilhelm Meister, but, 
 though lost to sight, to memory dear ; for I was just 
 thinking, as I did her things, how clever she is to like all 
 kinds of books that I don t understand at all, and to write 
 things that make me cry with pride and delight. Yes, 
 she s a talented dear, though she hardly knows a needle 
 from a crow-bar, and will make herself one great blot 
 some of these days, when the divine afflatus descends 
 upon her, I m afraid." 
 
 And Nan rubbed away with sisterly zeal at Di s forlorn 
 hose and inky pocket-handkerchiefs. 
 
 " Where is Laura ? " proceeded the inquisitor. 
 
 " Well, I might say that she was in Italy ; for she is 
 copying some fine thing of Raphael s, or Michael Augelo s, 
 or some great creature s or other ; and she looks so pic 
 turesque in her pretty gown, sitting before her easel, that 
 it s really a sight to behold, and I ve peeped two or three 
 times to see how she gets on." 
 
 And Nan bestirred herself to prepare the dish where 
 with her picturesque sister desired to prolong her artistic 
 existence. 
 
 " Where is your father?" John asked again, checking 
 off each answer with a nod and a little frown. 
 
 " He is down in the garden, deep in some plan about 
 melons, the beginning of which seems to consist in stamp 
 ing the first proposition in Euclid all over the bed, and 
 then poking a few seeds into the middle of each. Why, 
 bless the dear man ! I forgot it Avas time for the cider. 
 Wouldn t you like to take it to him, John? He d love 
 to consult you : and the lane is so cool, it does one s 
 heart good to look at it." 
 
 John glanced from the steamy kitchen to the shadowy
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 263 
 
 path, and answered, with a sudden assumption of immense 
 industry, 
 
 " I couldn t possibly go, Nan, I ve so much on my 
 hands. You ll have to do it yourself. Mr. liobert of 
 Lincoln has something for your private ear ; and the 
 laoe is so cool, it will do one s heart good to see you in 
 it. Give my regards to your father, and, in the words 
 of Little Mabel s mother, with slight variations, 
 
 Tell the dear old body 
 
 This day I cannot run, 
 For the pots are boiling over 
 And the mutton isn t done." 
 
 " I will ; but please, John, go in to the girls and be 
 comfortable ; for I don t like to leave you here," said Nan. 
 
 u You insinuate that I should pick at the pudding or 
 skim the cream, do you? Ungrateful girl, leave me ! " 
 And, with melodramatic sternness, John extinguished 
 her in his broad-brimmed hat, and offered the glass like 
 a poisoned goblet. 
 
 Nan took it, and went smiling away. But the lane 
 might have been the Desert of Sahara, for all she knew 
 of it ; and she would have passed her father as uncon 
 cernedly as if he had been an apple-tree, had he not 
 called out, 
 
 " Stand and deliver, little woman ! " 
 
 She obeyed the venerable highwayman, and followed 
 him to and fro, listening to his plans and directions with 
 a mute attention that quite won his heart. 
 
 " That hop-pole is really an ornament now, Nan ; thif 
 .sage-bed needs weeding, that s good work for you girls j
 
 264 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 . 
 
 and, now I think of it, you d better water the lettuce in 
 the cool of the evening, after I m gone." 
 
 To all of which remarks Nan gave her assent ; though 
 the hop-pole took the likeness of a tall figure sh . had seen 
 in the porch, the sage-bed, curiously enough, suggested 
 a strawberry ditto, the lettuce vividly reminded her of 
 certain vegetable productions a basket had brought, and 
 the bobolink only sung in his cheeriest voice, " Go 
 home, go home ! he is there ! " 
 
 She found John, having made a Freemason of him 
 self, by assuming her little apron, meditating over the 
 partially spread table, lost in amaze at its desolate appear 
 ance ; one-half its proper paraphernalia having been for 
 gotten, and the other half put on awry. Nan laughed 
 till the tears ran over her cheeks, and John was gratified 
 at the efficacy of his treatment ; for her face had brought 
 a whole harvest of sunshine from the garden, and all her 
 cares seemed to have been lost in the windings of the lane. 
 
 " Nan, are you in hysterics ? " cried Di, appearing, book 
 in hand. "John, you absurd man, what are you doing?" 
 
 " I m helpiu the maid-of -all-work, please inarm." 
 And John dropped a courtesy with his limited apron. 
 
 Di looked ruffled, for the merry words were a covert 
 reproach ; and with her usual energy of manner and 
 freedom of speech she tossed " Wilhelm " out of tho 
 window, exclaiming, irefully, 
 
 " That s always the way ; I m never where I ought to 
 be, and never think of anything till it s too late ; but it s 
 all Goethe s fault. What does he write books full of 
 smart Phillinas and interesting Meisters for ? How 
 can I be expected to remember that Sally s away, and 
 people must eat, when I m hearing the Harper and lit-
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 265 
 
 tie Mignjn ? John, how dare you come here and do 
 my work, instead of shaking me and telling me to do it 
 myself? Take that toasted child away, and fan her like 
 a Chinese mandarin, while I dish up this dreadful diuner." 
 
 John and Nan fled like chaff before the wind, while 
 Di, full of remorseful zeal, charged at the kettles, and 
 wrenched off the potatoes jackets, as if she were re 
 vengefully pulling her own hair. Laura had a vague 
 intention of going to assist ; but, getting lost among the 
 lights and shadows of Minerva s helmet, forgot to appear 
 till dinner had been evoked from chaos, and peace- was 
 restored. 
 
 At three o clock, Di performed the coronation ceremony 
 with her father s best hat ; Laura retied his old-fashioned 
 neck-cloth, and arranged his white locks with an eye to 
 saintly effect ; Nan appeared with a beautifully written 
 sermon, and suspicious ink-stains on the fingers that 
 slipped it into his pocket ; John attached himself to the 
 bag ; and the patriarch was escorted to the door of hia 
 tent with the triumphal procession which usually attended 
 his outgoings and incomings. Having kissed the female 
 portion of his tribe, he ascended the venerable chariot, 
 which received him with audible lamentation, as its 
 rheumatic joints swayed to and fro. 
 
 " Good-by, my dears ! I shall be back early on Mon- 
 ilny morning ; so take care of yourselves, and be sure 
 you all go and hear Mr. Emerboy preach to-morrow. My 
 regards to your mother, John. Come, Solon ! " 
 
 But Solon merely cocked one ear, and remained a fixed 
 fact ; foi long experience had induced the philosophic 
 b^ast to take for his motto the Yankee maxim, " Be sura
 
 266 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 you re right, then go ahead ! " He knew things were 
 not right ; therefore he did not go ahead. 
 
 " Oh, by the way, girls, don t forget to pay Tommy 
 Mullein for bringing up the cow ; he expects it to-night. 
 And, Di, don t sit up till daylight, nor let Laura stay out 
 in the dew. Now, I believe, I m off. Come, Solon ! " 
 
 But Solon only cocked the other ear, gently agitated 
 his mortified tail, as premonitory symptoms of departure, 
 and never stirred a hoof, being well aware that it always 
 took three " comes " to make a " go." 
 
 " Bless me ! I ve forgotten my spectacles. They are 
 probably shut up in that volume of Herbert on my table. 
 Very awkward to find myself without them ten miles 
 away. Thank you, John. Don t neglect to water the 
 lettuce, Nan, and don t overwork yourself, my little 
 Martha. Come " 
 
 At this juncture Solon suddenly went off at a trot, 
 and the benign old pastor disappeared, humming " He 
 bron " to the creaking accompaniment of the bulgy 
 chaise. 
 
 Laura retired to take her siesta; Nan made a small 
 carbonaro of herself by sharpening her sister s crayons, 
 and Di, as a sort of penance for past sins, tried her 
 patience over a piece of knitting, in which she soon 
 originated a somewhat remarkable pattern, by dropping 
 every third stitch, and seaming ad libitum. If John had 
 been a gentlemanly creature, with refined tastes, he 
 would have elevated his feet, and made a nuisance of 
 himself by indulging in a "weed"; but bein^ only an 
 uncultivated youth, with a rustic regard for pure air and 
 womankind in general, he kept his head uppermost, and 
 talked like a man, instead of smoking like a chimney.
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 26^ 
 
 " It will probably be six months before I sit here 
 again, tangling your threads and maltreating your 
 needles, Nan. How glad you must feel to hear it ! " 
 he said, looking up from a thoughtful examination of the 
 hard-working little citizens of the Industrial Community 
 settled in Nan s work-basket. 
 
 " No, I m very sorry ; for I like to see you coming 
 and going as you used to, years ago, and I miss you 
 very much when you are gone, John," answered truthful 
 Nan, whittling away in a sadly wasteful manner, as her 
 thoughts flew back to the happy times when a little la-1 
 rode a little lass in the big wheelbarrow, and never spilt 
 his load, when two brown heads bobbed daily side by 
 feide to school, and the favorite play was " Babes in the 
 Wood," with Di for a somewhat peckish robin to cover 
 the small martyrs with any vegetable substance that lay 
 at hand. Nan sighed as she thought of these things, 
 and John regarded the battered thimble on his finger-tip 
 with increased benignity of aspect as he heard the sound. 
 
 " When are you going to make your fortune, John, 
 and get out of that disagreeable hardware concern ? " 
 demanded Di, pausing after an exciting " round," and 
 looking almost as much exhausted as if it had been a 
 veritable pugilistic encounter. 
 
 " I intend to make it by plunging still deeper into 
 that disagreeable hardware concern ; for, next year, 
 if the world keeps rolling, and John Lord is alive, he 
 will become a partner, and then and then " 
 
 The color sprang up into the young man s cheek, his 
 eyes looked out with a sudden light, and his hand 
 Deemed involuntarily to close, as if he saw and seized 
 some invisible delight.
 
 268 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " What will happen then, John?" asked Nan, with a 
 wondering glance. 
 
 " I ll tell you in a year, Nan, wait till then." And 
 John s strong hand unclosed, as if the desired good were 
 not to be his yet. 
 
 Di looked at him, with a knitting-needle stuck into her 
 Lair, saying, like a sarcastic unicorn, 
 
 " I really thought you had a soul above pots and 
 kettles, but I see you haven t ; and I beg your pardon 
 for the injustice I have done you." 
 
 Not a whit disturbed, John smiled, as if at some 
 mighty pleasant fancy of his own, as he replied, 
 
 " Thank you, Di ; and as a further proof of the utter 
 depravity of my nature, let me tell you that I have the 
 greatest possible respect for those articles of ironmon 
 gery. Some of the happiest hours of my life have been 
 spent in their society ; some of rny pleasantest associa 
 tions are connected with them ; some of my best lessons 
 have come to me from among them ; and when my 
 fortune is made, I intend to show my gratitude by taking 
 three flat-irons rampant for my coat-ot-arms." 
 
 Nan laughed merrily, as she looked at the burns on 
 her hand ; but Di elevated the most prominent feature 
 of her brown countenance, and sighed despondingly, 
 
 " Dear, dear, what a disappointing world this is ! 1 
 no sooner build a nice castle in Spain, and settle a smart 
 young knight therein, than clown it comes about my 
 ears ; and the ungrateful youth, who might fight dragons 
 if he chose, insists on quenching his energies in a sauce 
 pan, and wasting his life on a series of gridirons. Ah, 
 if /were a man, I woidd do something better than that, 
 and prove that heroes are not all dead yet. But, instead
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 269 
 
 of that, I m only a woman, and must sit rasping my 
 temper with absurdities like this." And Di wrestled 
 with her knitting as if it were Fate, and she were paying 
 off the grudge she owed it. 
 
 John leaned toward her, saying, with a look that made 
 his plain face handsome, 
 
 " Di, my father began the world as I begin it, and 
 left it the richer for the useful years he spent here, 
 as 1 hope I may leave it some hulf-century hence. His 
 memory makes that dingy shop a pleasant place to me ; 
 for there he made an honest name, led an honest life, 
 and bequeathed to me his reverence for honest work. 
 That is a sort of hardware, Di, that no rust can corrupt, 
 and which will always prove a better fortune than any 
 your knights can win with sword and shield. I think 
 I am not quite a clod, or quite without some aspirations 
 above money-getting ; for I have a great ambition to 
 become as good a man, and leave as green a memory 
 behind me, as old John Lord." 
 
 Di winked violently, and seamed five times in perfect 
 silence ; but quiet Nan had the gift of knowing when to 
 speak, and by a timely word saved her sister from a 
 thunder-shower and her stocking from destruction. 
 
 " John, have you seen Philip since you wrote about 
 your last meeting with him ? " 
 
 The question was for John, but the soothing tone was 
 for Di, who gratefully accepted it, and perked up again 
 with speed. 
 
 Yes ; and I meant to have told you about it," an 
 swered John, plunging into the subject at once. " I saw 
 him a few days before I came home, and found him more 
 disconsolate than ever, just ready to go to the deuce,
 
 270 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 as he forcibly expressed himself. I consoled the poor lad 
 as well as I could, telling him his wisest plan was to defer 
 his proposed expedition, and go on as steadily as lie had 
 begun, thereby proving the injustice of your father s 
 prediction concerning his Avant of perseverance, and the 
 sincerity of his affection. I told him the change in 
 Laura s health and spirits was silently working in his 
 favor, and that a few more months of persistent endeavor 
 would conquer your father s prejudice against him, and 
 make him a stronger man for the trial and the pain. I 
 read him bits about Laura from your own and Di s let 
 ters, and he went away, at last, as patient as Jacob, ready 
 to serve another seven years for his beloved Rachel." 
 
 " God bless you for it, John ! " cried a fervent voice ; 
 and, looking up, they saw the cold, listless Laura trans 
 formed into a tender girl, all aglow with love and long 
 ing, as she dropped her mask, and showed a living 
 countenance eloquent with the first passion and softened 
 by the first grief of her life. 
 
 John rose involuntarily in the presence of an innocent 
 nature whose sorrow needed no interpreter to him. The 
 girl read sympathy in his brotherly regard, and found 
 comfort in the friendly voice that asked, half playfully, 
 half seriously, 
 
 " Shall I tell him that he is not forgotten, even for an 
 .Apollo? that Laura the artist has not conquered Laura 
 (he woman ? and predict that the good daughter Avill yet 
 prove the happy wife ? " 
 
 With a gesture full of energy, Laura tore her Minerva 
 from top to bottom, while two great tears rolled dowa 
 the cheeks grown pale with hope deferred.
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 271 
 
 Tell him I believe all things, hope all things^ and that 
 never can forget." 
 
 Nan went to her and held her close, leaving the prints 
 of two loving, but grimy hands upon her shoulders ; I)i 
 looked on approvingly, for, though rather stony-hearted 
 regarding the cause, she fully appreciated the effect ; and 
 John, turning to the window, received the commenda 
 tions of a robin swaying on an elm-bough, with sunshina 
 on its ruddy breast. 
 
 *The clock struck five, and John declared that he must 
 go ; for, being an old-fashioned soul, he fancied that his 
 mother had a better right to his last hour than any 
 younger woman in the land, always remembering that 
 " she was a widow, and he her only son." 
 
 Nan ran away to wash her hands, and came back with 
 the appearance of one who had washed her face also, 
 and so she had, but there was a difference in the water. 
 
 " Play I m your father, girls, and remember it will be 
 six months before that John will trouble you again." 
 
 With which preface the young man kissed his former 
 playfellows as heartily as the boy had been wont to do, 
 when stern parents banished him to distant schools, and 
 three little maids bemoaned his fate. But times were 
 changed now, for Di grew alarmingly rigid during the 
 ceremony ; Laura received the salute like a grateful 
 queen ; and Nan returned it with heart and eyes and 
 tender lips, making such an improvement on the childish 
 fashion of the thing, that John was moved to support his 
 paternal character by softly echoing her father s words, 
 Take care of yourself, my little Martha. " 
 
 Then they all streamed after him along the garden- 
 path, with the endless messages and warnings girls are
 
 272 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 so prone to give ; and the young man, with a great soft 
 ness at his heart, went away, as many another John has 
 .gone, feeling better for the companionship of innocent 
 maidenhood, and stronger to wrestle with temptation, to 
 wait, and hope, and work. 
 
 " Let s throw a shoe after him for luck, as dear old 
 * Mrs. Gummidge did after David and the williu 
 Barkis ! Quick, Nan ! you always have old shoes on ; 
 toss one, and shout Good luck ! " cried Di, with one 
 of her eccentric inspirations. 
 
 Nan tore off her shoe, and threw it far along the dusty 
 road, with a sudden longing to become that auspicious 
 article of apparel, that the omen might not fail. 
 
 Looking backward from the hill-top, John answCred 
 the meek shout cheerily, and took in the group with a 
 lingering glance : Laura in the shadow of the elms, Di 
 perched on the fence, and Nan leaning far over the gate, 
 with her hand above her eyes and the sunshine touching 
 her brown hair with gold. He waved his hat and turned 
 away ; but the music seemed to die out of the blackbird s 
 song, and in all the summer landscape his eye saw nothing 
 but the little figure at the gate. 
 
 " Bless and save us ! here s a flock of people coming 
 My hair is in a toss, and Nan s without her shoe ; run 
 fly. girls ! or the Philistines will be upon us ! " cried Di, 
 tumbling off her perch in sudden alarm. 
 
 Three agitated young ladies, with flying draperies and 
 countenances of mingled mirth and dismay, might have 
 been seen precipitating themselves into a respectable 
 mansion with unbecoming haste ; but the squirrels were 
 the only witnesses of this " vision of sudden flight," and, 
 being used to ground-and-lofty tumbling, didn t mind it.
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 273 
 
 When the pedestrians passed, the door was decorously 
 closed, and no one visible but a young man, who snatched 
 something out of the road, and marched away again, 
 whistling with more vigor of tone than accuracy of tune, 
 only that, and nothing more. 
 
 HOW IT WAS FOUND. 
 
 Summer ripened into autumn, and something fairer 
 than 
 
 " Sweet-peas and mignonette 
 In Annie s garden grew." 
 
 Her nature was the counterpart of the hill-side grove^ 
 where as a child she had read her fairy tales, and now 
 as a woman turned the first pages of a more wondrous 
 legend still. Lifted above the many-gabled roof, yet not 
 cut off from the echo of human speech, the little grove 
 seemed a green sanctuary, fringed about with violets, 
 and full of summer melody and bloom. Gentle creatures 
 haunted it, and there was none to make afraid ; wood- 
 pigeons cooed and crickets chirped their shrill roundelays, 
 anemones and lady-ferns looked up from the moss that 
 kissed the wanderer s feet. Warm airs were all afloat, 
 full of vernal odors for the grateful sense, silvery birches 
 shimmered like spirits of the wood, larches gave their 
 green tassels to the wind, and pines made airy n.usic 
 sweet and solemn, as they stood looking heaven /ard 
 through veils of summer sunshine or shrouds of w ntry 
 BIIOW. Nan never felt alone now in this charmed w ~od ; 
 for, when she came into its precincts, once so full of flol- 
 itvJe, all things seemed to wear one shape; familiar eyes 
 locked at her from the violets in the grass, familiar words 
 18
 
 2 74 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 sounded in the whisper of the leaves, and she grew con 
 scious that an unseen influence filled the air with new 
 delights, and touched earth and sky with a beauty never 
 seen before. Slowly these May-flowers budded in her 
 maiden heart, rosily they bloomed, and silently they 
 waited till some lover of such lowly herbs should catch 
 their fresh aroma, should brush away the fallen leaves, 
 and lift them to the sun. 
 
 Though the eldest of the three, she had long been 
 overtopped by the more aspiring girls. But, though she 
 meekly yielded the reins of government, whenever they 
 chose to drive, they were soon restored to her again ; for 
 Di fell into literature, and Laura into love. Thus en 
 grossed, these two forgot many duties which even blue 
 stockings and innamoratas are expected to perform, and 
 slowly all the homely humdrum cares that housewives 
 know became Nan s daily life, and she accepted it with 
 out a thought of discontent. Noiseless and cheerful as 
 the sunshine, she went to and fro, doing the tasks that 
 mothers do, but without a mother s sweet reward, hold 
 ing fast the numberless slight threads that bind a house 
 hold tenderly together, and making each day a beautiful 
 success. 
 
 Di, being tired of running, riding, climbing, and boat 
 ing, decided, at last, to let her body rest, and put her 
 equally active mind through what classical collegians 
 term " a course of sprouts." Having imdertaken to read 
 and know everything, she devoted herself to the task with 
 great energy, going from Sue to Swedenborg with perfect 
 impartiality, and having different authors as children 
 have sundry distempers, being fractious while they lasted, 
 but all the better for them when once over. Cavlyle ap-
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 275 
 
 pcarcd like starlet-fever, and raged violently for a time ; 
 tor, being anything but a " passive bucket," Di became 
 prophetic with Mahomet, belligerent with Cromwell, and 
 made the French Revolution a veritable Reign of Terror 
 to her family. Goethe and Schiller alternated like fever 
 and ague ; Mcphistopheles became her hero, Joan of Arc 
 her model, and she turned her black eyes red over Eg- 
 mont and Wallenstein. A mild attack of Emerson fol 
 lowed, during which she was lost in a fog ; and her 
 sjgters rejoiced inwardly when she emerged, informing 
 them that 
 
 " The Sphinx was drowsy, 
 Her wings were furled." 
 
 Poor Di was floundering slowly to her proper place , 
 but she splashed up a good deal of foam by getting out 
 of her depth, and rather exhausted herself by trying to 
 drink the ocean dry. 
 
 Laura, after the "midsummer night s dream" that 
 often comes to girls of seventeen, woke up to find that 
 youth and love were no match for age and common 
 sense. Philip had been flying about the world like a 
 thistle-down for five-and-twenty years, generous-hearted, 
 trauk, and kind, but with never an idea of the serious 
 side of life in his handsome head. Great, therefore, 
 were the wrath and dismay of the enamored thistle-down, 
 when the father of his love mildly objected to seeing her 
 begin the world in a balloon, with a very tender but very 
 inexperienced aeronaut for a guide. 
 
 " Laura is too young to play house yet, and you are 
 too unstable to assume the part of lord and master, 
 Philip. Go and prove that you have prudence, patience.
 
 2j6 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES 
 
 energy, and enterprise, and I will give yon m b ir) 
 but not before. I must seem cruel, that I may be truly 
 kind ; believe this, and let a little pain lead you to greal 
 happiness, or show you where you would have made 
 blunder. 
 
 Tiie lo\ ers listened, owned the truth of the old man s 
 words, bewailed their fate, and yielded: Laura for 
 love of her father, Philip for love of her. He went 
 away to build a firm foundation for his castle in the air, 
 and Laura retired into an invisible convent, where she 
 cast off the world, and regarded her sympathizing sisters 
 through a grate of superior knowledge and unsharable 
 grief. Like a devout nun, she worshipped " St. Philip," 
 and firmly believed in his miraculous powers. She fan 
 cied that her woes set her apart from common cares, and 
 slowly fell into a dreamy state, professing no interest in 
 any mundane matter, but the art that first attracted 
 Philip. Crayons, bread-crusts and gray paper became 
 glorified in Laura s eyes ; and her one pleasure was to sit 
 before her easel, day after day, filling her portfolios with 
 the faces he had once admired. Her sisters observed 
 that every Bacchus, Piping Faun, or Dying Gladiator 
 bore some likeness to a comely countenance that heathen 
 god or hero never owned ; and, seeing this, they pri 
 vately rejoiced that she had found such solace for her 
 grief. 
 
 Mrs. Lord s keen eye had read a certain newly-written 
 page in her son s heart, his first chapter of that ro 
 mance, begun in Paradise, whose interest never flags, 
 whose beauty never fades, whose end can never come 
 till Love lies dead. With womanly skill she divined the 
 Beoret, Avith motherly discretion she counselled patience,
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 277 
 
 and her son accepted her advice, feeling that, like many 
 a healthful herb, its worth lay in its bitterness. 
 
 " Love like a man, John, not like a boy, and learn to 
 know yourself before you take a woman s happiness into 
 your keeping. You and Nan have known each other all 
 yonr lives ; yet, till this last visit, you never thought you 
 loved her more than any other childish friend. It is too 
 soon to say the words so often spoken hastily so hard 
 to be recalled. Go back to your work, dear, for another 
 yar ; think of Nan in the light of this new hope ; com 
 pare her with comelier, gayer girls ; and by absence 
 prove the truth of your belief. Then, if distance only 
 makes her dearer, if time only strengthens your affection, 
 and no doubt of your own worthiness disturbs you, come 
 back and offer her what any woman should be glad to 
 take, my boy s true heart." 
 
 John smiled at the motherly pride of her words, but 
 answered, with a wistful look, 
 
 " It seems very long to wait, mother. If I could just 
 ask her for a word of hope, I could be very patient 
 then." 
 
 " Ah, my dear, better bear one year of impatience 
 now than a lifetime of regret hereafter. Nan is happy ; 
 why disturb her by a word which will bring the tender 
 cares and troubles that come soon enough to such con 
 scientious creatures as herself? If she loves you, time 
 will prove it ; therefore, let the new affection spring and 
 ripen as your early friendship has done, and it will be all 
 the stronger for a summer s growth. Philip was rash, 
 and has to bear his trial now, and Laura shares it with 
 him. Be more generous, John ; make your trial, bear 
 your doubts alone, and give Nan the happiness without
 
 27^ CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 the paiii. Promise me this, dear, promise me to hope 
 uml wait." 
 
 The young man s eye kindled, and in his heart there 
 rose a better chivalry, a truer valor, than any Di a 
 knights had ever known. 
 
 * I ll try, mother," was all he said ; but she was sat 
 isfied, for John seldom tried in vain. 
 
 " Oh, girls, how splendid you are ! It does my heart 
 good to see my handsome sisters in their best array," 
 cried Nan, one mild October night, as she put the last 
 touches to certain airy raiment fashioned by her own 
 skilful hands, and then fell back to survey the grand effect. 
 
 Di and Laura were preparing to assist at an " event 
 of the season," and Nan, with her own locks, fallen on 
 her shoulders for want of sundry combs promoted to her 
 sisters heads, and her dress in unwonted disorder for lack 
 of the many pins extracted in exciting crises of the toilet, 
 hovered like an affectionate bee about two very full-blown 
 flowers. 
 
 " Laura looks like a cool Undine, with the ivy-wreaths 
 in her shining hair ; and Di has illuminated herself to 
 such an extent with those scarlet leaves, that I don t 
 know what great creature she resembles most," said Nan, 
 beaming with sisterly admiration. 
 
 " Juno, Zenobia and Cleopatra simmered into one, 
 with a touch of Xantippe. by way of spice. But, to my 
 eye, the finest woman of the three is the dishevelled 
 young person embracing the bed-post ; .for she stays at 
 home herself, and gives her time and taste to making 
 homely people fine, which is a waste of good material, 
 und an imposition on the public."
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 279 
 
 As Di spoke, both the fashion-plates looked affection 
 ately at the gray-gowned figure ; but, being works of 
 art, they were obliged to nip their feelings in the bud, 
 and reserve their caresses till they returned to common 
 life. 
 
 "Put on your bonnet, and we ll leave you at Mrs. 
 Lord s on our way. It will do you good, Nan ; and per- 
 Iwps there may be news from John," added Di, as she 
 bore down upon the door like a man-of-war under full 
 eaff. 
 
 " Or from Philip," sighed Laura, with a wistful look. 
 
 Whereupon Nan persuaded herself that her strong 
 inclination to sit down was owing to want of exercise, 
 and the heaviness of her eyelids a freak of imagination ; 
 so, speedily smoothing her ruffled plumage, she ran down 
 to tell her father of the new arrangement. 
 
 " Go, my dear, by all means. I shall be writing, and 
 you will be lonely if you stay. But I must see my girls ; 
 for I caught glimpses of certain surprising phantoms flit 
 ting by the door." 
 
 Nan led the way, and the two pyramids revolved 
 before him with the rigidity of lay-figures, much to the 
 good man s edification ; for with his fatherly pleasure 
 there was mingled much mild wonderment at the ampli 
 tude of array. 
 
 " Yes, I see my geese are really swans, though there 
 is such a cloud between us that I feel a long way off, and 
 hardly know them. But this little daughter is always 
 available, always my cricket on the hearth. " 
 
 As he spoke, her father drew Nan closer, kissed her 
 tranquil face, and smiled content. 
 
 " Well, if ever 1 see picters, I see em now, and I de-
 
 38O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 dare to goodness it s as interestin as play-actin . every 
 bit. Miss Di, with all them boughs in her head, looks 
 like the Queen of Sheby, when she went a-visitin What s- 
 his-uame , and if Miss Laura ain t as sweet as a" lally- 
 barster figger, I should like to know what is." 
 
 In her enthusiasm, Sally gambolled about the girls, 
 flourishing her milk-pan as if about to sound her timbrel 
 for excess of joy. 
 
 Laughing merrily, the two girls bestowed themselves 
 in the family ark, Nan got up beside Patrick, and Solon, 
 roused from his slumbers, morosely trundled them away. 
 But, looking backward with a last " Good-night ! " Nan 
 saw her father still standing at the door with smiling 
 countenance, and the moonlight falling like a benediction 
 on his silver hair. 
 
 " Betsey shall go up the hill with you, my clear, and 
 here s a basket of eggs for your father. Give him my 
 love, and be sure you let me know the next time he ig 
 poorly," Mrs. Lord said, when her guest rose to depart, 
 after an hour of pleasant chat. 
 
 But Nan never got the gift ; for, to her great dismay, 
 her hostess dropped the basket with a crash, and flew 
 across the room to meet a tall figure pausing in the 
 shadow of the door. There was no need to ask who the 
 new-comer was ; for, even in his mother s arms, John 
 looked over her shoulder with an eager nod to Nan, who 
 stood among the ruins with never a sign of weariness in 
 her face, nor the memory of a care at her heart, fo* 
 they all went out when John came in. 
 
 " Now tell us how, and why, and when you came. 
 Take off your coat, my dear ! And here are the old
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 23l 
 
 slippers. Why didn t you let us know you were coming 
 so soon ? How have you been ? and what makes you so 
 late to-night? Betsey, you needn t put on your bonnet. 
 And -- oil, my dear boy, have you been to supper 
 yet?" 
 
 Mrs. Lord was a quiet soul, and her flood of quest ioua 
 was purred softly in her son s ear ; for, being a woman, 
 she must talk, and, being a mother, must pet the one 
 delight of her life, and make a little festival when the 
 lo*l of the manor came home. A whole drove of fatted 
 calves were metaphorically killed, and a banquet ap 
 peared with speed. John was not one of those romantic 
 heroes who can go through three volumes of hair-breadth 
 escapes without the faintest hint of that blessed insti 
 tution, dinner ; therefore, he partook copiously of every 
 thing, while the two women beamed over each mouthful 
 with an interest that enhanced its flavor, and urged upon 
 him cold meat and cheese, pickles and pie, as if dyspepsia 
 and nightmare were among the lost arts. 
 
 Then he opened his budget of news and fed them. 
 
 " I was coming next month, according to custom ; but 
 Philip fell upon and so tempted me, that I was driven to 
 sacrifice myself to > the cause of friendship, and up we 
 came to-night. He would not let me come here till we 
 had seen your father. Nan ; for the poor lad was pining 
 for Laura, and hoped his good behavior for the past year 
 would satisfy his judge and secure his recall. We had 
 a fine talk with your father ; and, upon my life, Phil 
 seemed to have received the gift of tongues, for he made 
 a most eloquent plea, Avhich I ve stowed away for future 
 use, I assure you. The dear old gentleman was very 
 kind, told Phil he was satisfied with the success of hia
 
 Z$2 CAMP AND FIKfiSIDK STORIES. 
 
 probation, that he should see Laura when he liked, and, 
 if all went well, should receive his reward in the spring. 
 It must be a delightful sensation to know you have made 
 a fellow-creature as happy as those words made Phil 
 to-night." 
 
 John paused, and looked musingly at the matronly 
 tea-pot, as if he saw a wondrous future in its shine. 
 
 Nan twinkled off the drops that rose at the thought of 
 Laui-a s joy, and said, with grateful warmth, 
 
 u You say nothing of your own share in the making 
 of that happiness, John ; but we know it, for Philip has 
 told Laura in his letters all that you have been to him, 
 and 1 am sure there was other eloquence beside his own 
 before father granted all you say he has. Oh, John, I 
 thank you very much for this ! " 
 
 Mrs. Lord beamed a whole midsummer of delight 
 upon her son, as she saw the pleasure these words gave 
 him, though he answered simply, 
 
 " I only tried to be a brother to him, Nan ; for he has 
 been most kind to me. Yes, I said my little say to-night, 
 and gave my testimony in behalf of the prisoner at the 
 bar, a most merciful judge pronounced his sentence, and 
 he rushed straight to Mrs. Leigh s to tell Laura the bliss 
 ful news. Just imagine the scene when he appears, and 
 how Di will open her wicked eyes and enjoy the spectacle 
 of the ardent lover, the bride-elect s tears, the stir, 
 and the romance of the thing. She ll cry over it to-night, 
 and caricature it to-morrow." 
 
 And John led the laugh at the picture he had conjured 
 up, to turn the thoughts of Di s dangerous sister trom 
 himself. 
 
 At ten Nan retired into the depths of her old bonnet
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 283 
 
 with a far different face from the one she brought out of 
 it, arid John, resuming his hat, mounted guard. 
 
 " Don t stay late, remember, John ! " And in Mrs. 
 Lord s voice there was a warning tone that her son inter 
 preted aright. 
 
 u I ll not forget, mother." 
 
 And he kept his word ; for though Philip s happiness 
 floated temptingly before him, and the little figure at his 
 
 side had never seemed so dear, he ignored the bland 
 
 f 
 wmds, the tender night, and set a seal upon his lips, 
 
 thinking manfully within himself, " I see many signs of 
 promise in her happy face ; but I will wait and hope a 
 little longer for her sake." 
 
 "Where is father, Sally?" asked Nan, as that func 
 tionary appeared, blinking owlishly, but utterly repudi 
 ating the idea of sleep. 
 
 " He went down the garding, miss, when the gentle 
 men cleared, beiii a little flustered by the goiu s on. 
 Shall I fetch him in ? " asked Sally, as irreverently as if 
 her master were a bag of meal. 
 
 " No, we will go ourselves." And slowly the two 
 paced down the leaf-strewn walk. 
 
 Fields of yellow grain were waving on the hill-side, 
 and sere corn-blades rustled in the wind ; from the orchard 
 came the scent of ripening fruit, and all the garden-plots 
 lay ready to yield up their humble offerings to their mas 
 ter s hand. But in the silence of the night a greater 
 Reaper had passed by, gathering in the harvest of a 
 righteous life, and leaving only tender memories for the 
 gleaners who had come so late. 
 
 The old man sat in the shadow of the tree his own
 
 284 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 hands planted ; its fruitful boughs shone ruddily, and its 
 leaves still whispered the low lullaby that hushed him to 
 his rest. 
 
 " How fast he sleeps ! Poor father ! I should have 
 come before and made it pleasant for him." 
 
 As she spoke, Nan lifted up the head bent down upon 
 his breast, and kissed his pallid cheek. 
 
 " Oh, John, this is not sleep ! " 
 
 " Yes, dear, the happiest he will ever know." 
 
 For a moment the shadows flickered over three white 
 faces, and the silence deepened solemnly. Then John 
 reverently bore the pale shape in, and Nan dropped down 
 beside it, saying, with a rain of grateful tears. 
 
 " He kissed me when I went, and said a last good 
 night ! " 
 
 For an hour steps went to and fro about her, many 
 voices whispered near her, and skilful hands touched the 
 beloved clay she held so fast ; but one by one the busy 
 feet passed out, one by one the voices died away, and 
 human skill proved vain. Then Mrs. Lord drew the 
 orphan to the shelter of her arms, soothing her with the 
 mute solace of that motherly embrace. 
 
 " Yes, we are poorer than we thought ; but when 
 everything is settled, we shall get on very well. We 
 can let a part of this great house, and live quietly together 
 until spring ; then Laura will be married, and Di can go 
 on their travels with them, as Philip wishes her to do. 
 We shall be cared for ; so never fear for us,
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 285 
 
 Nan said this, as her friend parted from her a week 
 later, after the saddest holiday he had ever known. 
 
 " And what becomes of you, Nan ? " he asked, watch 
 ing the patient eyes that smiled when others would have 
 wept. 
 
 " I shall stay in the dear old house ; for no other place 
 would seem like home to me. I shall find some little 
 child to love and care for, and be quite happy till the girls 
 come back and want me." 
 
 Uolm nodded wisely, as he listened, and went away 
 prophesying within himself, 
 
 She shall find something more than a child to love ; 
 and, God willing, shall be very happy till the girls come 
 Lome and cannot have her." 
 
 Nan s plan was carried into effect. Slowly the divided 
 waters closed again, and the three fell back into their old 
 life. But the touch of sorrow drew them closer ; and, 
 though invisible, a beloved presence still moved among 
 *hem, a familiar voice still spoke to them in the silence 
 }f their softened hearts. Thus the soil was made ready, 
 ind in the depth of winter the good seed was sown, was 
 watered with many tears, and soon sprang up green with 
 the promise of a harvest for their after years. 
 
 Di and Laura consoled themselves with their favorite 
 employments, unconscious that Nan was growing paler, 
 thinner, and more s;lent, as tlie weeks went by, till one 
 day she dropped quietly before them, and it suddenly 
 became manifest that she was utterly worn out with 
 many cares, and the secret suffering of a tender lu-art 
 bereft of the paternal love which had been its strength 
 and stay. 
 
 " I m only tired, dear girls. Don t be troubled, for I 
 
 \
 
 286 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 shall be up to-morrow," she said cheerily, as she looked 
 into the anxious faces bending over her. 
 
 But the weariness was of many mouths growth, and 
 it was weeks before that " to-morrow " came. 
 
 Laura installed herself as nurse, and her devotion was 
 repaid fourfold ; for, sitting at her sister s bedside, she 
 learned a finer art than that she had left. Her eye grew 
 clear to see the beauty of a self-denying life, and in the 
 depths of Nan s meek nature she found the strong, 
 sweet virtues that made her what she was. 
 
 Then remembering that these womanly attributes were 
 a bride s best dowry, Laura gave herself to their attain* 
 ment, that she might become to another household the 
 blessing Nan had been to her own ; and turning from the 
 worship of the goddess Beauty, she gave her hand to 
 that humbler and more human teacher, Duty, learning 
 her lessons with a willing heart, for Philip s sake. 
 
 Di corked her inkstand, locked her bookcase, and went 
 at housework as if it were a five-barred gate ; of course 
 she missed the leap, but scrambled bravely through, and 
 appeared much sobered by the exercise. Sally had 
 departed to sit under a vine and fig-tree of her own, so 
 Di had undisputed sway ; but if dish-pans and dusters 
 had tongues, direful would have been the history of that 
 crusade against frost and fire, indolence and inexperience. 
 But they were dumb, and Di scorned to complain, though 
 her struggles were pathetic to behold, and her sisters 
 went through a series of messes equal to a course of 
 "Prince Bedretldin s " peppery tarts. Reality turned 
 Romance out of doors ; for, unlike her favorite heroines 
 in satin and tears, or helmet and shield, Di met her fata 
 in a big checked apron and dust-cap wonderful to see ;
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. Z^ 
 
 yet she wielded her broom as stoutly as i; Moll Flanders " 
 shouldered her guu, and marched to her daily martyrdom 
 in the kitchen with as heroic a heart as the " Maid of 
 Orleans " took to her stake. 
 
 Mind won the victory over matter in the end, and Di 
 was better all her days for the tribulations and the tri 
 umphs of that time ; for she drowned her idle fancies iu 
 her wash-tub, made burnt-offerings of selfishness and 
 pride, and learned the worth of self-denial, as she sang 
 with happy voice among the pots and kettles of her con 
 quered realm. 
 
 Nan thought of John ; and in the stillness of her 
 sleepless nights prayed Heaven to keep him safe, and 
 make her worthy to receive, and strong enough to bear, 
 the blessedness or pain of love. 
 
 Snow fell without, and keen winds howled among the 
 leafless elms, but " herbs of grace" were blooming beau 
 tifully in the sunshine of sincere endeavor, and this 
 dreariest season proved the most fruitful of the year ; for 
 love taught Laura, labor chastened Di, and patience 
 fitted Nan for the blessing of her life. 
 
 Nature, that stillest yet most diligent of housewives, 
 began at last that " spring-cleaning " which she makes 
 go pleasant that none find the heart to grumble as they 
 do when other matrons set their premises a-dust. Her 
 handmaids, wind and rain and sun, SAvept, washed, and 
 garnished busily, green carpets were unrolled, apple- 
 boughs were hung with draperies of bloom, and dande 
 lions, pet nurslings of the year, came out to play upon 
 the sward. 
 
 From the South returned that opera troupe whose man 
 ager is never in despair, who.se tenor never sulks, whose
 
 288 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 prima donna never fails, and in the orchard bo?ia fide 
 matinees were held, to which buttercups and clovers 
 crowded in their prettiest spring hats, aud verdant young 
 blades twinkled their dewy lorgnettes, as they bowed 
 and made way for the floral belles. 
 
 May was bidding June good-morrow, and the roses 
 were just dreaming that it was almost time to wake, 
 when John came again into the quiet room which now 
 seemed the Eden that contained his Eve. Of course 
 there was a jubilee ; but something seemed to have be 
 fallen the whole group, for never had they all appeared 
 in such odd frames of mind. 
 
 John was restless, and wore an excited look, most 
 unlike his usual serenity of aspect. Nan the cheerful 
 had fallen into a well of silence, and was not to be ex 
 tracted by any hydraulic power, though she smiled like 
 *he June sky over her head. Di s peculiarities were out 
 in full force, and she looked as if she would go off like a 
 torpedo at a touch ; but through all her moods there was 
 a half-triumphant, half-remorseful expression in the 
 glance she fixed on John. And Laura, once so silent, 
 now sang like a blackbird, as she flitted to and fro ; but 
 her fitful song was always, " Philip, my king." 
 
 John felt that there had come a change upon the three, 
 and silently divined whose unconscious influence had 
 wrought the miracle. The embargo was off his tongue-, 
 and he was in a fever to ask that question which bring* 
 a flutter to the stoutest heart ; but though the " man" had 
 come, the " hour " had not. So, by way of steadying hi* 
 nerves, he paced the room, pausing often to take notes c\ 
 his companions, and each pause seemed to increase his 
 wonder and content.
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 289 
 
 He looked at Nan. She was in her usual place, the 
 shabby little chair she loved, because it once Avas large 
 enough to hold a curly-headed playmate and herself. The 
 old work-basket was at her side, and the battered thimble 
 busily at work ; but her lips wore a smile they h ad never 
 worn before, the color of the unbloAvn roses touched her 
 cheek, and her downcast eyes were full of light. 
 
 He looked at Di. The inevitable book was on her 
 knee, but its leaves were uncut ; the strong-minded knob 
 of liair still asserted its supremacy aloft upon her head, 
 and the triangular jacket still adorned her shoulders in 
 defiance of all fashions, past, present, or to come ; but 
 the expression of her brown countenance had grown 
 softer, her tongue had found a curb, and in her hand lay 
 a card with " Potts, Kettel & Co." inscribed thereon, 
 which she regarded with never a scornful word for 
 the "Co." 
 
 He looked at Laura. She was before her easel, as ot 
 old ; but the pale nun had given place to a blooming girl, 
 who sang at her work, which was no prim Pallas, but a 
 Clytie turning her human face to meet the sun. 
 
 "John, what are you thinking of?" 
 
 He stirred as if Di s voice had disturbed his fancy at 
 some pleasant pastime, but answered with his usual sin 
 cerity, 
 
 " I was thinking of a certain dear old fairy tale, called 
 Cinderella. " 
 
 " Oh ! " said Di ; and her " Oh" was a most impressive 
 monosyllable. "I see the meaning of your smile now ; 
 and, though the application of the story is not very com- 
 plimtntary to all parties concerned, it is very just and 
 -rue."
 
 ZC)O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 She paused a moment, then went on with softened 
 voice and earnest face, 
 
 " You think I am a blind and selfish creature. So I 
 am, but not so blind and selfish as I have been ; for 
 many tears have cleared my eyes, and sincere regret haa 
 made me humbler than I was. I have found a better 
 book than any father s library can give me, and I have 
 read it with a love and admiration that grew stronger as 
 I turned the leaves. Henceforth I take it for my guide 
 and gospel, and, looking back upon the selfish and 
 neglectful past, can only say, Heaven bless your dear 
 heart, Nan ! " 
 
 Laura echoed Di s last words ; for, with eyes as full 
 of tenderness, she looked down upon the sister she had 
 lately learned to know, saying, warmly, 
 
 " Yes, Heaven bless your dear heart, Nan ! I never 
 can forget all you have been to me ; and when I am far 
 away with Philip, there will always be one countenance 
 more beautiful to me than any pictured face I may dis 
 cover, there will be one place more dear to me thau 
 Rome. The face will be yours, Nan, always so pa 
 tient, always so serene ; and the dearer place will be this 
 home of ours, which you have made so pleasant to me 
 all these years by kindnesses as numberless and noiseless 
 as the drops of dew." 
 
 "Why, girls, what have I ever done, that you shouM 
 love me so?" cried Nan, with happy wonderment, as (lie 
 tall heads, black and golden, bent to meet the lowly 
 brown one ; and her sisters mute lips answered her. 
 
 Then Laura looked up, saying, playfully, 
 
 " Here are the good aud wicked sisters ; where shall 
 we find the Prince * "
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 2QI 
 
 " There ! " cried Di, pointing to John ; and then her 
 secret went off like a rocket ; for, with her old impetuos 
 ity, she said, 
 
 " I have found you out, John, and am ashamed to look 
 you in the face, remembering the past. Girls, you know, 
 when father died, John sent us money, which he said 
 Mr. wen had long owed us, and had paid at last ! It 
 was a kind lie, John, and a generous thing to do ; for we 
 needed it, but never would have taken it as a gift. I 
 kifow you meant that we should never find this out ; but 
 yesterday I met Mr. Owen returning from the West, 
 and when I thanked him for a piece of justice we had 
 not expected of him, he grufily told me he had never 
 paid the debt, never meant to pay it, for it was outlawed, 
 and we could not claim a farthing. John, I have laughed 
 at you, thought you stupid, treated you unkindly ; but 1 
 know you now, and never shall forget the lesson you 
 have taught me. I am proud as Lucifer, but I ask you 
 to forgive me, and I seal my real repentance so and 
 so!" 
 
 With tragic countenance, Di rushed across the room, 
 threw both arms about the astonished young man s neck, 
 and dropped an energetic kiss upon his cheek. There 
 was a momentary silence ; for Di finely illustrated her 
 strong-minded theories by crying like the weakest of her 
 sex. Laura, with k the ruling passion strong in death," 
 still tried to draw, but broke her pet crayon, and en 
 dowed her Clytic with a supplementary orb, owing to the 
 dimness of her own. And Nan sat, with drooping eyes 
 that shone upon her work, thinking, with tender pride, 
 
 " They know him now, and love him for his generoua 
 heart."
 
 292 CAMP AND FIRESTDF STORIES. 
 
 Di spoke first, rallying to her colors, though a little 
 daunted by her loss of self-control : 
 
 "Don t laugh, John I couldn t help it; and don t 
 think I m not sincere, for I am, I am ! and I will 
 prove it by growing good enough to be your friend. 
 That debt must all be paid, and I shall do it ; for I ll 
 turn my books and pen to some account, and write sto 
 ries full of dear old souls like you and Nan ; and some 
 one, I know, will like and buy them, though they are not 
 works of Shakspeare. I ve thought of this before, 
 have felt I had the power in me ; now I have the motive, 
 and now I ll do it." 
 
 If Di had proposed to translate the Koran, or build a 
 new Saint Paul s, there would have been many chances 
 of success ; for, once moved, her will, like a battering- 
 ram, Avould knock down the obstacles her wits could not 
 surmount. John believed in her most heartily, and 
 showed it, as he answered, looking into her resolute 
 face, 
 
 " I know you will, and yet make us very proud of our 
 Di. Let the money lie, and Avhen you have made a for 
 tune, I ll claim it with enormous interest ; but, believe 
 me, I feel already doubly repaid by the esteem so gener 
 ously confessed, so cordially bestowed, and can only say, 
 as we used to years ago, Now let s forgive and for- 
 get. " 
 
 But proud Di would not let him add to her obligation, 
 even by returning her impetuous salute ; she slipped 
 away, and, shaking off the last drops, answered, with a 
 curious mixture of old freedom and new respect. 
 
 " No more sentiment, please, John. We know each 
 orher now ; and when I find a friend, I never let him go.
 
 A MODERN CINDERELLA. 293 
 
 We have smoked the pipe of peace ; so let us go back to 
 our wigwams and bury the hatchet. Where were we 
 when I lost my head ? and what were we talking about ? " 
 
 " Cinderella and the Prince." 
 
 As he spoke, John s eye kindled, and, turning, he 
 looked down at Nan, who sat diligently ornamenting 
 with microscopic stitches a great patch going on, the 
 wrong side out. 
 
 "Yes, so we were; and now, taking pussy for the 
 godmother, the characters of the story are well person 
 ated all but the slipper," said Di, laughing, as she 
 thought of the many times they had played it together 
 years ago. 
 
 A sudden warmth stirred John s heart, a sudden 
 purpose shone in his countenance, and a sudden change 
 befell his voice, as he said, producing from some hiding- 
 place a little worn-out shoe, 
 
 " I can supply the slipper ; Avho will try it first? " 
 
 Di s black eyes opened wide, as they fell on the 
 familiar object ; then her romance-loving nature saw the 
 whole plot of that drama which needs but two to act it. 
 A great delight flushed up into her face, as she promptly 
 took her cue, saying, 
 
 " No need for us to try it, Laura ; for it wouldn t fit 
 us, if our feet were as small as Chinese dolls ; our 
 parts are played out ; therefore, Exeunt wicked sisters to 
 the music of the wedding-bells. " And pouncing upon 
 the dismayed artist, she swept hei^ out, and closed the 
 door with a triumphant baug. 
 
 John went to Nan, and, dropping on his knee as rev 
 erently as the herald of the fairy tale, he asked, stil] 
 smiling, but with lips grown tremulous.
 
 294 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Will Cinderella try the little shoe, and, if it fits, 
 go with the Prince ? " 
 
 But Nan only covered up her face, weeping happy 
 tears, while all tlio weary work strayed down upon the 
 floor, as if it knew her holiday had come. 
 
 John drew the hidden face still closer ; and, while she 
 listened to his eager words, Nan heard the beating of the 
 strong man s heart, and knew it spoke the truth. 
 
 " Nan, I promised mother to be silent till I was sure 
 I loved you wholly, sure that the knowledge would 
 give no pain when I should tell it, as I am trying to tell 
 it now. This little shoe has been my comforter through 
 this long year, and I have kept it as other lovers keep 
 their fairer favors. It has been a talismau more eloquent 
 to me than flower or ring ; for, when I saw how worn it 
 was, I always thought of the willing feet that came and 
 went for others comfort all day long ; when I saw the 
 little bow you tied, I always thought of the hands so 
 diligent in serving any one who knew a want or felt a 
 paiu ; and when I recalled the gentle creature who had 
 worn it last, 1 always saw her patient, tender, and 
 devout, and tried to grow more worthy of her, that I 
 might one day dare to ask if she would walk beside me 
 all my life, and be my , angel in the house. "Will you, 
 dear? Believe me, you shall never know a weariness or 
 grief I have the power to shield you from." 
 
 Then Nan, as simple in her love as in her life, laid her 
 arms about his neck, her happy face against his own, 
 and answered softly, 
 
 " Oh, John, I never can be sad or tired any more ! "
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 
 
 bring him in here ; every corner is full," said 
 the nurse, eying with dismay the gaunt figure lying 
 on^the stretcher in the doorway. 
 
 "Where shall we put him, then? They can t have 
 him in either of the other wards on this floor. He s 
 ordered up here, and here he must stay, if he s put in the 
 hall, poor devil ! " said the foremost bearer, looking 
 around the crowded room in despair. 
 
 The nurse s eye followed his, and both saw a thin hand 
 beckoning from the end of the long ward. 
 
 " It s Murry ; I ll see what lie wants ; " and Miss 
 Mercy went to him with her quick, noiseless step, and 
 the smile her grave face always wore for him. 
 
 " There s room here, if you turn my bed round, you 
 see. Don t let them leave him in the hall," said Murry, 
 lifting his great eyes to hers, brilliant with the fever 
 burning his strength away, and pathetic with the silent 
 protest of life against death. 
 
 "It s like you to think of it; he s a rebel," began 
 Miss Mercy. 
 
 " So much more reason to take him in. I don t mind 
 having him here ; but it will distress me dreadfullv to 
 know that any poor soul was turned away, from the com 
 fort of this wai l especially." 
 
 095)
 
 2y CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 The look he gave her made the words an eloquent 
 compliment, and his pity for a fallen enemy reproached 
 he.* for her own lack of it. Her face softened as she 
 nodded, and glanced about the recess. 
 
 " You will have the light in your eyes, and only the 
 little table between you and a very disagreeable neigh 
 bor," she said. 
 
 " I can shut my eyes if the light troubles them ; I ve 
 nothing else to do now," he answered, with a faint laugh. 
 " I was too comfortable before ; I d more than my share 
 of luxuries ; so bring him along, and it will be all right." 
 
 The order was given, and, after a brief bustle, the two 
 narrow beds stood side by side in the recess under the 
 organ-loft for the hospital had been a church. Left 
 alone for a moment, the two men eyed each other silently. 
 Murry saw a tall, sallow man, with fierce black eyes, 
 wild hair and beard, and a thin-lipped, cruel mouth. A 
 ragged gray uniform was visible under the blanket 
 thrown over him ; aud in strange contrast to the squalor 
 of his dress, and the neglect of his person, was the 
 diamond ring that shone on his unwouuded hand. The 
 right arm was bound up, the right leg amputated at the 
 knee ; and, though the man s face was white and haggard 
 with suffering, not a sound escaped him as he lay with 
 bis eyes fixed half defiantly upon his neighbor. 
 
 John Clay, the new-comer, saw opposite him a small, 
 wasted figure, and a plain face ; yet both face and figure 
 were singularly attractive, for suffering seemed to have 
 refined away all the grosser elements, and left the spir 
 itual very visible through that frail tenement of flesh. 
 Pale-brown hair streaked the hollow temples and white 
 forehead. A deep color burned in the thin cheeks stili
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GKAY. 297 
 
 tanned by the wind and weather of a long campaign. 
 The mouth was grave and sweet, and in the gray eyea 
 lay an infinite patience touched with melancholy. Ho 
 wore a dressing-gown, but across his feet lay a faded 
 coat of army-blue. As the other watched him, he saw a 
 shadow pass across his tranquil face, and for a moment 
 he laid his wasted hand over the eyes that had been so 
 full of pity. Then he gently pushed a mug of fresh 
 water, and the last of a bunch of grapes, toward the 
 exhausted rebel, saying, in a cordial tone, 
 
 " You .look faint and thirsty ; have em." 
 
 Clay s lips were parched, and his hand went involun 
 tarily toward, the cup ; but he caught it back, and, lean 
 ing forward, asked, in a shrill whisper, 
 
 " Where are you hurt ? " 
 
 " A shot in the side," answered Murry, visibly sur 
 prised at the man s manner. 
 
 "What battle?" 
 
 " The Wilderness." 
 
 "Is it bad?" 
 
 " I m dying of wound-fever ; there s no hope, they say." 
 
 That reply, so simple, so serenely given, would have 
 touched almost any hearer ; but Clay smiled grimly, and 
 lay down as if satisfied, Avith his one hand clenched, and 
 an exulting glitter in his eyes, muttering to himself, 
 
 " The loss of my leg comes easier after hearing that." 
 
 Murry saw his lips move, but caught no sound, and 
 asked, with friendly solicitude, 
 
 " Do you want anything, neighbor ? " 
 
 " Yes to be let alone," was the curt reply, with a 
 savage frown. 
 
 " That s easily done. I sha u t trouble you very long,
 
 298 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 any way ; " and, with a sigh, Murry turned his fac< 
 away, a 1 . id lay silent till the surgeon came up ou hi 
 morning round. 
 
 "Oh! you re here, are you? It s like Mercy Carro 
 f.o take you in," said Dr. Fitz Hugh, as he surveyed th 
 rebel, with a slight frown ; for, in spite of his benevo 
 lence and skill, he was a stanch loyalist, and hated th 
 South just then. 
 
 " Don t praise me ; he never would have been here but 
 for Murry," answered Miss Mercy, as she approached, 
 with her dressing-tray in her hand. 
 
 " Bless the lad ! he ll give up his bed next, and feel 
 offended if he s thanked for it. How are you, my good 
 fellow?" and the doctor turned to press the hot hand, 
 with a friendly face. 
 
 " Much easier and stronger, thank you, doctor," was 
 the cheerful answer. 
 
 "Less fever, pulse better, breath freer good symp 
 toms. Keep on so for twenty-four hours, and, by my 
 soul, I believe you ll have a chance for your life, Murry," 
 cried the doctor, as his experienced eye took note of a 
 hopeful change. 
 
 " In spite of the opinion of three good surgeons to the 
 conl rary ?" asked Murry, with a wistful smile. 
 
 44 Hang everybody s opinion ! We are but mortal men, 
 and the best of us make mistakes in spite of science an j 
 experience. There s Parker ; we all gave him up, an 
 the rascal is larking round Washington as well as ev( 
 to-day. While there s life there s hope ; so cheer \i\ 
 my lad, and do your best for the little girl at home." 
 
 "Do you really think I may hope? "cried Murrj 
 white with the joy of this unexpected reprieve.
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 299 
 
 " Hope is a capital medicine, and I prescribe it for a 
 day at least. Don t build on this change too much, but 
 if you are as well to-morrow as this morning, I give you 
 my word I think you ll pull through." 
 
 Murry laid his hands over his face with a broken 
 " Thank God for that ! " and the doctor turned away 
 with a eonorous " Hem ! " and an air of intense satis- 
 faction. 
 
 During this conversation Miss Mercy had been watch- 
 inofthe rebel, who looked and listened to the others so 
 intently that he forgot her presence. She saw an expres 
 sion of rage and disappointment gather in his face as the 
 doctor spoke ; and when Murry accepted the hope held 
 out to him, Clay set his teeth with an evil look, that would 
 Lave boded ill for his neighbor had he not been helpless. 
 
 " Ungrateful traitor ! I ll watch him, for he ll do mis 
 chief if he can," she thought, and reluctantly began to 
 unbind his arm for the doctor s inspection. 
 
 "Only a flesh-wound, no bones broken, a good 
 syringing, rubber cushion, plenty of water, and it will 
 soon heal. You ll attend to that, Miss Mercy ; this 
 stump is more in my line ; " and Dr. Fitz Hugh turned 
 to the leg, leaving the arm to the nurse s skilful care. 
 
 " Evidently amputated in a hurry, and neglected since. 
 If you re not careful, young man, you ll change places 
 ith your neighbor here." 
 
 " Damn him ! " muttered Clay in his beard, with au 
 uphasis which caused the doctor to glance at hid venge- 
 al face. 
 
 " Don t be a brute, if you can help it. But for him 
 Du d have fared ill," began the doctor. 
 
 " But for him I never should have been here," muttered
 
 3OO CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 the man, in French, with a furtive glance about 
 room. 
 
 "You owe this to him?" asked the doctor, toucl 
 the wound, and speaking in the same tongue. 
 
 " Yes ; but he paid tor it at least, I thought he h: 
 
 "By the Lord! if you are the sneaking rascal 
 shot him as he lay wounded in the ambulance, I shal 
 tempted to leave you to vour liite ! " cried the do( 
 with a wrathful flash in his keen eyes. 
 
 "Do it, (hen, for it was 1," answered the man - 
 antly ; adding, as if anxious to explain, iw Wo had a 
 sle, and each got hurt in the thick of thu skirmish. 
 was put in the ambulance ai terward, and I was le: 
 live or die, as luck would have- it. I was hurt 
 Avorst ; they should have taken me too ; it made me ) 
 to see him chosen, and I fired my last shot as he dt 
 away. I didn t know whether I hit him or not ; 
 when they told me I must lose my leg 1 hoped I 1 
 and now 1 am satisfied." 
 
 lie spoke rapidly, with clenched hand and fiery e; 
 and the two listeners watched him with a sort of fasc 
 tion as he hissed out the last words, glancing at the o< 
 pant of the next bed. Murry evidently did not underst 
 French ; he lay with averted face, closed eyes, and a h< 
 ful smile still on his lips, quite unconscious pf the meai 
 of the fierce words uttered close beside him. Dr. Fitz II 
 had laid down his instruments, and knit his black br< 
 irefully while he listened. But as the man paused, 
 doctor looked at Miss Mercy, who was quietly goiu 
 with her work, though there was an expression about 
 handsome mouth that made her w.omauly lace look alu
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 30! 
 
 m. Taking up his tools, the doctor followed her 
 mple, saying slowly, 
 
 If I dMii t believe Murry was mending, I d turn you 
 r to Roberts, whom the patients dread as they do the 
 il. I must do my duty, and you may thank Murr} 
 it." 
 
 4 Does he know you are the man who shot him ? " 
 ed Mercy, still in French. 
 
 "No ; I slfouldu t stay here long if he did," answered 
 y, with a short laugh. 
 
 Don t tell him, then at least, till after you ar< 
 ved," she said, in a tone of command. 
 Where am I going? " demanded the man. 
 Anywhere out of my ward," was the brief answer, 
 
 a look that made the black eyes waver and fall, 
 n silence nurse and doctor did their work, and passed 
 
 In silence Murry lay hour after hour, aud silently 
 Clay watch aud wait, till, utterly exhausted by the 
 :riug he was too proud to confess, he sank into a 
 >or, oblivious alike of hatred, defeat, and pain. Find- 
 him in this pitiable condition, Mercy relented, and, 
 oanlike, forgot her contempt in pity. lie was not 
 ed, but tended carefully all that day aud night ; and 
 .n he woke from a heavy sleep, the morning sun shone 
 in on two pale faces in the beds, and flashed on the 
 ous of two army-coats hanging side by side on the 
 tss wall, on loyalist and rebel, on the blue and the 
 /. 
 
 r. Fitz Hugh stood beside Murry s cot, saying cheor- 
 " You are doing well, my lad better than I hoped, 
 p calm and cool, aud, if all goes right, we ll have lit- 
 Vlary here to pet you in a week."
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Who ; Mary?" whispered the rebel to the attendant 
 who was w ashing his face. 
 
 " His sweetheart ; he left her for the war, and she a 
 wail iii* for him back poor soul ! " answered the man, 
 with a somewhat vicious scrub across the sallow cheek 
 He was wiping. 
 
 " So he ll get well, and go home and marry the girl 
 he left behind him, will he ? " sneered Clay, fingering a 
 little case that hung about his neck, and was now visible 
 as his rough valet unbuttoned his collar. 
 
 "What s that. your sweetheart s picter?" asked 
 Jim, the attendant, eying the gold chain anxiously. 
 
 " I ve got none," was the gruff answer. 
 
 " So much the wus for you, then. Small chance of 
 gettin one here ; our girls won t look at you, and you 
 ain t likely to see any of your own sort for a long spell, 
 I reckon," added Jim, working away at the rebel s long- 
 neglected hair. 
 
 Clay lay looking at Mercy Carrol as she went to and 
 fro among the men, leaving a smile behind her, and car 
 rying comfort Avherever she turned, a right womanly 
 woman, lovely and lovable, strong yet tender, patieni 
 yet decided, skilful, kind, and tireless in the discharge of 
 duties that would have daunted most women. It was in 
 rain she wore the plain gray gown and long apron, for 
 neither could hide the grace of her figure. It waa 
 in vain she brushed her luxuriant hair back into a net, 
 for the wavy locks would fall on her forehead, and stray 
 curls would creep out or glisten like gold under the 
 meshes meant to conceal them. Busy days and watchful 
 nights had not faded the beautiful bloom on her cheeks, 
 or dimmed the brightness of her hazel eyes. Alwaya
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 303 
 
 t> 
 
 ready, fresh, and fair, Mercy Carrol was regarded as the 
 good aiigel of the hospital, and not a man in it, sick or 
 well, but was a loyal friend to her. None dared to be a 
 lover, for her little romance was known ; and, though 
 still a maid, she was a widow in their eyes, for she had 
 sent her lover to his death, and over the brave man a 
 grave had said, " Well done." 
 
 Jim watched Clay as his eye followed the one female 
 figure there, and, observing that he clutched the case still 
 tighter, asked again, 
 
 " "What is that a charm ? " 
 
 " Yes, against pain, captivity and shame." 
 
 " Strikes me it a n t kep you from any one of em," 
 said Jim, with a laugh. 
 
 " I haven t tried it yet." 
 
 "How does it work? "Jim asked more respectfully, 
 being impressed by something in the rebel s manner. 
 
 " You will see when I use it. Now let me alone ; " 
 and Clay turned impatiently away. 
 
 " You ve got p ison, or some deviltry, in that thing. 
 [f you don t let me look, I swear I ll have it took away 
 from you ; " and Jim put his big hand on the slender 
 ;hain with a resolute air. 
 
 Clay smiled a scoruful smile, and offered the trinket, 
 ayiug coolly, 
 
 " I only fooled you. Look as much as you like ; 
 /ou ll find nothing dangerous." 
 
 Jim opened the pocket, saw a lock of gray hair, and 
 nothing more. 
 
 " Is that your mother s? " 
 
 " Yes ; my dead mother s." 
 
 It was strange to see the instantaneous change that
 
 304 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES, 
 
 j 
 
 passed over the two men as each uttered that dearest 
 word in all tongues. Rough Jim gently reclosed and 
 returned the case, saying kindly, 
 
 <; Keep it ; I wouldn t rob you on t for no money." 
 
 Clay thrust it jealously into his breast, and the first 
 trace of emotion he had shown softened his dark face, as 
 he answered, with a grateful tremor in his voice, 
 
 " Thank you. I wouldn t lose it for the world." 
 
 May I say good-morning, neighbor? " asked a feeble 
 voice, as Murry turned a very wan, but cheerful faco 
 toward him, when Jim moved on with his basin and 
 towel. 
 
 " If you like," returned Clay, looking at him with 
 those quick, suspicious eyes of his. 
 
 " Well, I do like ; so I say it, and hope you are 
 better," returned the cordial voice. 
 
 " Are you ? " 
 
 Yes, thank God ! " 
 
 "Is it sure?" 
 
 " Nothing is sure, in a case like mine, till I m on my 
 legs again; but I m certainly better. I don t expect you 
 to be glad, but I hope you don t regret it very much." 
 
 " I don t." The smile that accompanied the words 
 surprised Murry as much as the reply, for both seemed 
 honest, and his kind heart warmed toward his suffering 
 enemy. 
 
 " I hope you ll be exchanged as soon as you are able. 
 Till then, you can go to one of the other hospitals, where 
 there are many reb I would say, Southerners. If 
 you d like, I ll speak to Dr. Fitz Hugh, and he ll see you 
 moved," said Murry, in his friendly way. 
 
 " I d rather stay here, thank you." Clay smiled again
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 305 
 
 as he spoke in the mild tone that surprised Murry as 
 much as it pleased him. 
 
 " You like to be in my corner, then? " he said, with a 
 boyish laugh. 
 
 " Very much for a while." 
 
 " I m very glad. Do you suffer much? " 
 
 11 I shall suffer more by and by, if I go on ; but I ll 
 risk it," answered Clay, fixing his feverish eyes on 
 Hurry s placid face. 
 
 "^Tou expect to have a hard time with your leg?" 
 said Murry, compassionately. 
 
 " With my soul." 
 
 It was an odd answer, and given with such an odd 
 expression, as Clay turned his face away, that Murry 
 said no more, fancying his brain a little touched by the 
 fever evidently comiug on. 
 
 They spoke but seldom to each other that day, for 
 Clay lay apparently asleep, with a flushed cheek and 
 restless head, and Murry trauquilly dreamed Avaking 
 dreams of home and little Mary. That night, after all 
 was still, Miss Mercy went up into the organ-loft to get 
 fresh rollers for the morrow, the boxes of old linen, 
 and such matters, being kept there. As she stood look 
 ing down on the thirty pale sleepers, she remembered 
 that she had not played a hymn on the little organ for 
 Murry, as she had promised that day. Stealing softly to 
 the front, she peeped over the gallery, to see if he was 
 asleep ; if not, she would keep her word, for he was her 
 favorite. 
 
 A screen had been drawn before the recess where the 
 two beds stood, shutting their occupants from the sight 
 f the other men. Murry lay sleeping, but Clay was 
 
 30
 
 306 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 awake, and a quick thrill tingled along the young 
 woman s nerves as she saw his face. Leaning on one 
 arm, he peered about the place with an eager, watchful 
 air, and glanced up at the dark gallery, but did not see 
 the startled face behind the central pillar. Pausing an 
 instant, he shook his one clenched hand at the uncon 
 scious sleeper, and then threw out the locket cautiously. 
 Two white mugs, just alike, stood on the little table 
 between the beds, water in each. With another furtive 
 glance about him, Clay suddenly stretched out his long 
 arm, and dropped something from the locket into Murry s 
 cup. An instant he remained motionless, with a sinister 
 smile on his face ; then, as Jim s step sounded beyond 
 the screen, he threw his arm over his face, and lay, 
 breathing heavily, as if asleep. 
 
 Mercy s first impulse was to cry out ; her next, to fly 
 down and seize the cup. No time was to be lost, for 
 Murry might wake and drink at any moment. What 
 was in the cup? Poison, doubtless; that was the charm 
 Clay carried to free himself from " pain, captivity and 
 shame," when all other hopes of escape vanished. This 
 hidden helper he gave up to destroy his enemy, who was 
 to outlive his shot, it seemed. Like a shadow, Mercy 
 glided down, forming her plan as she went. A dozen 
 mugs stood about the room, all alike in size and color ; 
 catching up one, she partly filled it, and, concealing it 
 under the clean sheet hanging on her arm, went to ward 
 the recess, saying audibly, 
 
 " I want some fresh water, Jim." 
 
 Thus warned of her approach, Clay lay with carefully- 
 averted face as she came in, and never stirred as she 
 bent over him, while she dexterously changed Murry a
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 307 
 
 mug for the one she carried. Hiding the poisoned cup> 
 she went away, saying aloud, 
 
 " Never mind the water, now, Jim. Murry is asleep, 
 and so is Clay ; they ll not need it yet." 
 
 Straight to Dr. Fitz Hugh s room she went, and gave 
 the cup into his keeping, with the story of what she had 
 seen. A man was dying, and there was no time to test 
 the water then ; but putting it carefully away, he prom 
 ised to set her fears at rest in the morning. To quiet 
 her Impatience, Mercy went back to watch over Murry 
 till day dawned. As she sat down, she caught the glim 
 mer of a satisfied smile on Clay s lips, and looking into 
 the cup she had left, she saw that it was empty. 
 
 " He is. satisfied, for he thinks his horrible revenge is 
 secure. Sleep in peace, my poor boy ! you are safe 
 while I am here." 
 
 As she thought this, she put her hand on the broad, 
 pale forehead of the sleeper with a motherly caress, but 
 started to feel how damp and cold it was. Looking 
 nearer, she saw that a change had passed over Murry, 
 for dark shadows showed about his sunken eyes, his once 
 quiet breath Avas faint and fitful now, his hand deathly 
 cold, and a chilly dampness had gathered on his face. 
 She looked at her watch ; it was past twelve, and her 
 heart sunk within her, for she had so often seen that 
 solemn change come over men s faces then, that the hour 
 was doubly weird and woful to her. Sending a message 
 to Dr. Fitz Hugh, she waited anxiously, trying to believe 
 that she deceived herself. 
 
 The doctor came at once, and a single look convinced 
 him that he had loft one death-bed for another. 
 
 " As 1 feared, he said ; " that sudden rally was but
 
 3O8 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 a last effort of nature. There was just one chance foi 
 him, and he has missed it. Poor lad ! I can do nothing , 
 he ll sink rapidly, and go without pain." 
 
 "Can / do nothing?" asked Mercy, with dim eyes 
 as she held the cold hand close in both her own witt 
 tender pressure. 
 
 " Give him stimulants as long as he can swallow, and 
 if he s conscious, take any messages he may have. Pool 
 Hall is dying hard, and I can help him ; I ll come agaii 
 "n an hour, and say good-by." 
 
 The kind doctor choked, touched the pale sleeper witl 
 a gentle caress, and went away to help Hall die. 
 
 Murry slept on for an hour, then woke, and knew 
 without words that his brief hope was gone. He looked 
 up wistfully, and Avhispered, as Mercy tried to smile with 
 trembling lips that refused to tell the heavy truth, 
 
 " I know I feel it ; don t grieve yourself by trying to 
 tell me, dear friend. It s best so ; I can bear it, but I 
 did want to live." 
 
 "Have you any word for Mary, dear?" asked Mercy, 
 for he seemed but a boy to her since she had nursed 
 him. 
 
 One look of sharp anguish and dark despair passed 
 over his face, as he wrung his thin hands and shut his 
 yes, finding death terrible. It passed in a moment, and 
 his pallid countenance grew beautiful with the pathetic 
 patience of one who submits without complaint to th 
 inevitable. 
 
 " Tell her I was ready, and the only bitterness waf 
 leaving her. I shall remember, and wait until she 
 nomes. My little Mary ! O, be kind ito her, for mj 
 sake, when you tell her this."
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 309 
 
 " I will, Murry, as God hears me. I will be a sister 
 to her while I live." 
 
 As Mercy spoke, with fervent voi.ce, he laid the hand 
 that had ministered to him so faithfully against his cheek, 
 and lay silent, as if content. 
 
 "What else? let me do something more. Is there no 
 other friend to be comforted ? " 
 
 " No ; she is all I have in the world. I hoped to 
 make her so happy, to be so much to her, for she s a 
 lonely little thing; but God says No, and I submit." 
 
 A long pause, as he lay breathing heavily, with eyes 
 that were dimming fast fixed on the gentle face beside 
 him. 
 
 " Give Jim my clothes, send Mary a bit of my hair, 
 and may I give you this ? it s a poor thing, but all I 
 have to leave yon, best and kindest of women." 
 
 He tried to draw off a slender ring, but the strength 
 had gone out of his wasted fingers, and she helped him, 
 thanking him with the first tears he had seen her shed. 
 He seemed satisfied, but suddenly turned his eyes on 
 Clay, who lay as if asleep. A sigh broke from Murry, 
 and Mercy caught the words, 
 
 " How could he do it, and I so helpless ! " 
 
 " Do you know him?" she Avhispered, eagerly, as she 
 remembered Clay s own words. 
 
 " I knew he was the man who shot me, when he came. 
 I forgive him ; but I wish he had spared me, for Mary s 
 sake," he answered sorrowfully, not angrily. 
 
 "Do you really pardon him?" cried Mercy, wonder 
 ing, yet touched by the words. 
 
 " I do. He will be sorry one day, perhaps ; at any 
 rate, he did whai he thought his duty ; and war makes
 
 3*0 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 brutes of us all sometimes, I fear, I d like to say good 
 by ; but he s asleep after a weary day, so don t wake 
 him. Tell him I m glad lie is to live, and that I forgivu 
 him heartily." 
 
 Although uttered between long pauses, these words 
 seemed to have exhausted Murry, and he spoke no more 
 till Dr. Fitz Hugh came. To him he feebly returned 
 thanks, and whispered his farewell, then sank into a stu 
 por, during which life ebbed fast. Both nurse and doctor 
 forgot Clay as they hung over Murry, and neither saw 
 the strange intentuess of his face, the half awe-struck, 
 half remorseful look he bent upon the dying man. 
 
 As the sun rose, sending its ruddy beams across the 
 silent ward, Murry looked up and smiled, for the bright 
 ray fell athwart the two coats hanging on the wall beside 
 him. Some passer-by had brushed one sleeve of the blue 
 coat across the gray, as if the inanimate things were 
 shaking hands. 
 
 " It should be so love our enemies; we should be 
 brothers," he murmured faintly ; and, with the last im 
 pulse of a noble nature, stretched his hand toward the 
 man who had murdered him. 
 
 But Clay shrunk back, and covered his face without a 
 word. When he ventured to look up, Murry was no 
 longer there. A pale, peaceful figure lay on the narrow 
 bed, and Mercy was smoothing the brown locks as she 
 cut a curl for Mary and herself. Clay could not take his 
 eyes away ; as if fascinated by its serenity, he watched 
 the dead face with gloomy eyes, till Mercy, having done 
 her part, stooped and kissed the cold lips tenderly as she 
 left him to his sleep. Then, as if afraid to be alone Avith 
 he dead, he bid Jim put the screen between the beds.
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. j** 
 
 and bring him a book. His order was obeyed ; but he 
 never turned his pages, and lay, with muffled head, try 
 ing to shut out little Watts sobs, as the wounded drum 
 mer boy mourned for Murry. 
 
 Death in an hospital makes no stir, and in an hour no 
 trace of the departed remained but the coat upon the 
 wall, for Jim would not take it down, though it was hi? 
 now. The empty bed stood freshly made, the clean cup 
 and worn Bible lay ready for other hands, and the card 
 at the bed s head hung blank for a new-comer s name. 
 In the hurry of this event, Clay s attempted crime was 
 forgotten for a time. But that evening Dr. Fitz Hugh 
 told Mercy that her suspicions were correct, for the water 
 was poisoned. 
 
 " How horrible ! what shall we do ? " she cried, with 
 a gesture full of energetic indignation. 
 
 " Leave him to remorse ! " replied the doctor, sternlj 
 " I ve thought over the matter, and believe this to be thfe 
 only thing we can do. I fancy the man won t live a 
 week ; his leg is in a bad way, and he is such a fiery 
 devil he gives himself no chance. Let him believe he 
 killed poor Murry, at least for a few days. He thinks 
 BO now, and tries to rejoice ; but if he has a human heart 
 he will repent." 
 
 "But he may not. Should we not tell of this? Can 
 he not be punished ? " 
 
 "Law won t hang a dying man, and I ll not denounce 
 him. Let remorse punish him while he lives, and God 
 judge him when he dies. Murry pardoned him, can 
 we do less?" 
 
 Mercy s indignant face softened at the name, and for 
 Murry s sake she yielded. Neither spoke of what they
 
 3^2 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 tried to think the act of a half-delirious man ; and soon 
 they could not refuse to pity him, for the doctor s proph 
 ecy proved true. 
 
 Clay was a haunted man, and remorse gnawed like a 
 worm at his heart. Day and night he saw that tranquil 
 face on the pillow opposite ; day and night he saw the 
 pale hand outstretched to him ; day and night he heard 
 the faint voice murmuring kindly, regretfully, " I forgive 
 him ; but I wish he had spared me, for Mary s sake." 
 
 As the days passed, and his strength visibly declined, 
 he began to suspect that he must soon follow Murry. 
 No one told him ; for, though both doctor and nurse did 
 their duty faithfully, neither lingered long at his bedside, 
 and not one of the men showed any interest in him. No 
 new patient occupied the other bed, and he lay alone in 
 the recess with his own gloomy thoughts. 
 
 "It will be all up with me in a few days, won t it? * 
 he asked, abruptly, as Jim made his toilet one morning 
 with unusual care, and such visible pity in his rough face 
 that Clay could not but observe it. 
 
 " I heard the doctor say you wouldn t suifer much 
 more. Is there any one you d like to see, or leave a 
 message for?" answered Jim, smoothing the long locks 
 , as gently as a woman. 
 
 " There isn t a soul in the world that cares whether I 
 live or die, except the man who wants my money," said 
 Clay, bitterly, as his dark face grew a shade paler at thia 
 confirmation of his fear. 
 
 " Can t you head him off some way, and leave your 
 money to some one that s been kind to you? Here s the 
 doctor or, better still, Miss Carrol. Neither on era 
 is rich, and both on em has been good friends to you, or
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY, 313 
 
 you d a fared a deal wus than you have," said Jim, not 
 without the hope that, in saying a good word for them, 
 he might say one for himself also. 
 
 Clay lay thinking for a moment as his face clouded 
 over, and then brightened again : 
 
 " Miss Mercy wouldn t take it, nor the doctor either ; 
 but I know who will and, by G d, I ll do it ! " he 
 exclaimed, with sudden energy. 
 
 His eye happened to rest on Jim as he spoke, and 
 feelfcig sure that he was to be the heir, Jim retired to 
 send Miss Mercy, that the matter might be settled before 
 Clay s mood changed. Miss Carrol came, and began to 
 cut the buttons off Murry s coat while she waited for 
 Clay to speak. 
 
 "What s that for?" he asked, restlessly. 
 
 " The men want them, and Jim is willing, for the coal 
 is very old and ragged, you see. Murry gave his good 
 one away to a sicker comrade, and took this instead. It 
 was like him, my poor boy ! " 
 
 " I d like to speak to you, if you have a minute to 
 spare," began Clay, after a pause, during which he 
 watched her with a wistful, almost tender expression. 
 unseen by her. 
 
 " I have time ; what can I do for you?" Very gentle 
 was Mercy s voice, very pitiful her glance, as she sat 
 down by him, for the change in his manner, and the 
 thought of his approaching death, touched her heart. 
 
 Trying to resume his former gruffness, and cold expres 
 sion, Clay said, as he picked nervously at the blanket, 
 
 "I ve a little property that I put into the care of a 
 friend going North. He s kept it safe ; and now, as I ll 
 never want it myself, I d like to leave it to ". He
 
 314 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 paused an instant, glanced quickly at Mercy s fa^e, and 
 seeing only womanly compassion there, added, Avith an 
 irrepressible tremble in his voice, "To little Mary." 
 
 If he had expected any reward for the act, any comfort 
 for his lonely death-bed, he received both in fullest meas 
 ure when he saw Mercy s beautiful face flush with sur 
 prise and pleasure, her eyes fill with sudden tears, and 
 heard her cordial voice, as she pressed his hand warmly 
 in her own. 
 
 " I wish I could tell you how glad I am for this ! I 
 thought you were better than you seemed ; I was uro 
 you had both heart and conscience, and that you would 
 repent before you died." 
 
 " Repent of what? " he asked, with a startled look. 
 
 " Need I tell you?" and her eye went from the empty 
 bed to his face. 
 
 " You mean that shot ? But it was only fair, after 
 all ; we killed each other, and war is nothing but whole 
 sale murder, any way." He spoke easily, but his eyes 
 were full of trouble, and other words seemed to tremble 
 on his lips. 
 
 Leaning nearer, Mercy whispered in his ear, 
 
 " I mean the other murder, which you would have 
 committed when you poisoned the cup of water he offered 
 you, his enemv." 
 
 Every vestige of color faded out of Clay s thin face, 
 and his haggard eyes seemed fascinated by some spectre 
 opposite, as he muttered slowly, 
 
 " How do you know? " 
 
 " I saw you ; " and she told him all the truth. 
 
 A look of intense relief passed over Clay s counte
 
 THE BLUE ASTO THE GRAY. 31^ 
 
 uance, and the remorseful shadow lifted as he murmured, 
 brokenly, 
 
 " Thank God I didn t kill him ! Now, dying isn t so 
 hard ; now I can have a little peace." 
 
 Neither spoke for several minutes ; Mercy had no 
 words for such a time, and Clay forgot her presence as 
 the tears dropped from between the wasted fingers spread 
 before his face. 
 
 Presently he looked up, saying eagerly, as if his flut 
 tering breath and rapidly failing strength warned him of 
 approaching death, 
 
 " Will you write down a few words for me, so Mary 
 can have the money? She needn t know anything about 
 me, only that I was one to whom Murry was kind, and 
 so I gave her all I had." 
 
 " I ll get my pen and paper ; rest, now, my poor fel 
 low," said Mercy, wiping the unheeded tears away for 
 him. 
 
 " How good it seems to hear you speak so to me ! How 
 oau you do it ? " he whispered, with such grateful won 
 der in his dim eyes that Mercy s heart smote her for the 
 past. 
 
 " I do it for Murry s sake, and because I sincerely 
 pity you." 
 
 Timidly turning his lips to that kind hand, he kissed 
 it, and then hid his face in his pillow. When Mercy 
 returned, she observed that there were but seven tarnished 
 buttons where she had left eight. She guessed who had 
 taken it, but said nothing, and endeavored to render poor 
 Clay s last hours as happy as sympathy and care could 
 make them. The letter and will were prepared as Avell 
 as they could be, and none too soon ; for, as if that
 
 3 10 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 secret was the burden that bound Clay s spirit to the 
 shattered body, no sooner was it lifted off than the 
 diviner part seemed ready to be gone. 
 
 " You ll stay with me ; you ll help me die ; and oh, 
 if I dared to ask it, I d beg you to kiss me once when I 
 am dead, as you did Murry. I thiuk I could rest then, 
 and be fitter to meet him, if the Lord lets me," he cried 
 imploringly, as the last night gathered around him, aud 
 the coming change seemed awful to a soul that possessed 
 no inward peace, and no firm hope to lean on through the 
 valley of the shadow. 
 
 " I will I will ! Hold fast to me, and believe in 
 the eternal mercy of God," whispered Miss Carrol, with 
 her firm hand in his, her tender face bending over him 
 as the long struggle began. 
 
 " Mercy," he murmured, catching that word, and smil 
 ing feebly as he repeated it lingeriugly. " Mercy ! yes, 
 I believe in her ; she ll save me, if any one can. Lord, 
 bless and keep her forever aud forever." 
 
 There was no morning sunshine to gladden his dim 
 eyes as they looked their last, but the pale glimmer of 
 the lamp shone full on the blue aud the gray coats hang 
 ing side by side. As if the sight recalled that other 
 death-bed, that last act of brotherly love and pardon, 
 Clay rose up in his bed, aud while one hand clutched the 
 button hidden in his breast, the other was outstretched 
 toward the empty bed, as his last breath parted in a cry 
 of remorseful longing, 
 
 u I will ! I will ! Forgive me, Murry, and let me say 
 good-by ! "
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 
 
 MERRY Christmas ! " " Merry Christmas ! " " Merry 
 dhristmas, and lots of em, ma am ! " echoed from 
 every side, as Miss Hale entered her ward in the gray 
 December dawn. No wonder the greetings were hearty, 
 that thin faces brightened, and eyes watched for the com 
 ing of this small luminary more eagerly than for the 
 rising of the sun ; for when they Avoke that morning, 
 each man found that in the silence of the night some 
 friendly hand had laid a little gift beside his bed. Very 
 humble little gifts they were, but well chosen and thought 
 fully bestowed by one who made the blithe anniversary 
 pleasant even in a hospital, and sweetly taught the lesspn 
 of the hour Peace on earth, good- will to man. 
 
 " I say, ma am, these are just splendid. I ve dreamt 
 about such for a week, but I never thought I d get em," 
 cried one poor fellow, surveying a fine bunch of grapes 
 ivilh as much satisfaction as if he had found a fortune. 
 
 "Thank you kindly, Miss, for the paper and the fix 
 ings. I hated to keep borrowing, but I hadn t any 
 money," said another, e ying his gift with happy anticipa 
 tions of the home letters with which the generous pages 
 should be filled. 
 
 "They are dreadful soft and pretty, but I don t believe 
 I ll ever wear em out ; my legs are so wimbly there s no
 
 3l CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 go in em," whispered a fever patient, looking sorrowfully 
 at the swollen feet ornamented Avith a pair of carpet 
 slippers gay with roses, and evidently made for his 
 especial need. 
 
 " Please hang my posy basket on the gas-burner in the 
 middle of the room, where all the boys can see it. It s 
 too pretty for one alone." 
 
 " But then you can t see it yourself, Joe, and you are 
 fonder of such things than the rest," said Miss Hale, 
 taking both the little basket and the hand of her pet 
 patient, a lad of twenty, dying of rapid consumption. 
 
 " That s the reason I can spare it for a while, for 1 
 shall feel em in the room just the same, and they ll do 
 the boys good. You pick out the one you like best, for 
 me to keep, and hang up the rest till by-and-by, please." 
 
 She gave him a sprig of mignonette, and he smiled as 
 he took it, for it reminded him of her in her sad-colored 
 gown, as quiet and unobtrusive, but as grateful to the 
 hearts of those about her as was the fresh scent of the flower 
 to the lonely lad who never had known womanly tender 
 ness and care until he found them in a hospital. Joe s 
 prediction was verified ; the flowers did do the boys good, 
 for all welcomed them with approving glances, and all 
 felt their refining influence more or less keenly, from 
 cheery Ben, Avho paused to fill the cup inside with fresher 
 water, to surly Sara, who stopped growling as his eye 
 reated on a geranium very like the one blooming in his 
 sweetheart s window when they parted a long year ago. 
 
 " Now, as this is to be a merry day, let us begin to 
 enjoy it at once. Fling up the windows, Ben, and Bar 
 ney, go for breakfast while I finish washing faces and 
 settling bed-clothes."
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 319 
 
 With which directions the little woman fell to work 
 with such infectious energy that in fifteen minutes thirty 
 gentlemen with spandy c^an faces and hands were par 
 taking of refreshment with as much appetite as their 
 various conditions would permit. Meantime the suu 
 came up, looking bigger, brighter, jollier than usual, as 
 he is apt to do on Christmas days. Not a snow-flake 
 chilled the air that blew in as blandly as if winter had 
 relented, and wished the " boys " the compliments of the 
 seasdn in his mildest mood ; while a festival smell per 
 vaded the whole house, and appetizing rumors of turkey, 
 mince-pie, and oysters for dinner, circulated through the 
 wards. When breakfast was done, the wounds dressed, 
 directions for the day delivered, and as many of the dis 
 agreeables as possible well over, the fun began. In any 
 other place that would have been considered a very quiet 
 morning ; but to the weary invalids prisoned in that 
 room, it was quite a whirl of excitement. None were 
 dangerously ill but Joe, and all were easily amused, for 
 weakness, homesickness and ennui made every trifle a 
 joke or an event. 
 
 In came Ben, looking like a " Jack in the Green," with 
 his load of hemlock and holly. Such of the men as 
 could get about and had a hand to lend, lent it, and soon, 
 under Miss Hale s direction, a green bough hung at the 
 head of each bed, depended from the gas-burners, and 
 nodded over the fireplace, while the finishing effect was 
 given by a cross and crown at the top and bottom of the 
 room. Great was the interest, many were the mishaps, 
 and frequent was the laughter which attended this per 
 formance ; for wounded men, when convalescent, are par- 
 *icularly jovial. When >k Daddy Mills." as one venerable
 
 32O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 volunteer was irreverently christened, expatiated learn 
 edly upon the difference between "sprewce, hemlock and 
 pine," how they all listened, each thinking of some 
 familiar wood still pleasantly haunted by boyish recol 
 lections of stolen gunri^gs, gum-pickings, and bird-nest 
 ings. When quiet Hayward amazed the company by 
 coming out strong in a most unexpected direction, and 
 teliirig with much effect the story of a certain " fine old 
 gentleman " who supped on hemlock tea and died like a 
 hero, what commendations were bestowed upon the im 
 mortal heathen in language more hearty than classical, 
 as a twig of the historical tree was passed round like a 
 new style of refreshment, that inquiring parties might 
 satisfy themselves regarding the flavor of the Socratic 
 draught. When Barney, the colored incapable, essayed 
 a grand ornament above the door, and relying upon one 
 insufficient nail, descended to survey his success with the 
 proud exclamation, " Look at tie neatness of dat job, 
 gen 1 men," at which point the whole thing tumbled 
 down about his ears, how they all shouted but Pneu 
 monia Ned, who, having lost his voice, could only make 
 ecstatic demonstrations with his legs. When Barney cast 
 himself and his hammer despairingly upon the floor, and 
 Miss Hale, stepping into a chair, poiinded stoutly at the 
 traitorous nail and performed some miracle with a bit 
 of string which made all fast, Avhat a burst of applause 
 arose from the beds. When gruff Dr. Bangs came in tc 
 see what all the noise was about, and the same intrepid 
 lady not only boldly explained, but stuck a bit of holly iu 
 his button-hole, and wished him a merry Christmas with 
 such a face full of smiles that the crabbed old doctor felt 
 himself giving in very fast, and bolted out again, calling
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 3*1 
 
 Christmas a humbug, and exulting over the thirty emetieg 
 he would have to prescribe on the morrow, what indig 
 nant denials followed him. And when all was done, 
 how everybody agreed with Joe when he said, " I think 
 we are coming Christmas in great style ; things look BO 
 green and pretty, I feel as I was settiu in a bower." 
 
 Pausing to survey her work, Miss Hale saw Sam look 
 ing as black a.s any thunder-cloud. He bounced over on 
 his bed the moment he caught her eye, but she followed 
 him *up, and gently covering the cold shoulder he evi 
 dently meant to show her, peeped over it, asking, Avith 
 unabated gentleness, 
 
 What can I do for you, Sam? I want to have all 
 the faces in my ward bright ones to-day." 
 
 " My box ain t come ; they said I should have it two, 
 three days ago; why don t they do it, then?" growled 
 Ursa Major. 
 
 " It is a busy time, you know, but it will come if they 
 promised, and patience won t delay it, I assure you." 
 
 " My patience is used up, and they are a mean set of 
 slow coaches. I d get it fast enough if I wore shoulder 
 straps ; as I don t, I ll bet I sha u t see it till the things 
 ain t fit to eat ; the news is old, and I don t care a hang 
 about it." 
 
 " I ll see what I can do ; perhaps before the hurry of 
 dinner begins some one will have time to go for it." 
 
 " Nobody ever does have time here but folks who 
 would give all they are worth to be stirring round. You 
 can t get it, I know ; it s my luck, so don t you worry, 
 ma am." 
 
 Miss Hale did not " worry," but worked, and in time 
 a messenger was found, provided with the necessary
 
 322 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 money, pass and directions, and despatched to hunt up 
 the missing Christmas-box. Then she paused to see 
 what came next, not that it was necessary to look ft. r a 
 task, but to decide which, out of many, was most impor 
 tant to do first. 
 
 Why, Turner, crying again so soon ? What it it 
 now ? the light head or the heavy feet ? " 
 
 " It s my bones, ma am. They ache so I can t lay 
 easy any way, and I m so tired I just wish I could die 
 and be out of this misery," sobbed the poor ghost of a 
 once strong and cheery fellow, as the kind hand wiped 
 his tears away, and gently rubbed the weary shoulders. 
 
 " Don t wish that Turner, for the worst is over now, 
 and all you need is to get your strength again. Make 
 an effort to sit up a little ; it is quite time you tried ; a 
 change of posture will help the ache wonderfully, and 
 make this dreadful bed, as you call it, seem very com 
 fortable when you come back to it." 
 
 " I can t, ma am, my legs ain t a bit of use, and I 
 ain t strong enough even to try." 
 
 " You never will be if you don t try. Never mind 
 the poor legs, Ben will carry you. I ve got the matron s 
 easy-chair all ready, and can make you very cosy by (he 
 fire. It s Christmas-day, you know ; why not celebrate it 
 by overcoming the despondency which retards your re 
 covery, and prove that illness has not taken all the man 
 hood out of you ? " 
 
 " It has, though, I ll never be the man I was, and may 
 as well lay here till spring, for I shall be no use if I do 
 get up." 
 
 If Sam was a growler this man was a whiner, and 
 few hospital wards are without both. But knowing that
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 32^ 
 
 much suffering had soured the former and pitifully weak 
 ened the latter, their nurse had patience with them, and 
 still hoped to bring them round again. As Turner whim 
 pered out his last dismal speech she bethought herself of 
 eomething which, hi the hurry of the morning, had 
 slipped ner nu^i till now. 
 
 " By the way, I ve got another present for you. The 
 doctor thought I d better not give it yet, lest it should 
 excite you too much ; but I think you need excitement to 
 malic you forget yourself, and that when you find how 
 many blessings you have to be grateful for, you will 
 make an effort to enjoy them." 
 
 " Blessings, ma am? I don t see em." 
 
 " Don t you see one DOW?" and drawing a letter from 
 her pocket she held it before his eyes. His listless face 
 brightened a little as he took it, but gloomed over again 
 as he said fretfully, 
 
 " It s from wife, I guess. I like to get her letters, but 
 they are always full of gricviugs and groanings over me, 
 so they don t do me much good." 
 
 " She does not grieve and groan in this one. She is too 
 happy to do that, and so will you be when you read it." 
 
 " I don t see why, hey ? why you don t mcau " 
 
 "Yes I do!" cried the little woman, clapping her 
 hands, and laughing so delightedly that the Knight of the 
 Kueful Countenance was betrayed into a broad smile for 
 the first time in many weeks. "Is not a splendid little 
 daughter a present to rejoice over and be grateful for?" 
 
 " Hooray ! hold on a bit, it s all right, I ll be out 
 again in a minute." 
 
 After which remarkably spirited burst. Turner vanished 
 under the bed-clothes, letter and all. Whether he read,
 
 324 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 laughed or cried, in the seclusion of that cotton grotto, 
 was unknown ; but his nurse suspected that he did all 
 three, for when he reappeared he looked as if during 
 that pause he had dived into his * sea of troubles," and 
 fished up his old self again. 
 
 " What will I name her? " was his first remark, deliv 
 ered with such vivacity that his neighbors began to think 
 he was getting delirious again. 
 
 " What is your wife s name ? " asked Miss Hale, gladly 
 entering into the domesticities which were producing 
 such a salutary effect. 
 
 u Her name s Ann, but neither of us like it. I d fixed 
 on George, for I Avauted my boy called after me ; and 
 now you see I ain t a bit prepared for this young woman." 
 Very proud of the young woman he seemed, neverthe 
 less, and perfectly resigned to the loss of the expected 
 sou and heir. 
 
 " Why not call her Georgiana then? That combines 
 both her parents names, and is not a bad one in itself." 
 
 " Now that s just the brightest tiling I ever heard in 
 my life !" cried Turner, sitting bolt upright in his excite 
 ment, though half an hour before he would have consid 
 ered it an utterly impossible feat. " Georgiana Butter- 
 field Turner, it s a tip-top name, ma am, and we can 
 call her Georgie just the same. Ann will like that, it s 
 so genteel. Bless em both ! don t I wish I was at 
 home." And down he lay again, despairing. 
 
 "You can be before long, if you choose. Get your 
 strength up, and off you go. Come, begin at once, 
 Mnk your beef-tea, and sit up for a few minutes, just in 
 ,,*aor of the good news, you know." 
 
 * I will, by George! no, by Georgiana! That s a
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 325 
 
 good one, ain t it?" and the whole ward was electrified 
 by hearing a genuine giggle from the u Blueing-bag." 
 
 Down went the detested beef-tea, and up scrambled 
 the determined drinker with many groans, and a curious 
 jumble of chuckles, staggers, and fragmentary repeti 
 tions of his first, last T and only joke. But when fairly settled 
 ia the great rocking-chair, with the gray flannel gown 
 comfortably on, and the new slippers getting their inau 
 gural scorch, Turner forgot his bones, and swung to and 
 fro before the fire, feeling amazingly well, and looking 
 very like a trussed fowl beiug roasted in the primitivo 
 fashion. The languid importance of the man, and the 
 irrepressible satisfaction of the parent, were both laugh 
 able and touching things to see, for the happy soul could 
 not keep the glad tidings to himself. A hospital ward is 
 often a small republic, beautifully governed by pity, 
 patience, and the mutual sympathy which lessens mutual 
 suffering. Turner Avas no favorite ; but more than one 
 honest fellow felt his heart warm towards him as they 
 saw his dismal face kindle with fatherly pride, and heard 
 the querulous quaver of his voice soften with fatherly 
 affection, as he said, " My little Georgie, sir." 
 
 " He ll do now, ma am ; this has given him the boost 
 he needed, and in a week or two he ll be off our hands." 
 
 Big Ben made the remark with a beaming countenance, 
 and Big Ben deserves a word of praise, because he never 
 said one for himself. An ex-patient, promoted to an 
 attendant s place, which he filled so well that he was 
 regarded as a model for all the rest to copy. Patient, 
 strong, and tender, he seemed to combine many of the 
 best traits of both man and woman ; for he appeared to 
 know by instinct where the soft spot was to be found
 
 326 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 in every heart, and how best tfc help sick body or sad 
 soul. No one would have guessed this to have seen him 
 lounging in the hull during one of the short rests he 
 allowed himself. A brawny, six-foot fellow, in red shirt, 
 blue trousers tucked into his boots, an old cap, visor 
 always up, and under it a roughly-bearded, coarsely- 
 featured face, whose prevailing expression was one oi 
 great gravity and kindliness, though a humorous twinkle 
 - of the eye at times betrayed the man, whose droll sayings 
 often set the boys in a roar. " A good-natured, clumsy 
 body " would have been the verdict passed upon him by 
 a casual observer ; but watch him in his ward, and see 
 how great a wrong that hasty judgment would have 
 done him. 
 
 Unlike his predecessor, who helped himself generously 
 when the meals came up, and carelessly served out 
 rations for the rest, leaving even the most helpless to 
 bungle for themselves or wait till he was done, shut him 
 self into his pantry, and there, to borrow a hospital 
 phrase, gormed, Ben often left nothing for himself, or 
 took cheei-fully such cold bits as remained when all the 
 rest were served ; so patiently feeding the weak, being 
 hands and feet to the maimed, and a pleasant provider 
 for all that, as one of the boys said, ; It gives a relish 
 to the vittles to have Ben fetch em." If one were rest 
 less, Ben carried him in his strong arms ; if one were 
 undergoing the sharp torture of the surgeon s knife, Ben 
 held him with a touch as firm as kind ; if one were home 
 sick, Ben wrote letters for him with great hearty blots 
 and dashes under all the affectionate or important words. 
 More than one poor fellow read his fate in Ben s pitifuJ 
 eyes, and breathed his last breath away on Ben s broad
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 327 
 
 breast, ~~ always a quiet pillow till its work was done, 
 then it would heave with genuine grief, as his big hand 
 softly closed the tired eyes, and made another comrade 
 ready for the last review. The war shows us many Bens, 
 for the same power of human pity which makes 
 women brave also makes men tender ; and each is the 
 womanlier, the manlier, for these revelations of unsus 
 pected strength and sympathies. 
 
 At twelve o clock dinner was the prevailing idea in 
 wrfrd No. 3, and when the door opened every man sniffed, 
 for savory odors broke loose from the kitchens and went 
 roaming about the house. Now this Christmas dinner 
 had been much talked of; for certain charitable and 
 patriotic persons had endeavored to provide every hospi 
 tal in Washington with materials for this time-honored 
 feast. Some mistake in the list sent to head-quarters, 
 some unpardonable neglect of orders, or some premedi 
 tated robbery, caused the long-expected dinner in the 
 
 Hoepital to prove a dead failure ; but to which of these 
 causes it was attributable was never known, for the deep 
 est mystery enveloped that sad transaction. The full 
 weight of the dire disappointment was mercifully light 
 ened by premonitions of the impending blow. Barney 
 was often missing ; for the attendants were to dine en 
 waise after the patients were done, therefore a speedy 
 banquet for the latter parties was ardently desired, and 
 he probably devoted his energies to goading on the cooks. 
 From time to time he appeared in the doorway, flushed 
 and breathless, made some thrilling announcement, and 
 vanished, leaving ever- increasing appetite, impatience 
 *nd expectation, behind him. 
 
 Dinner was to be served at one ; at half-past twelve
 
 328 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Barney proclaimed, " Dere ain t no vegetables but squash 
 and pilaters." A universal groan arose ; and .several 
 indignant parties on a short allowance of meat consigned 
 the defaulting cook to a warmer climate than the tropical 
 one he was then enjoying. At twenty minutes to one, 
 Barney increased the excitement by whispering, omi 
 nously, " I say, de puddins isn t plummy ones." 
 
 " Fling a piller at him and shut the door, Ben," roared 
 one irascible being, while several others not fond of pud 
 dings received the fact with equanimity. At quarter to 
 one Barney piled up the agony by adding the bitter 
 information, " Dere isn t but two turkeys for dis ward, 
 and dey s little fellers." 
 
 Anxiety instantly appeared in every countenance, and 
 intricate calculations were made as to how far the two 
 fowls would go when divided among thirty men ; also 
 friendly warnings were administered to several of the 
 feebler gentlemen not to indulge too freely, if at all, for 
 fear of relapses. Once more did the bird of evil omen 
 return, for at ten minutes to one Barney croaked through 
 the key-hole, " Only jes half ob de pies has conic, geuT- 
 men." That capped the climax, for the masculine palate 
 has a predilection for pastry, and mince-pie Avas the sheet- 
 anchor to which all had clung when other hopes Avent 
 doAvn. Even Ben looked dismayed ; not that he expected 
 anything but the perfume and pickings for his share, but 
 he had set his heart on having the dinner an honor to the 
 institution and a memorable feast for the men, so far 
 away from home, and all that usually makes the day a 
 festival among the poorest. lie looked pathetically grave 
 as Turner began to fret, Sam began to swear under his 
 breath, Hay ward to sigh, Joe to Avish it was all over, and
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 329 
 
 the rest began to vent their emotions with a freedom which 
 was anything but inspiring. At that moment Miss Hale 
 came in with a great basket of apples and oranges in one 
 hand, and several convivial-looking bottles in the other. 
 
 " Here is our dessert, boys ! A kind friend remem 
 bered us, and we will drink her health in her own currant 
 wine." 
 
 A feeble smile circulated round the room, and in som* 
 sanguine bosoms hope revived again. Ben briskly emp- 
 tiqd the basket, Avhile Miss Hale whispered to Joe, 
 
 " I know you would be glad to get away from the 
 confusion of this next hour, to enjoy a breath of fresh 
 air, and dine quietly with Mrs. Burton round the corner, 
 wouldn t you ? " 
 
 " Oh, ma am, so much ! the noise, the smells, the fret 
 and flurry, make me sick just to think of! But how can 
 I go? that dreadful ambulance most killed me last time, 
 and I m weaker now." 
 
 " My dear boy, I have no thought of trying that again 
 till our ambulances are made fit for the use of weak and 
 wounded men. Mrs. Burton s carriage is at the door, 
 with her motherly self inside, and all you have got to do 
 is to let me bundle you up, and Ben carry you out." 
 
 With a long sigh of relief Joe submited to both these 
 processes, and when his nurse watched his happy face aa 
 the carriage slowly rolled away, she felt well repaid for 
 the little sacrifice of rest and pleasure so quietly made ; 
 for Mrs. Burton came to carry her, not Joe, away. 
 
 "Now, Ben, help me to make this unfortunate dinner 
 go off as well as we can," she whispered. On many 
 accounts it is a mercy that the men are spared the temp 
 tations of a more generous meal; pray don t tell them
 
 33O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 so, but make the best of it, as you know very well how 
 to do." 
 
 " I ll try my best, Miss Hale, but I m no less disap 
 pointed, for some of cm, being no better than children, 
 have been living on the thoughts of it for a week, and it 
 comes hard to give it up." 
 
 If Ben had been an old-time patriarch, and the thirty 
 boys his sons, he could not have spoken with a more 
 paternal regret, or gone to work with a better will. Put 
 ting several small tables together in the middle of the 
 room, he left Miss Hale to make a judicious display of 
 plates, knives and forks, while he departed for the ban 
 quet. Presently he returned, bearing the youthful tur 
 keys and the vegetables in his tray, followed by Barney, 
 looking unutterable things at a plum-pudding baked in a 
 milk-pan, and six very small pies. Miss Hale played a 
 lively tattoo as the procession approached, and, when the 
 viands were arranged, with the red and yellow fruit pret 
 tily heaped up in the middle, it really did look like a 
 dinner. 
 
 " Here s richness ! here s the delicacies of the season 
 and the comforts of life ! " said Ben, falling back to sur 
 vey the table with as much apparent satisfaction as if it 
 bad been a lord mayor s feast. 
 
 " Corae, hurry up, and give us our dinner, what there 
 is of it ! " grumbled Sam. 
 
 " Boys," continued Ben, beginning to cut up the tur 
 keys, " these noble birds have been sacrificed for the 
 defenders of their country ; they will go as far as ever 
 they can, and, when they can t go any farther, we shall 
 endeavor to supply their deficiencies with soup or ham, 
 oysters having giveu out unexpectedly. Put it to vote ;
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 331 
 
 both have been provided on this joyful occasion, and a 
 word will fetch either." 
 
 "Ham! ham !" resounded from all sides. Soup was 
 an cvcry-day affair, and therefore repudiated with scorn ; 
 but ham, being a rarity, was accepted as a proper reward 
 of merit and a tacit acknowledgment of their wrongs. 
 
 The " noble birds " did go as far as possible, and were 
 handsomely assisted by their fellow martyr. The pudding 
 was not as plummy as could have been desired, but a 
 sligfct exertion of fancy made the crusty knobs do duty 
 for raisins. The pies Avere small, yet a laugh added 
 flavor to the mouthful apiece, for, when Miss Hale asked 
 Ben to cut them up, that individual regarded her with an 
 inquiring aspect as he said, in his drollest tone, 
 
 " I wouldn t wish to appear stupid, ma am, but, when 
 you mention pies, I presume you allude to these trifles. 
 Tarts, or patties, would meet my views better, in 
 speaking of the third course of this lavish dinner. As 
 such 1 will do my duty by em, hoping that the appetite? 
 is to match." 
 
 Carefully dividing the six pies into twenty-nine dimin 
 utive wedges, he placed each in the middle of a large 
 clean plate, and handed them about with the gravity of 
 an undertaker. Dinner had restored good humor to 
 many ; this hit at the pies put the finishing touch to it, 
 and from that moment an atmosphere of jollity prevailed. 
 Healths were drunk in currant wine, apples and oranges 
 flew about as an impromptu game of ball was got up, Miss 
 Hale sang a Christmas carol, and Ben gambolled like a 
 sportive giant as he cleared away. Pausing in one of 
 his prances to and fro, he beckoned the nurse out, and, 
 when she folloAved, handed her a plate heaped np with
 
 332 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 good things from a better table than she ever sat at 
 now. 
 
 " From the matron, ma am. Come right in here and 
 eat it while it s hot ; they are most through in the diuing- 
 room, and you ll get nothing half so nice," said Ben, 
 leading the way into his pantry and pointing to a sunny 
 window-seat. 
 
 " Are you sure she meant it for me, and not for your 
 self. Ben?" 
 
 " Of course she did ! Why, what should I do with it, 
 when I ve just been feastiu sumptuous in this very 
 room ? " 
 
 " I don t exactly see what you have been feasting on," 
 said Miss Hale, glancing round the tidy pantry as she sat 
 down. 
 
 " Havin eat up the food and washed up the dishes, it 
 naturally follows that you don t see, ma am. But if I go 
 off in a fit by-and-by you ll know what it s owin* to," 
 answered Ben, vainly endeavoring to look like a man 
 suffering from repletion. 
 
 " Such kind fibs are not set down against one, Ben, so 
 I will eat your dinner, for if I don t I know you will 
 throw it out of the window to prove tluit you can t 
 eat it." 
 
 "Thankee ma am, I m afraid I should; for, at the 
 rate lie s going on, Barney wouldn t be equal to it," said 
 Ben, looking very much relieved, as he polished his lal 
 pewter fork and hung his towels up to dry. 
 
 A pretty general siesta followed the excitement of din 
 ner, but by three o clock the public mind was ready for 
 amusement, and the arrival of Sam s box provided it, 
 He was asleep when it was brought iu and quietly depos-
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 333 
 
 (ted at his bed s foot, ready to surprise him on awaking. 
 The advent of a box was a great event, for the fortunate 
 receiver seldom failed to " stand treat," and n&xt best to 
 getting things from one s own home was the getting them 
 from some other boy s home. This was an unusually 
 large box, and all felt impatient to have it opened, though 
 Sam s exceeding crustiness prevented the indulgence of 
 great expectations. Presently he roused, and the first 
 thing his eye fell upon was the box, with his own name 
 spra*vliug over it in big black letters. As if it were 
 merely the continuance of his dream, he stared stupidly 
 at it for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and sat up, ex 
 claiming, 
 
 " Hullo ! that s mine ! " 
 
 "Ah! who said it wouldn t come? who hadn t the 
 faith of a grasshopper ? and who don t half deserve it for 
 being a Barker by nater as by name ? " cried Ben, em 
 phasizing each question with a bang on the box, as he 
 waited, hammer in hand, for the arrival of the ward- 
 master, whose duty it was to oversee the opening of such 
 matters, lest contraband articles should do mischief to 
 the owner or his neighbors. 
 
 "Ain t it a jolly big one? Knock it open, and don t 
 wait for anybody or anything ! " cried Sam, tumbling off 
 his bed and beating impatiently on the lid with his one 
 hand. 
 
 In came the ward-master, off came the cover, and out 
 came a motley collection of apples, socks, dough-nuts, 
 paper, pickles, photographs, pocket-handkerchiefs, gin 
 gerbread, letters, jelly, newspapers, tobacco, and cologue. 
 "All right, glad it s come, don t kill yourself," said the 
 ward-master, as he took a hasty survey and walked off
 
 334 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 again. Drawing the box nearer the bed, Ben delicately 
 followed, and Sam was left to brood over his treasures in 
 peace. 
 
 At first all the others, following Ben s example, made 
 elaborate pretences of going to sleep, being absorbed in 
 books, or utterly uninterested in the outer world. Bit* 
 very soon curiosity got the better of politeness, and or, 
 by one they all turned round and stared. They might 
 have done so from the first, for Sam was perfectly uncon 
 scious of everything but his own affairs, and, having read 
 the letters, looked at the pictures, unfolded the bundles, 
 turned everything inside out and upside down, tasted all 
 the eatables and made a spectacle of himself with jelly, 
 he paused to get his breath and find his Avay out of the 
 confusion he hud created. Presently he called out, 
 
 " Miss Hale, will you come and right up my duds for 
 me?" adding, as her woman s hands began to bring 
 matters straight, " I don t know what to do with em all, 
 for some won t keep long, and it will take pretty steady 
 eating to get through em in time, supposiu appetite 
 holds out." 
 
 "How do the others manage with their things?" 
 
 " You know they give em away; but I ll be hanged 
 if I do, for they are always callin names and pokiu fun 
 it me. Guess they won t get anything out of me now." 
 
 The old morose look came back as he spoke, for it had 
 disappeared while reading the home letters, touching the 
 home gifts. Still busily folding and arranging, Miss 
 Hale asked, 
 
 " You know the story of the Three Cakes ; which are 
 you going to be Harry, Peter, or Billy? " 
 
 Sam began to laugh at this sudden application of the
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 335 
 
 uursery legend ; and, seeing her advantage, Miss Hale 
 pursued it : 
 
 " We all know how much you have suffered, and all 
 respect you for the courage with which you have borne 
 your long confinement and your loss ; but don t you think 
 you have given the boys some cause for making fun of 
 you, as you say? You used to be a favorite, and can be 
 again, if you will only put off these crusty ways, which 
 will grow upon you faster than you think. Better lose 
 both lirms than cheerfulness and self-control, Sam." 
 
 Pausing to see how her little lecture was received, she 
 saw that Sam s better self was waking up, and added yet 
 another word, hoping to help a mental ailment as she 
 had done so many physical ones. Looking up at him 
 wi/h her kind eyes, she said, in a lowered voice, 
 
 " This day, on Avhich the most perfect life began, is a 
 good day for all of us to set about making ourselves 
 readier to follow that divine example. Troubles are 
 helpers if we take them kindly, and the bitterest may- 
 sweeten us for all our lives. Believe and try this, Sam, 
 and when you go away from us let those who love you 
 find that two battles have been fought, two victories 
 won." 
 
 Sam made no answer, but sat thoughtfully picking at 
 the half-eaten cookey in his hand. Presently he stole a 
 glance about the room, and, as if all helps were waiting 
 for him, his eye met Joe s. From his solitary corner by 
 the fire and the bed he would seldom leave again until lie 
 went into his grave, the boy smiled back at him so 
 heartily, so happily, that something gushed warm across 
 Sam s heart as he looked down upon the faces of mother, 
 sister, sweetheart, scattered round him, and remembered
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 how poor his comrade was in all such tender lies, 
 and yet how rich in that beautiful content, which, " 1 av- 
 ing nothing, yet hath all." The man had no words in 
 which to express this feeling, but it came to him and did 
 him good, as he proved in his own way. " Miss Hale," 
 he said, a little awkwardly, " I wish you d pick out what 
 you think each would like, and give em to the boys." 
 
 He got a smile in answer that drove him to his cooke) 
 as a refuge, for his lips would tremble, and he felt half 
 proud, half ashamed to have earned such bright approval. 
 
 " Let Ben help you, he knows better than I. But 
 you must give them all yourself, it will so surprise and 
 please the boys ; and then to-morrow we will write a 
 capital letter home, telling what a jubilee we made over 
 their fine box." 
 
 At this proposal Sam half repented ; but, as Ben came 
 lumbering up at Miss Hale s summons, he laid hold of 
 his new resolution as if it was a sort of shower-bath and 
 he held the string, one pull of which would finish the 
 baptism. Dividing his most cherished possession, which 
 (alas for romance !) was the tobacco, he bundled the 
 larger half into a paper, whispering to Miss Hale, 
 
 " Ben ain t exactly what you d call a miuisterin angel 
 to look at, but he is amaziu near one in his ways, so I m 
 goiu to begin with him." 
 
 Up came the " ministering angel," in red flannel and 
 cow-hide boots ; and Sam tucked the little parcel into his 
 pocket, saying, as he began to rummage violently jn 
 the box, 
 
 " Now jest hold your tongue, and lend a hand here 
 about these things." 
 
 Ben was so taken aback by this proceeding that he
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 337 
 
 stared blankly, till a look from Miss Hale enlightened 
 hirn ; and, taking his cue, lie played his part as well as 
 could be expected on so short a notice. Clapping Sam 
 on the shoulder, not the bad one, Ben was always 
 thoughtful of those things, he exclaimed heartily, 
 
 I always said you d come round when this poor aru 
 of yours got a good start, and here you are jollier n ever. 
 Lend a hand ! so I will, a pair of em. What s to do ? 
 Pack these traps up again?" 
 
 u &o ; I want you to tell what you d do with em if 
 they were yours. Free, you know, as free as if they 
 really was." 
 
 Ben held on to the box a minute as if this second sur 
 prise rather took him off his legs ; but another look from 
 the prime mover in this resolution steadied him, and he 
 fell to work as if Sam had been in the habit of being 
 " free." 
 
 AY ell, let s see. I think I d put the clolhes and sich 
 into this smaller box that the bottles come in, and stan* 
 it under the table, handy. Here s newspapers pictures 
 in em, too ! I should make a circulatin lib ry of them ; 
 they ll be a real treat. Pickles well, I guess I should 
 keep them on the winder here as a kind of a relish dinner- 
 times, or to pass along to them as longs for em. Cologne 
 that s a dreadful handsome bottle, ain t it ? That, now, 
 would be fust-rate to give away to somebody as was very 
 fond of it, a kind of a delicate attention, you know, 
 if you happen to meet such a person anywheres." 
 
 Ben nodded towards Miss Hale, Avho was absorbed in 
 folding pocket-handkerchiefs. Sam winked expressively, 
 and patted the bottle as if congratulating himself that it 
 was handsome, and that he did know what to do with it 
 
 22
 
 338 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 The pantomime was not elegant, but as much real affec 
 tion and respect went into it as if he had made a set 
 speech, ami presented the gift upon his knees. 
 
 u The letters and photographs I should probably keep 
 under my piller for a spell ; the jelly I d give to Mis3 
 Hale, to use for the sick ones ; the cake-stuff and that 
 pot of jam, that s gettin ready to work, I d stand treat 
 with for tea, as dinner wasn t all we could have wished. 
 The apples I d keep to eat, and fling at Joe Ayhen he was 
 too bashful to ask for one, and the tobaccer I would not go 
 lavishin on folks that have no business to be enjo^in 
 luxuries when many a poor feller is dyin of want down 
 to Charlestown. There, sir ! that s what I d do if any 
 one was so clever as to send me a jolly box like this." 
 
 Sam was enjoying the full glow of his shower-bath by 
 this time. As Ben designated the various articles, he set 
 them apart ; and when the inventory ended, he marched 
 away with the first instalment : two of the biggest, rosiest 
 apples for Joe, and all the pictorial papers. Pickles are 
 not usually regarded as tokens of regard, but as Sam 
 dealt them out one at a time, for he Avould let nobody 
 help him, and his single hand being the left, was as 
 awkward as it was willing, the boys faces brightened ; 
 for a friendly word accompanied each, which made the 
 sour gherkins as welcome as sweetmeats. With e\ery 
 trip Ihe donor s spirits rose ; for Ben circulated freely 
 between whiles, and, thanks to him, not an allusion to 
 the past marred the satisfaction of the present. Jam, 
 soda-biscuits, and cake, were such welcome additions to 
 the usual bill of fare, that when supper was over a vote 
 of thanks was passed, and speeches Avere made ; for, 
 l;eing true Americans, the ruling passion found vent in
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 339 
 
 iLe usual " Fellow-citizens ! " and allusions to the " Star- 
 spangled Banner." After which Sam subsided, feeling 
 himself a public benefactor, and. a man of mark. 
 
 A perfectly easy, pleasant day throughout would be 
 almost an impossibility in any hospital, and this one was 
 no exception to the general rule ; for, at the usual time, 
 Dr. Bangs went his rounds, leaving the customary amount 
 of discomfort, discontent and dismay behind him. A 
 skilful surgeon and an excellent man was Dr. Bangs, but. 
 not^a sanguine or conciliatory individual ; many cares 
 and crosses caused him to regard the world as one large 
 hospital, and his fellow-beings all more or less danger 
 ously wounded patients in it. lie saw life through the 
 bluest of blue spectacles, and seemed to think that the 
 sooner people quitted it the happier for them. He did 
 his duty by the men, but if they recovered he looked 
 half disappointed, and congratulated them with cheerful 
 prophecies that there would come a time when they 
 would wish they hadn t. If one died he seemed relieved, 
 and surveyed him with pensive satisfaction, saying 
 heartily, 
 
 " He s comfortable, now, poor soul, and well out of 
 this miserable world, thank God ! " 
 
 But for Ben the sanitary influences of the doctor s 
 ward would have been small, and Dante s doleful line 
 might have been written on the threshold of the door, 
 
 "Who enters here leaves hope behind." 
 
 Ben and the doctor perfectly understood and liked each 
 other, but never agreed, and always skirmished over the 
 boys as if manful cheerfulness and medical despair were 
 fighting for the soul and body of each one.
 
 340 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Well," began the doctor, looking at Sam s arm, or> 
 rather, all that was left of that member after two ampu 
 tations, u *ve shall be ready for another turn at this in a 
 day or two if it don t mend faster. Tetanus sometimes 
 follows such cases, but that is soon over, and I should 
 not object to a case of it, by way of variety." Sam s 
 hopeful face fell, and he set his teeth as if the fatal 
 symptoms were already felt. 
 
 " If one kind of lockjaw was more prevailing than 
 tis, it wouldn t be a bad thing for some folks I could 
 mention," observed Ben, covering the well-healed stump 
 as carefully as if it were a sleeping baby ; adding, as the 
 doctor walked away, "There s a sanguinary old saw 
 bones for you ! Why, bless your buttons, Sam, you are 
 doing splendid, and he goes on that way because there s 
 no chance of his having another cut at you ! Now he s 
 squenchin Turner, jest as we ve blowed a spark of spirit 
 into him. If ever there was a born extinguisher its 
 Bangs ! " 
 
 Ben rushed to the rescue, and not a minute too soon ; 
 for Turner, who now labored under the delusion that his 
 recovery depended solely upon his getting out of bed 
 e\ery fifteen minutes, was sitting by the fire, looking up 
 at the doctor, who pleasantly observed, Avhile feeling his 
 pulse, 
 
 " So you are getting ready for another fever, are you? 
 Well, we ve grown rather fond of you, and will keep you 
 six weeks longer if you have set your heart on it." 
 
 Turner looked nervous, for the doctor s jokes were 
 always grim ones ; but Ben took the other hand in his, 
 and gently rocked the chair as he replied, with great 
 politeness,
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 341 
 
 44 This robust convalescent of ourn would be happy to 
 oblige you, sir, but he has a pressin engagement up to 
 Jersey for next week, and couldn t stop on no account. 
 You see Miss Turner wants a careful nuss for littla 
 Georgie, and he s a goin to take the place." 
 
 Feeling himself on the brink of a laugh as Turner sim 
 pered with a ludicrous mixture of pride in his baby and 
 fear for himself, Dr. Bangs said, with unusual sternness 
 and a glance at Ben, 
 
 ^You take the responsibility of this step upon your 
 self, do you ? Very well ; then I wash my hands of 
 Turner ; only, if that bed is empty in a week, don t lay 
 the blame of it at my door." 
 
 " Nothing shall induce me to do it, sir," briskly re 
 sponded Ben. " Now then, turn in my boy, and sleep your 
 prettiest for I wouldn t but disappoint that cheerfulest of 
 men for a month s wages ; and that s liberal, as I ain t 
 likely to get it." 
 
 " llow is this young man after the rash dissipations of 
 the day ? " asked the doctor, pausing at the bed in the 
 corner, after he had made a lively progress down the 
 ro^m, hotly followed by Ben. 
 
 u I m first-rate, sir," panted Joe, who always said so, 
 though each day ftmnd him feebler than the last. Every 
 one was kind to Joe, even the gruff doctor, whose man 
 ner softened, and who was forced to frown heavily to 
 hide the pity in his eyes 
 
 " How s the cough ? " 
 
 " Better, sir ; being weaker, I can t fight against it as 
 I used to do, so it comes rather easier." 
 
 " Sleep any last night?" 
 
 " Not much ; but it s very pleasant laying here when
 
 342 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 the room is still, and no light but the fire. Ben keeps it 
 bright ; and, when I fret, he talks to me, and makes the 
 time go telling stories till he gets so sleepy he can hardly 
 speak. Dear old Ben ! I hope he ll have some one aa 
 kind to him, when he needs it as I do now." 
 
 " lie will get what he deserves by-and-by, you may 
 be sure of that," said the doctor, as severely as if Ben 
 merited eternal condemnation. 
 
 A great drop splashed down upon the hearth as Joe 
 spoke ; but Ben put his foot on it, and turned about &, 
 if defying any one to say he shed it. 
 
 " Of all the perverse and reckless women whom I have 
 known in the course of a forty years practice, this one 
 is the most perverse and reckless," said the doctor, 
 abruptly addressing Miss Hale, who just then appeared, 
 bringing Joe s "posy-basket" back. * You Avill oblige 
 me, ma am, by sitting in this chair with your hands folded 
 for twenty minutes ; the clock will then strike nine, and 
 you will go straight up to your bed." 
 
 Miss Hale demurely sat doAvn, and the doctor ponder 
 ously departed, sighing regretfully as he went through 
 tiie room, as if disappointed that the whole thirty were 
 not lying at death s door ; but on the threshold he turned 
 about, exclaimed " Good-night, boys ! God bless you ! " 
 and vanished as precipitately as if a trap-door had swal 
 lowed him up. 
 
 Miss Hale was a perverse woman in some things ; for, 
 instead of folding her tired hands, she took a rusty-cov 
 ered volume from the mantle-piece, and, sitting by Joe s 
 bed, began to read aloud. One by one all other sounds 
 grew still ; one by one the men composed themselves to 
 listen ; and one by one the words of the sweet old Christ-
 
 A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS. 343 
 
 mas story came to them, as the Avoman s quiet voice went 
 reading on. If any wounded spirit needed balm, if any 
 Hungry heart asked food, if any upright purpose, new- 
 Dorn aspiration, or sincere repentance wavered for \v ant 
 of human strength, all found help, hope, and consolation 
 in the beautiful and blessed influences of the book, the 
 reader, and the hour. 
 
 The bells rung nine, the lights grew dim, the day s 
 work was done ; but Miss Hale lingered beside Joe s bed, 
 for Jiis face wore a wistful look, and he seemed loath to 
 have her go. 
 
 "What is it, dear? "she said; "what can I do for 
 y ou before I leave you to Ben s care ? " 
 
 He drew her nearer, and whispered earnestly, 
 
 " It s something that I know you ll do for me, because 
 I can t do it for myself, not as I want it done, and you 
 can. I m going pretty fast now, ma am ; and when 
 when some one else is laying here, I want you to tell the 
 boys, every one, from Ben to Barney, how much I 
 lhanked em, how much I loved em, and how glad I 
 was that I had known em, even for such a little while." 
 
 " Yes, Joe, I ll tell them all. What else can I do, 
 my boy?" 
 
 " Only let me say to you what no one else must say for 
 me, that all I want to live for is to try and do something 
 iu my poor way to show you how I thank you, ma am. It 
 isn t what you ve said to me, it isn t what you ve done 
 for me alone, that makes me grateful ; it s because you ve 
 learned me many things without knowing it, showed me 
 what I ought to have been before, if I d had any one to 
 tell me how, and made this such a happy, home-like 
 place, I shall be sorry when I have to go."
 
 344 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Poor Joe ! it must have fared hardly with him all 
 those twenty years, if a hospital seemed home-like, and 
 a little sympathy, a little care, could fill him with such, 
 earnest gratitude. He stopped a moment to lay his cheek 
 upon the hand he held in both of his, then hurried on as 
 if he felt his breath beginning to give out : 
 
 " I dare say many boys have said this to you, ma am, 
 better than I can, for I don t say half I feel ; but 1 know 
 that none of em ever thanked you as I thank you in my 
 heart, or ever loved you as I ll love you all my life. 
 To-day I hadn t anything to give you, I m so poor ; but 
 I wanted to tell you this, on the last Christmas I shall 
 ever see." 
 
 It was a very humble kiss he gave that hand ; but the 
 fervor of a first love warmed it, and the sincerity of a 
 great gratitude made it both a precious and pathetic gift 
 to one who, half unconsciously, had made this brief and 
 barren life so rich and happy at its close. AhA r ay9 
 womanly and tender, Miss Hale s face was doubly so as 
 Bhe leaned over him, whispering, 
 
 " I have had my present, now. Good-night, Joe."
 
 AN HOUR. 
 
 frillE clock struck eleven. 
 
 --* " Look again, Gabriel ; is there no light coming?" 
 
 " Not a ray, mother, and the night seems to darken 
 every instant. " 
 
 ; Surely, half an hour is time enough to reach the 
 main land and find Dr. Firth." 
 
 " Ample time ; but Alec probably found the doctor ab 
 sent, and is waiting for him." 
 
 u But I bade the boy leave my message, and return at 
 once. Every moment is precious ; what can we do?" 
 
 "Nothing but wait." 
 
 An impatient sigh Avas the only answer vouchsafed to 
 the unpalatable advice, and silence fell again upon the 
 anxious watchers in the room. Still leaning in the deep 
 recess of the window, the young man looked out into the 
 murky night, listened to the flow of the great river rolling 
 to the sea, and let the unquiet current of his thoughts 
 drift him whithersoever it would. His imaginative tem 
 perament found a sad similitude between the night and 
 his own mood, for neither his physical nor mental eye 
 could see what lay before him, and in his life there 
 seemed to have come an hour as full of suspense, as 
 prophetic of storm, as that which now oppressed the earth 
 and lowered in the sky. 
 
 (345)
 
 346 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 Every instant that brought the peace of death nenrei 
 to the father, also brought the cares of life nearer to the 
 son, and their grim aspect daunted him. The child of a 
 Northern mother, bred at the North by her dying desire, 
 he had been summoned home to take the old man s place, 
 and receive a slave-cursed inheritance into his keeping. 
 Had he stood alone, Ms task Avould have been an easy 
 one ; for an upright nature, an enthusiastic spirit, would 
 have found more sweetness than bitterness in a sacrifice 
 made for conscience sake, more pride than pain in a just 
 deed generously performed. But a step-mother and her 
 daughters were dependent on him now, for the old man s 
 sudden seizure left him no time to make provision for 
 them ; and the son found a double burden laid upon his 
 shoulders when he returned to what for years had been a 
 loveless home to him. To reduce three delicately nur 
 tured women to indigence seemed a cruel and Quixotic 
 act to others, a very hard, though righteous one to him ; 
 for poverty looked less terrible than affluence founded 
 upon human blood and tears. He had resolved to set 
 aside all private ambitions and aspirations that he might 
 dedicate his life to his kindred ; had manfully withstood 
 iheir ridicule and reproaches, and only faltered when, in 
 their hour of bereavement, they appealed to him with 
 tears and prayers. Then pity threatened to conquer 
 principle, for Gabriel s heart was as gentle as it was gen 
 erous. Three days of sorrowful suspense and inward strife 
 had passed ; now death seemed about to set its seal upon 
 one life, and irresolution to mar another, for Gabriel still 
 wavered between duty and desire, crying within himself, 
 " Lord, help me ! I see the right, but I am not strong; 
 enough to do it ; let it be decided for me."
 
 AN HOUR. 347 
 
 It was suddenly, entirely, and forever ! 
 
 The tinkle of a bell roused him from his moody reverie, 
 and, without quitting the shadow of the half-drawn cur 
 tain, he watched the scene before him with the interest 
 of one in whom both soul and sense were alert to inter 
 pret and accept the divine decree which he had asked, iu 
 whatever guise it came. 
 
 The bell summoned a person whose entrance seemed 
 to bring Avarmth, vitality and light into that gloomy room, 
 although she was only a servant, with the blood of a 
 despised race in her veins. More beautiful than either 
 of her young mistresses, she looked like some brilliant 
 flower of the tropics beside two pale exotics, and the 
 unavoidable consciousness of this showed itself in the 
 skill with which she made her simple dress a foil to her 
 beauty, in the carriage of her graceful head and the sad 
 pride of her eyes, as if, being denied all the other rights 
 of womanhood, the slave clung to and cherished the one 
 possession which those happier women lacked. As she 
 entered, noiselessly, she gave one keen, comprehensive 
 glance about the room, a glance that took in the gray 
 head and pallid face upon the pillow, the languid lady 
 sitting at the bedside, the young sisters spent with weep 
 ing and watching, half asleep in either corner of a couch, 
 and the man s glove ihat lay beside a brace of pistols on 
 a distant table. Then her eyes fell, all expression faded 
 from her face, and she stood before her mistress with a 
 meek air, curiously at variance with the animated aspect 
 she had \vorn on entering. 
 
 a Milly, are you sure you gave Alec my message cor 
 rectly? " asked Mrs. Butler, imperiously, with a look of 
 unconcealed dislike.
 
 348 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 " Yes, missis, I gave it word for word." 
 
 The voice that answered would have gone straight to a 
 stranger s heart and made it ache, for a world of hope 
 less patience rendered its music pathetic, and dignified the 
 little speech, as if the woman s spirit uttered a protest in 
 every word that passed her lips. 
 
 " He has been gone nearly an hour. I can wait no 
 longer. Tell Andy to go at once and see what keeps him." 
 
 " Andy s down at the landing, seeing to the boats 
 before the storm, missis." 
 
 " Let Tony do that, and send Andy oif at once." 
 
 " Tony s too cut up with his last whipping to stir." 
 
 " How very tiresome ! Where is overseer Neal?" 
 
 " Sick, missis." 
 
 " Sick ! I saw him two hours ago, and he was per 
 fectly well then." 
 
 " He was taken very suddenly, but he ll be out of 
 pain by morning." 
 
 As Milly spoke, with a slight motion of the lips that 
 would have been a scornful smile had she not checked it, a 
 faint, far-off cry came on the wind ; a cry of mortal fear 
 or pain it seemed, and so full of ominous suggestion that, 
 though inured to sounds of suffering, Mrs. Butler invol 
 untarily exclaimed, 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " It s only Rachel screaming for her baby ; the last 
 thing old master did was to sell it, and she s been crazy 
 ever since," answered Milly, with a peculiar quickening 
 of the breath and a sidelong glance. 
 
 " Foolish creature ! but never mind her now : tell mo 
 who is about that I can send for Dr. Firth." 
 
 " There s no one in the house but blind Sandra and me.
 
 AN HOUR. 349 
 
 "What do you in-san? Who gave the people leave 
 to go? " 
 
 "I did." 
 
 Hitherto the girl had spoken in the subdued tone of a 
 well-trained servant, though there was no trace of her 
 race in her speech but a word or two here and there ; for 
 Milly s beauty had secured for her all the advantages 
 which would increase her value as a chattel. But in the 
 utterance of the last two words her voice rose with a 
 sudden ring that arrested Mrs. Butler s attention, ard 
 caused her to glance sharply at the girl. Milly stood 
 before her meek and motionless, and not an eyelash stirred 
 during that brief scrutiny. Her mistress could not see 
 the mingled triumph and abhorrence burning in those 
 averted eyes, did not observe the close clenching of the 
 hand that hung at her side, nor guess what a sea of black 
 and bitter memories was surging in her comely hand 
 maid s heart. 
 
 " How dared you send the servants away without my 
 orders ? " demanded Mrs. Butler, in an irritated and irri 
 tating voice. 
 
 " Master Gabriel said the house must be kept very 
 quiet on old master s account ; I couldn t make the boys 
 mind, so I sent them to the quarters." 
 
 " This is not the first time you have presumed upon 
 my son s favor, and exceeded my orders. You have 
 been spoiled by indulgence, but that shall be altered soon." 
 
 " Yes, missis, it shall ; " and as the girl added the 
 latter words below her breath, there was a glitter as of 
 white teeth firmly set lest some impetuous speech should 
 break loose in spite of her. Her mistress did not mark 
 thitt little demonstration, for her mind was occupied
 
 35O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 with its cue care, as she said, half aloud, half to 
 herself, 
 
 " What shall I do? The night is passing, your master 
 needs help, and Alec has evidently forgotten, or never 
 received, my message." 
 
 For the first time an expression of anxiety was visible 
 -jn Milly s face, and there was more eagerness than 
 deference in her suggestion : 
 
 " Master Gabriel might go ; it would save time and 
 make the matter sure, as missis doubts my word." 
 
 " It is impossible ; his father might rouse and ask for 
 him, and I will not be left alone. It is not his place to 
 carry messages, nor yours to propose it. Quick ! lift your 
 master s head, and chafe his hands. God help us all ! " 
 
 A low sigh from the bed caused the sudden change 
 from displeasure to distress, as Mrs. Butler bent over her 
 husband, forgetful of all else. What a strange smile 
 flashed across Milly s face, and kindled the dark fire of 
 her eyes, as she looked down upon the master and mis 
 tress, whose helplessness and grief touched no chord of 
 pity or sympathy in her heart ! Only an instant did she 
 stand so, but in that instant the expression of her face 
 was fully revealed, not to the drowsy sisters, but to 
 Gabriel in his covert. He saw it, but before he could 
 fathom its significance it was hidden from him ; and when 
 his mother looked up there was nothing to be seen but 
 the handsome head bending over the pale hand that Milly 
 was assiduously chafing. Something in the touch of 
 those warm palms seemed to rouse in the old man a 
 (Xomentary flicker of memory and strength, for the last 
 . nought that that had disturbed his failing consciousness 
 louml utterance in broken words :
 
 AN HOUR. 35* 
 
 " I promised her her liberty, she shall have it ; wait 
 a little, Milly, wait till I am better." 
 
 " Yes, master, I cuii wait now ; " and the girl s eye 
 turned toward the clock with an impatient glance. 
 
 The old man did not hear her, for, with an incoherent 
 murmur, he seemed to sink into a deeper lethargy than 
 before. His wife believed him dying ; and cried, as sho 
 wrung her hands in a paroxysm of despairing help 
 lessness, 
 
 "!Look out, Milly, look out ! and if no one is coming, 
 run to the quarters and send off the first boy you meet." 
 
 Milly moved deliberately toward the window, but 
 paused half-way to ask, with the same shade of anxiety 
 flitting over her face, 
 
 " Where is Master Gabriel? shouldn t he be called?" 
 
 " He was here a moment ago, and has gone to the 
 landing, doubtless ; you can call him as you go." 
 
 With sudden eagerness the girl glided to the window, 
 now too intent upon some purpose of her own to see the 
 dark outline of a figure half concealed in the deep folds 
 of the curtain ; and, leaning far out, she peered into 
 the gloom with an iutentuess that sharpened every 
 fealure. 
 
 " There is no one coming, missis," she said, raising 
 her voice unnecessarily, as one listener thought, unless 
 the momentary stillness made any sound seem unusually 
 loud. As the words left her lips, from below there came 
 a soft chirp as of some restless bird ; it was twice re 
 peated, then came a pause, and in it, with a rapid, noise 
 less gesture, Milly drew a handkerchief from her pocket 
 and dropped it from the window. Tt fluttered whitely 
 for a moment, and as it disappeared an acute ear might
 
 352 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 have caught the sound of footsteps stealing stealthily 
 away. Milly evidently heard them, for an expression of 
 relief began to dawn upon her face. Suddenly it changed 
 to one of terror, as, in the act of withdrawing her arm, 
 a strong hand grasped it, and Gabriel s voice demanded, 
 
 " What does this mean, Milly? " 
 
 For a moment she struggled like some wild creature 
 caught in a net, then steadied herself by a desperate 
 effort, exclaiming, breathlessly, 
 
 " Oh, Master Gabriel, how you frightened me ! " 
 
 " I meant to. Now tell what all this means, at once 
 and truly," he said, in a tone intended to be stern, but 
 which was only serious and troubled. 
 
 "All what means, sir?" she answered, feigning inno 
 cent surprise, though her eye never met his, and she still 
 trembled in his hold. 
 
 u You know ; the signals, the dropping of the hand 
 kerchief, the steps below there, and the figure creeping 
 through the grass." 
 
 * Master must have quick eyes and ears to see and 
 hear all that in such a minute. I only saw my handker 
 chief drop by accident ; I only heard a bird chirp, and 
 one of the dogs creep round the house ; " but as she 
 spoke she cast an uneasy glance over her shoulder in o 
 the night without. 
 
 " Why lie to me, Milly? I have watched you ever 
 eiuee you came in, and you are not yourself to-night. 
 Something is wrong ; I ve felt it all day, but thought it 
 was anxiety for my poor father. Why are all the people 
 sent off to the quarters? Why is Andy meddling with 
 the boats without my orders? and why do you look, 
 speak, and act in this inexplicable manner?"
 
 AN HOUR. 353 
 
 " If master gets worried and imagines mischief when 
 there is none, I can t help it," she said, doggedly. 
 
 Both while speaking and listening Gabriel had scruti 
 nized her closely, and all he saw confirmed his suspicion 
 that something serious was amiss. In the slender wrist 
 he held the pulse thrilled quick and strong ; he heard the 
 rapid beating of her heart, the flutter of the breath upon 
 her lips ; saw that her face was colorless, her eyes both 
 restjpss and elusive. He was sure that no transient fear 
 agitated her, but felt that some unwonted excitement pos 
 sessed her, threatenening to break out in spite of the 
 self-control which years of servitude had taught her. 
 What he had just seen and heard alarmed him ; for his 
 father had been a hard master, the island was governed 
 by fear alone, and he never trod the dykes that bounded 
 the long, low rice-fields without feeling as if he walked 
 upon a crater-crust which might crack and spew fire any 
 day. Many small omens of evil had occurred of 
 late, which now returned to his recollection with sinister 
 significance ; and the vagiie disquiet that had haunted 
 him all day now seemed an instinctive premonition of 
 impending danger. Many fears flashed through his mind, 
 and one resolution was firmly fixed. His face grew stern, 
 his voice commanding, and his hand tightened its hold 
 as he said, 
 
 " Speak, Milly, or I shall be tempted to use my author 
 ity as a master, and that I never wish to do. If thei e 
 is any deviltry afloat I must know it ; and if you will not 
 tell it me I shall search the island till I find it for myself." 
 
 She looked at him for the first time, as he spoke, with 
 a curious blending of defiance for the master and admi- 
 rati it. for the man. His last words changed it to one of 
 23
 
 354 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 fear ; and her free hand was extended as if to bar his 
 way, while she said, below her breath, and with another 
 glance into the outer gloom, 
 
 "You are safe here, but if you leave the house it will 
 cost you your life." 
 
 " Then it must ; for if you will not show me the peril. 
 I swear I ll go to meet it blindly." 
 
 " No, no, wait a little ; I dare not tell ! " 
 
 " You shall tell. I am the mistress here, and have 
 borne enough. Speak, girl, at once, or this proud spirit 
 of yours shall be broken till you do." 
 
 Mrs. Butler had heard all that passed, had approached 
 them, and being a woman who was by turns imperious, 
 peevish, and passionate, she yielded to the latter impulse 
 as she spoke, and gave the girl s shoulder an impatient 
 shake, as if to force the truth out of her. The touch, 
 the tone, were like sparks to powder ; for the smoulder 
 ing fire blazed up as Milly flung her off, wrenched her 
 self free from Gabriel, and turned on his mother with a 
 look that sent her back to her husband trembling and 
 dismayed. 
 
 " Yes, I will speak, though it is too soon ! " cried 
 Milly, with a short, sharp laugh. " They may kill me 
 for telling before the time ; I can t help it ; I must have 
 one hour of freedom, if I die the next. There is devil 
 try afloat to-night, and it is yourselves you may blame 
 for it. We can t bear any more, and before a new master 
 comes to torment us like the old one, we ve determined 
 to try for liberty, though there ll be bloody *vork before 
 we get it. The boys are not at the quarters, but fifty 
 are waiting at the rice-mill till midnight, and then they 1 ! 
 comt up here to do as they ve been done by. \Vhi)*
 
 AN HOUR. 355 
 
 they wait they re beginning with overseer Neal ; whip 
 ping, burning, torturing him, for all I know, as other 
 men, and women too, have been whipped, burnt and 
 tortured there. That was his scream you heard. Alec 
 never went for the doctor ; Andy s guarding the boats 
 till we want them ; big Mo&e is watching round the 
 house ; the alarm bell s down ; I ve cleared the house of 
 arms, and spoilt the pistols that I dared not take ; Master 
 Gabriel s the only white man ori the island, and there s 
 no help for you unless the Lord turns against us. Who 
 is the mistress now ? " 
 
 The girl paused there, breathless but exultant, for the 
 words had poured from her lips as if the pent-up degra 
 dation, wrath and wrong of nineteen years had broken 
 bounds at last and must overflow, even though they 
 wrecked her by their vehemence. Some spirit stronger 
 than herself seemed to possess and speak out of her, 
 making her look like an embodied passion, beautiful, yet 
 terrible, as she glanced from face to face, seeing how pale 
 and panic-stricken each became, as her rapid words made 
 visible the retribution that hung over them. Gabriel 
 stood aghast at the swift and awful answer given to his 
 prayer ; the daughters fled to their mother s arms for 
 shelter ; the wife clung to her husband for the protection 
 which he could no longer give, and. as if dragged back 
 to life by the weight of a woe, such as he had him^e]i 
 inflicted upon others, the old man rose up iu his bed, 
 speechless, helpless, yet conscious of the dangers of the 
 hour, and doubly daunted by death s terrors, because so 
 powerless to succor those for whom he had "periled his 
 own soul. A bitter cry broke from him as his last look 
 showed him the impending doom which all his impotent
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 remorse could not avert, and in that cry the old mau a 
 spirit passed, to find that, even for such as he, Infinite 
 justice was tempered by Infinite mercy. 
 
 During the few moments in which the wife and daugh 
 ters forgot fear in sorrow, and the son took hurried 
 counsel with himself how best to meet the coming 
 danger, Milly was learning that the bitter far exceeds 
 the sweet in human vengeance. The slave exulted in 
 the freedom so dearly purchased, but the woman felt that 
 in avenging them her wrongs had lost their dignity, and 
 though she had changed places with her mistress, she 
 found that power did not bring her peace. She had no 
 skill to analyze the feeling, no words in which to express 
 it, even to herself, but she was so strongly conscious of 
 it, that its mysterious power marred the joy she thought 
 to. feel, and forced her to confess that in the hour of 
 expected triumph she was baffled and defeated by her 
 own conscience. With women doomed to a fate like 
 hers, the higher the order of intelligence the deeper the 
 sense of degradation, the more intense the yearning for 
 liberty at any price. Milly had always rebelled against 
 her lot, although, compared with that of her class, it had 
 not been a hard one till the elder Butler bought her, that 
 his son, seeing slavery in such a lovely form, might learn 
 to love it. But Gabriel, in his brief visits, soon convinced 
 his father that no temptation could undermine his sturdy 
 Northern sense of right and justice, and though he might 
 easily learn to love the beautiful woman, lie could not 
 learn to oppress the slave Avhose utter helplessness ap 
 pealed to all tiiat was manliest in him. 
 
 Milly felt this deeply, and knew that the i ew black 
 drops in her veins parted herelf and Gabriel more hope-
 
 AN HOUR. 357 
 
 lessly than the widest seas that ever rolled between two 
 lovers. This inexorable fact made all the world look 
 dark to her ; life became a burden, and one purpose 
 alone sustained her, the resolution to achieve her own 
 liberty, to enjoy a brief triumph over those who had 
 wronged her, then to die, and find compensation for a 
 hapless human love in the fatherly tenderness of a Divine 
 one. She had prayed, worked and waited for this hour, 
 with all the ardor, energy and patience of her nature. 
 Yet when it came she was not satisfied ; a sense of guilt 
 oppressed her, and the loss seemed greater than the gain. 
 Gabriel had given her a look which wounded more deeply 
 than the sharpest reproach ; and the knowledge that she 
 had forfeited the confidence he had always shown her, 
 now made her gloomy when she would have been glad, 
 humble when she thought to have been proudest. Ga 
 briel saw and understood her mood, felt that their only 
 hope of deliverance lay in her. and while his mother and 
 sisters lamented for the dead, he bestirred himself to 
 save the living. 
 
 " Milly," he began, with sad seriousness, " we deserve 
 no mercy, and I ask none for myself; I only implore you 
 to spare the women and give me time to atone for the 
 weak, the wicked hesitation which has brought us to this 
 pass. I meant to free you all as soon as you wer.e legally 
 mine, as it was too late for my father to endear his mem 
 ory by one just act. But it was hard to make my mother 
 and my sisters poor, and so I waited, hoping to be shown 
 some way by which I could be just and generous both to 
 you and them." 
 
 " Three women were more precious than two hundred 
 helpless creatures in the eyes of a Christian gentleman
 
 358 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 from the free North ! I m glad you told me this ; " ami 
 there was something like contempt in the look she gavu 
 her master. 
 
 There was no answer to that, for it was true ; and in 
 the remorseful shame that sent the blood to Gabriel s 
 forehead, he confessed the fact which he was too honest 
 to deny. Still looking at her, with eyes that pleaded for 
 him better than his words, he said, with a humility that 
 conquered her disdain, 
 
 " I shall expiate that sin if I die to-night ; and I will 
 give myself up to be dealt with as you please, if you will 
 save my mother and my sisters, and let them free you in 
 my name. Before God and my dead father I promise 
 this, upon my honor ! " 
 
 " There are no witnesses to that but those whom I ll 
 not trust ; honor means nothing to us who are not allowed 
 to keep our own," said Milly, looking moodily upon the 
 ground, as if she feared to look up lest she should 
 relent, for excitement Avas ebbing fast, and a flood of 
 regretful recollections rising in her heart. 
 
 " I did not expect that reproach from you," Gabriel 
 answered, taking courage from the signs he saw. " Do 
 you remember, when my father gave you to me, how 
 indignantly I rejected the gift, and promised that in my 
 eyes you should be as sacred as either of those poor 
 girls? Have I not kept my word, Milly?" 
 
 " Yes ! O yes ! " she said, with trembling lips, and 
 eyes she dared not lift, they were so full of grateful tears. 
 Carefully steadying her traitorous voice, she added, earn 
 estly, " Master Gabriel ! I do remember, and I ve tried 
 all day to save you, but you wouldn t go. I will trust 
 your word, and do my best to help the ladies, if they ll
 
 AN HOUR. 359 
 
 promise to free us all to-morrow, and you will leave the 
 island at once. Mose will let you pass ; for that hand 
 kerchief was dropped to tell him that you were abroad, 
 and were to be got off agaiust your will, if you wouldn t 
 go quietly. Both he and Andy will save you for my 
 sake ; the others won t, because they don t know you as 
 we do. Please go, Master Gabriel, before :t is too late." 
 
 " No, I shall stay. What would you think of me, if I 
 deserted these helpless women in such danger, to savo 
 myself at their expense? I cannot quite trust you, 
 Hilly, after treachery like this." 
 
 " Who taught us to be treacherous, and left us nothing 
 but our own cunning to help ourselves with ? " 
 
 The first part of Gabriel s speech made the last less 
 hard to bear ; and Milly s question was put in a tone that 
 was more apologetic than accusatory, for Gabriel cared 
 what she thought of him, and that speech comforted her. 
 
 " Not I, Milly ; but let the ^;ns of the dead rest, and 
 tell me if you will not help my mother and Grace and 
 Clara oif, instead of me ? The promise will be all the 
 sooner ar:d the better kept, o:, if it comes too late, I. 
 shall be the ouly and the fittest person to pay the 
 penalty." 
 
 Milly s face darkened, and sae turned away with an 
 expression of keen disappointment. Mrs. Butler and her 
 daughters had restrained their lamentations to listen ; but 
 tit the sound oi Gabriel s proposal, the sisters ran to 
 Milly, and, clinging about Her itnees, implored her to 
 pity, forgive, and save them. vV r ell for them that they 
 did so ; for Milly felt as if many degradations were can 
 celled by that act, and, as she saw her young mistresses 
 M her feet, the sense of power soothed her sore heart.
 
 360 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 and added the grace of generosity to the duty of forgive.. 
 ness. She did not speak, yet she did not deny their 
 prayer, and sto^d wavering between doubt and desire as 
 the fateful moments rapidly flew by ; Gabriel remembered 
 that, and, taking her hand, said, in a voice whose earnest 
 ness was perilously persuasive to the poor girl s ear, 
 
 " Milly, you said there was no hope for us unless God 
 turned against you. I think He has, and, speaking 
 through that generous heart of yours, pleads for us better 
 than we can plead for ourselves. It is so beautiful to 
 pity, so magnanimous to forgive ; and the greater the 
 wrong, the more pardon humbles the transgressor and 
 ennobles the bestower. Dear Milly, spare these poor 
 girls as you have been spared ; prove yourself the truer 
 woman, the nobler mistress ; teach them a lesson which 
 they never can forget, and sweeten your liberty with the 
 memory of this act." 
 
 Milly listened still with downcast eyes and averted 
 face, but every word went straight to her heart, soothing, 
 strengthening, inspiring all that was best and bravest in 
 that poor heart, so passionate, and yet so warm and 
 womanly Avithal. No man had ever spoken to her before 
 of magnanimity, of proving herself superior to those 
 who had shown no mercy to her faults, accorded no 
 praise to her virtues, nor lightened a hard servitude 
 with any touch of friendliness. No man had ever looked 
 into her face before with eyes in which admiration for 
 her beauty was mingled with pity for her helpless woman 
 hood ; and, better than all, no man, old or young, had 
 ever until now recognized in her a fellow-creature, born 
 to the same rights, gifted with the same powers, and 
 capable of the same sufferings and sacrifices as himselfi
 
 AN HOUR. 361 
 
 That touched and won her ; that appealed to the spirit 
 which lives through all oppression in the lowest of God s 
 children ; and through all her frame there went a glow 
 of warmth and joy, as if some strong, kind hand had 
 lifted her from the gloom of a desolate despair into the 
 sunshine of a happier world. Her eye wandered toward 
 the faces of dead master, conquered mistress, and dark 
 ened as it looked ; passed to the pale girls still clinging 
 to her skirts, and softened visibly ; was lifted to Gabriel, 
 and .kindled with the new-born desire to prove herself 
 worthy of the confidence which would be her best re 
 ward. A smile broke beautifully across her face, and 
 her lips were parted to reply, when Mrs. Butler, who 
 sat trembling behind her, cried, in a shrill, imploring 
 whisper, 
 
 "Remember all I ve done for you, Milly, all I still 
 have it in my power to do. I promise to free you, if you 
 will only save us now. Be merciful, for your old 
 master s sake, if not for mine." 
 
 The sound of that querulous voice seemed to sting 
 Milly like a lash, threatening to undo all Gabriel s work. 
 Her eye grew fiery again, her mouth hard, her face bit 
 terly scornful, as she said, with a glance which her mis 
 tress never forgot, 
 
 " I m not likely to forget all you ve done for me ; I 
 would not accept my liberty from you if you could give 
 it ; and if a word of mine could save you, I d not say 
 it for old master s sake, much less for yours." 
 
 With a warning gesture to his mother, Gabriel turned 
 that defiant face toward himself, and holding it firmly 
 yet gem y between his hands, bent on it a look that 
 allayed the rising storm by the magic of a power which
 
 362 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 the young man had never used till now, though conscious 
 of possessing it, for Milly s tell-tale countenance had 
 betrayed her secret long ago. As he looked deep into 
 her eyes, with a glance which was both commanding and 
 compassionate, they first fell with sudden shame, then, 
 as if controlled by the power of those other eyes, they 
 rose again and met them with a sad sincerity that made 
 their beauty tragical, as they filled slowly till two great 
 tears rolled down her cheeks, wetting the hands that 
 touched them ; and when Gabriel said, softly, " For 
 my sake you will save us ? " she straightway answered. 
 " Yes." 
 
 " God bless you, Milly ! Now tell me how I am to 
 help you, for time is going, and lives hang on the 
 minutes." 
 
 He released her as he spoke ; and, though she still 
 looked at him as if he were the one saving power of her 
 thwarted life, she answeved, pleadingly, 
 
 " Hush, Master Gabriel ! please don t speak to me, for 
 then I only feel, now I must think." 
 
 How still the room grew as they waited ! The pres 
 ence of death was less solemn than that of fear, for the 
 dead seemed forgotten, arid the living all unconscious of 
 the awesome contrast between the pale expectancy of 
 their panic-stricken faces and the repose of that one un 
 troubled countenance. How suddenly the night grew 
 full of ominous sounds ! HOAV intently all eyes were 
 fixed upon the beautiful woman who stood among them 
 holding their lives in her hands, and how they started, 
 when, through the hush, came a soft chime as the half* 
 hour struck ! Milly heard and answered that silvery 
 sound as the anxious watchers would have had her :
 
 AN HOUR. 363 
 
 " It can be done," she said, in a tone which carried 
 hope to every heart " It can be done, but I must do it 
 alone, for I can pass Mose and get Andy across the river 
 without their suspecting that I m going for help. You 
 must stay here and do your best to guard the ladies, 
 Master Gabriel ; it won t be safe for any of you to go 
 DOW." 
 
 " But, Milly, the boys may not wait till twelve, or you 
 may be delayed, and then we are lost." 
 
 " Vhave thought of that ; and as I go out I ll take old 
 Sandra with me ; she ll understand in a minute. She ll 
 go down to the mill and talk to them and keep them, if 
 anything can do it, for they love and fear her more than 
 any one on the island. Be quiet, trust to me, and I ll 
 save you, Master Gabriel." 
 
 He silently held out his hand, as if pledging his word 
 to obey and trust. With the warmth and grace of her 
 impulsive temperament, Milly bent her head, laid her 
 cheek against that friendly hand, wet it Avith grateful 
 tears, kissed it with loving lips, and went her way, feel 
 ing as if all things were possible to her for Gabriel s 
 sake. 
 
 Listening breathlessly, they heard her foot-falls die 
 away, heard Sandra s \oice below, a short parley with 
 Mose, then watched the old woman and the young depart 
 in opposite directions, leaving them to feel the bitterness 
 of dependence in a strange, stern fashion, which they had 
 never thought to know. Man-like, Gabriel could not long 
 stand idle while danger menaced and women faced it for 
 him. Anxious to take such precautions as might hold 
 the expected assailants at bay, even for a moment, he 
 bade his mother and sisters remain quiet, that no sus-
 
 364 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 picion might be excited, and crept down to test the capa 
 bilities of the house to withstand & short siege, if other 
 hopes failed. The slight, many-doored and windowed 
 mansion, built for a brief occupancy when the winter 
 months rendered the region habitable for whites, was but 
 ill-prepared to repel any attack ; and a hasty survey 
 convinced Gabriel that it was both hazardous and vain 
 to attempt a barricade which a few strong arms could 
 instantly destroy. As he stood disheartened, unarmed, 
 and alone in the long hall, dimly lighted by the lamp he 
 carried, a sense of utter desolation came over him, 
 dampening his courage, and oppressing his mind witli the 
 dreariest forebodings. Thinking of the many true hearts 
 and stout arms far away there at the jSorth, which would 
 have come to his aid so readily could his need have been 
 known, he yearned for a single friend, a single weapon, 
 that he might conquer or die like a man. And both 
 were given him. 
 
 Pausing before a door that opened out upon the rear 
 of the house, his eye caught sight of a heavy whip, whose 
 loaded handle had felled men before no\v, and might 
 easily do so again, if wielded by a strong arm. lie took 
 it down, saying to himself, " It is the first time I ever 
 touched the accursed thing ; God grant that it may be 
 the last." A low sound behind him caused the blood 
 to chill an instant in his veins, then to rush on with a 
 quicker flow, as, poising the weapon in one hand, he 
 lifted the lamp above his head, and searched the gloom. 
 Par at the other end of the long hall a dark figure crept 
 along, and a pair of glittering eyes were fixed upon his 
 own. "Come on; I m ready," he said, steadily, and 
 was answered by the patter of rapid steps, the sight of
 
 AN HOUR. 36? 
 
 an unexpected ally, as a great black hound came leaping 
 upon him in a rapture of canine delight. Old Mort had 
 been the fiercest, most efficient blood-hound on the island ; 
 and still, in spite of age, was a formidable beast, ready 
 to track or assault a negro, and pull him down or throt 
 tle him, at word of command. He had been his pos 
 sessor s favorite till Gabriel came ; then he deserted the 
 old master for the young, and was always left at large 
 when he was at home. Mort had been missing all day, 
 and now the rope trailing behind him was sufficient evi 
 dence that he had been decoyed away, lest his vigilance 
 should warn his master, and that, having freed himself, 
 he had stolen home, to lie concealed till night and his 
 master s presence reassured him. 
 
 As the great creature reared himself before the young 
 man, with a paw on either shoulder, and looked into his 
 face with eyes that seemed almost human in their intelli 
 gent affection, Gabriel dropped the whip, put down the 
 lamp, and caressed the hound with an almost boyish 
 gratitude and fondness ; for, with the sense of security 
 this powerful ally brought, there came a remorseful 
 memory, that, though the possessor of two hundred 
 human beings, he had no friend but a dog. At this 
 point Mort suddenly pricked up his ears, slipped from 
 his master s hold, and snuffed suspiciously at the closed 
 door. Some one was evidently without, and the crea 
 ture s keen scent detected the unseen listener. With a 
 noiseless command to the dog to keep quiet, Gabriel 
 caught up his only weapon, and stood waiting for what 
 ever demonstration should follow. None came ; and 
 presently Mort returned to him with a sagacious glance 
 and a sleepy yawn, sure evidences that Mose had paused
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 a moment in his round, and had gone on again. Bij? 
 Mose was, with one exception, the strongest, most rebel 
 lious slave on the place ; and though Gabriel had longed 
 to rush out and attack him, he had not dared to try it, 
 for his strength was as a child s compared to the stalwart 
 slave s. Now, with Mort to help him, the thing \vas 
 possible ; and as he stood there, with only a door be 
 tween him and the man who had sworn to take his life, 
 a strange consciousness of power came to him ; his mus 
 cles seemed to grow firm as iron, his blood flowed calm 
 and cool, and in his mind there rose a purpose, desper 
 ately simple, yet wise, despite its seeming rashness. He 
 would master Mose, and, leaving Mort to guard him, 
 would go down to the mill, and, if both Sandra s and 
 his own appeals and promises proved unavailing, would 
 give himself up, hoping that his death or torture would 
 delay the doom of those defenceless women, and give 
 Milly time to bring them better help than any he could 
 give. Some atonement must be made, he thought, and 
 perhaps innocent blood would wash the black stain from 
 his father s memory better than the deed he had hoped 
 to do in that father s name on the morrow. He had held 
 a precious opportunity in his hands, had delayed through 
 a mistaken kindness ; now it was lost, perhaps forever, 
 and he must pay the costly price which God exacts of 
 (hose who palter with their consciences. As the thought 
 came, and the purpose grew, it brought with it that high 
 courage, that entire self-abnegation which we call hero 
 ism ; and that fateful moment made Gabriel a man. 
 
 A word, a gesture, put the dog upon his mettle ; then 
 cutting away the long rope, Gabi iel threw it over his 
 arm, unbarred the door, set it ajar, and, standing behind
 
 AN HOUR. 367 
 
 it, with the hound under his hand, he waited for Mose 
 to make his round. Soon Mort s restless ears gave token 
 of his approach ; and, as the stealthy steps came stealing 
 on, he was with difficulty restrained ; for now instinct 
 showed him danger, and he was as eager as his master 
 to be up and doing. The streak of light attracted the 
 man s eye. He paused, drew nearer, listened ; then 
 softly pushed the door open, and leaned in to reconnoi 
 tre. That instant Mort was on him, a heavy blow half 
 stunnfid him, and, before his scattered wits could be col 
 lected, he was down, his hands fast bound, and both 
 master and dog standing over him panting, but unhurt. 
 
 " Now, Mose, if you want to save your life, be still, 
 and answer my questions truly," said Gabriel, with one 
 hand on the man s throat, the other holding back Mort, 
 whose tawny eye was savage now. " I know your plot, 
 and have found means to spoil it. How do you think 
 I m going to punish you all ? " 
 
 " Dun no, massa," muttered Mose, with a grim resig 
 nation to any fate. 
 
 " I m going to free every man, woman, and child on 
 the island, and fling that devilish thing into the river," 
 he said, as he spurned the whip with his foot. 
 
 An inciedulous look and derisive grin was the only 
 thanks and answer he received. 
 
 " You don t believe it ? Well, who can blame you, poor 
 soul? Not I. Now tell me how many men are. on the 
 watch between here and the rice-mill?" Gabriel spoke 
 with a flash of the eye and a sudden deepening of the 
 voice ; for both indignation and excitement stirred him. 
 The look, the toue^ did more to convince Mose than a 
 flood of words ; for he had learned to try men by testa
 
 368 CAMP ANU FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 of his own, and had more faith in the promises of their 
 faces than those of their tongues. More respectfully, 
 he said, 
 
 " No one, sides me, massa. Andy s at de laudin , 
 and de rest at de mill ceptin dem as isn t in de secret." 
 
 " Mind, no lies, Mose, or your free papers will be the 
 last I siga to-morrow. Get up, and come quietly with 
 me ; for if you try to run, Mort will pin you. I m going 
 to the mill, and want you safely under lock and key first." 
 
 " Is massa gwine alone ? " asked Mose, glancing aV\out 
 him, for Gabriel spoke as if he had a score of men at 
 his command. 
 
 " Yes, I m going alone ; why not ? " 
 
 " Massa knows dere s fifty of de boys dar sworn to 
 kill him, if Milly don t git him way fore dey comes up?" 
 
 u I know, and Milly s done her best to get me off, but 
 I d rather stay ; I m not afraid." 
 
 Gabriel s blood was up now : danger had no terrors 
 for him ; and, beyond the excitement of the moment, his 
 purpose lent him a calm courage which impressed th<? 
 slave as something superhuman. Like one in a maze of 
 doubt and fear, he obediently followed his master to an 
 out-house, Avhere, binding feet as well as hands, Gabriel 
 left him with the promise arid the Avaruing, 
 
 " Sit here till I come to let you out a free man, if I 
 live to do it. Don t stir nor call, for Mort Avill be at the 
 door to silence you and howl for me, if you try any 
 tricks. I ll not keep you long, if I can help it." 
 
 The slave only stared dumbly at him, incapable of 
 i - ecei\*iug the vast idea of liberty, pardon, and kindness 
 all at once ; and bidding Mort guard both prisoner and 
 house, Gabriel stole along the path that Avound away
 
 AN HOUR. 369 
 
 through grove and garden to the rice-mill, where so many 
 fates were soon to be decided. As he went he glanced 
 from earth to sky, and found propitious omens every 
 where. No flowery thicket concealed a lurking foe to 
 clutch at him in the dark ; Taut the fragrance of trodden 
 grass, the dewy touch of leaves against his cheek, the 
 peaceful night-sounds that surrounded him, gave him 
 strange comfort and encouragement ; for when his fellow- 
 creatures had deserted, Nature took him to her motherly- 
 hearth From above, fitful glimpses of the moon guided 
 him on his perilous way ; for the wind had changed, the 
 black clouds were driving seaward, and the storm was 
 passing without either thunderbolt or hurricane. Coming, 
 at length, within sight of the half-ruined mill, he paused 
 to reconnoitre. Through chinks in the rude walls a dim 
 light shone, muffled voices rose and fell ; and once there 
 was a hoarse sound, as of a half-uttered shout. Creeping 
 warily to a dark nook among the ruins, Gabriel made his 
 way to a crevice in an inner wall, and, looking through 
 it, saw a sight little fitted to reassure him, either as a 
 master or a man. 
 
 The long, low-raftered portion of the mill, which once 
 had been the threshing-floor, was now lighted by the red 
 glare of several torches, which filled the place with weird 
 shadows, and sudden glimpses of objects that seemed the 
 more mysterious or terrible for being but half seen. In 
 one corner, under a coarse covering, something lay stark 
 and still ; a clenched hand was visible, and several locks 
 of light hair dabbled with blood, but nothing more. Fifty 
 men, old and young, of all shades of color, all types of 
 their unhappy race, stood or sat about three, who evi 
 dently were the leaders of the league. One, a young 
 34
 
 37O CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 man, so fair that the red lines across his shoulders looked 
 doubly barbarous there, was half-kneeling, and steadily 
 filing at a chain that held his feet together as his hands 
 had been held till some patient friend had freed them, 
 and left him to finish the slow task. He worked so 
 eagerly that the drops stood thick upon his haggard face, 
 and his scarred chest heaved with his painful breath ; for 
 this was the Tony who was too much cut up with hia 
 last whipping to run on Mrs. Butler s errand, but not too 
 feeble to strike a blow for liberty. The second man was 
 as near an animal as a human creature could become, 
 and yet be recognized as such. A burly, brutal-looking 
 negro, maimed and distorted by every cruelty that could 
 be invented or inflicted, he was a sight to daunt the 
 stoutest heart, as he sat sharpening the knife which had 
 often threatened him in the overseer s hand, and was 
 etill red with the overseer s blood. 
 
 Standing erect between the two, and in striking con 
 trast to them, was a gigantic man, with a fine, dark face, 
 a noble head, and the limbs of an ebony Hercules. A 
 native African, from one of those tribes whose wills are 
 never broken, who can be subdued by kindness, but 
 who often kill themselves rathor than suffer the degrada 
 tion of the lash. No one had dared to subject him to 
 that chastisement, as was proved by the uumarred smooth 
 ness of the muscular body, bare to the waist ; but round 
 his neck was riveted an iron collar, with four curved 
 spikes. It was a shameful badge of serfdom ; it pre 
 vented him from lying down, it galled him with its cease 
 less chafing, yet he wore it with an air which would have 
 made the hideous necklace seem some barbaric ornament, 
 if that had been possible ; and laced the excited crowd
 
 AN HOUR. 371 
 
 with a native dignity which nothing could destroy, and 
 which proved him their master in intelligence, as well as 
 strength and courage. 
 
 Before them all, yet lifted a little above them by her po 
 sition on a fallen fragment of the roof, stood old Cassan 
 dra. A tall, gaunt woman, with a countenance which age, 
 in making venerable, had not robbed of its vigor ; her 
 flightless eyes were wide open with a weird effect of see 
 ing without sight, and her high white turban, her long 
 stuff, and the involuntary tremor of her shrivelled hands, 
 gave her the air of some ancient sorceress or priestess, 
 bearing her part in some heathen rite. The majestic- 
 looking slave with the collar hud apparently been speak 
 ing, for his face was turned toward her, and his dark 
 features were still alive with the emotions which had just 
 found vent in words. As Gabriel looked, old Sandra 
 struck the floor with her staff, as if commanding silence ; 
 and, as the stir of some momentary outbreak subsided, 
 she said, in a strong voice, which rose and fell in a sort 
 of solemn chant as her earnestness increased and her 
 listeners grew obedient to its spell, 
 
 " Chil en, I se heerd yer plans, now I wants ter leu 
 a han and help you in dis hour of tribbleation. You s 
 killed oberseer Neal, and d rectly yoni s all gwine r;p ter 
 de house to kill massa, missis and de young folks. Now 
 what s you gwine to do dat fer? and what s dey ebcr 
 done bad nuf ter make you willin ter fro way yer souls 
 dis night?" 
 
 " Kase we can t b ar no more." " Old massa hunted 
 my boy wid hounds and dey tore him ter def." " He 
 sold my chil cn and drove Rachel crazy wid de partin ." 
 Old missis had my pore girl whipped kase she was too
 
 372 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 sick ter stan and dress her." " Massa Gabriel may be 
 harder dan de ole one, and we s tired ob hell." 
 
 These, and many another short, stern answer, came 
 to Sandra s question ; she expected them, was ready to 
 meet them, and knew how best to reach the outraged 
 hearts now hungering for vengeance. Her well-known 
 afflictions, her patience, her piety, gave a certain sanctity 
 to her presence, great weight to her words, and an 
 almost marvellous power to her influence over her own 
 people, who believed her to be half saint, half seer. She 
 felt her power, and, guided by an instinct that seldom 
 failed, she used it wisely in this perilous hour, remem 
 bering that her listeners, though men in their passions, 
 were children in their feelings. 
 
 " You pore boys, I knows de troof ob all dat, and I se 
 had my trubbles hard and heavy as you has, but I se 
 learnt to fergib em, and dey don t hurt now. Ole massa 
 bought me thirty year ago way from all I keered fer, 
 and I se slaved fer him widout no t anks, no wages, eber 
 since ; but I se fergived him dat. He sole my chii en, 
 all ten ; my boys up de riber, my perty little girls down 
 to Orleans, and bringed up his chil en on de money ; dat 
 come bery*hard, but de Lord helped me, and I fergived 
 him dat. He shot my ole Ben kase he couldn t whip me 
 bisself, nor stan by and see it done ; dat mos broke my 
 aeart, but in de end I foun I could fergib him one time 
 more. He made me nuss him when de fever come and 
 every one was fraid ob him ; de long watchin , de hard 
 work and de cryin fer my chil en made me bline at last ; 
 but I fergived him dat right hearty, fer though dey took 
 iny eyes away dey cculdn t bline my soul, and in de 
 darkness I hab seen de Lord."
 
 AN HOUR. 373 
 
 The truth, the pathos, the devout assn: ance of her 
 words, impressed and controlled the sympathetic crea 
 tures to whom she spoke, as no reproach or denunciation 
 would have done. A murmur went through the crowd, 
 and more thau one savage face lost something of its bru 
 tality, gained something of its former sad patience, as 
 the old woman touched, with wondrous skill, the chords 
 that still made music in these tried and tempted hearts. 
 
 " Yes, chil en, I hab seen de Lord, and He has made de 
 night into day fer me, has held me up in all my trubbles, 
 tole me to hole fas by Him, and promised He would 
 bring me safe ter glory. I se faith ter feel He will, and 
 while I wait, I se savin up my soul fcr Him. Boys, lie 
 says de same to you froo me ; He says hole fas , b ar all 
 dat s sent, beleebe in Him, and wait the coming ob de 
 Lord." 
 
 " We s done tired a-waitin , de Lord s so bery long a 
 comin , Sandra." 
 
 It was a Aveary, hopeless voice that answered, as an 
 old man shook his white head and lifted up the dim eyes 
 that for eighty years had Avatched in vain. 
 
 " It s you dat s long a-comin ter Him, Uncle Dave, 
 but He ain t tired ob Avaitin for yer. De places -lar in 
 heaven is all ready, de shinin gowns, de harps ob gole, 
 de eberlastin glory, and de peace. No rice-SAvamps dar, 
 uo sugar-mills, no cotton-fields, no houn s, no oberseer, 
 ao massa but de blessed Lord. Dar s yer chil en, Uncla 
 Dave, groAved beautiful Avhite angels, and a-Avaitin till 
 yer comes. Dar s yer Avife, Pete, wid no lashes on her 
 back, no sobbin in her heart, a-Avaiting fer yer, anxious. 
 Dar s yer fader, Jake ; he don t need no proppiu n 
 and he ll run to meet yer Avhen yer comes. Dar s
 
 374 CAMP AND FIRESIDE 6TORIES. 
 
 pore sister Rachel, Ned ; she ain t crying for baby now , 
 de Lord s got her in de holler ob His han , and she a 
 a-waitiu fer de litile one and you to come. Dar s my 
 Ben, my chil en all saved up for me, and when I comes 
 I ll see em Avaitin fer me at de door. But, best ob all, 
 dar s de dear Lord waitin fer us ; He s holdin out hia 
 arms, He s bcckonin all de while, He s sayin , in dat lovin* 
 voice ob His, I sees yer sorrows, my pore chil en, I 
 hears yer sobbin and yer prayers, I forgives yer sins, I 
 knows yer won t spoint me ob dese yere fifty precious 
 souls, and I se a-waitin , waitin , waitin fer yer all. " 
 
 Strange fervor was in the woman s darkened face, 
 strange eloquence in her aged voice, strange power in 
 the persuasive gestures of her withered hands out 
 stretched above them, warning, pleading, beckoning, 
 as if, in truth, the Lord spoke through her, illuminat 
 ing that poor place with the light of His divine compas 
 sion, the promises of His divine salvation. A dead 
 silence followed as the last yearning cadence of the one 
 voice rose, fell, and died away. Sandra let the strong 
 contrast between the here and the hereafter make its 
 due impression, then broke the silence, saying briefly, 
 solemnly, 
 
 " Boys, de Lord has spared yer one great sin dis night ; 
 ole massa s dead." 
 
 " Glory be to God, amen ! " " Halleluyer ! dat I se 
 libed ter see dis happy day ! " " De Debbie s got him, 
 shore ! " " Don t give up de chance, boys ; young massa 
 and de missis is lef for us." 
 
 Such exclamations of gratitude, joy, and revenge, were 
 the only demonstration which the news produced, and, 
 mingling with them, a gust of wind came sweeping
 
 AN HOUR. 375 
 
 through the mill, as if nature gave a long sigh of relief 
 that another tyrant had ceased to blight and burden her 
 fair domain. Sandra s quick ear caught the last Avords, 
 and a deep oath or two, as several men rose with th 
 fierce fire rekindling in their eyes. 
 
 " Yes ! " she cried, in a tone that held them even 
 against their Avill, " yes, young massa s lef ; but not 
 to die, for if yer gives up your chance of damnation 
 dis night, you ll all be free to-morrer. lie s promised 
 it ; he ll do it, and dere ll be no blood but dat bad man s 
 yonder, to cry from de groun , and b ar witness ginst 
 yer at de Juclgmeut-Day." 
 
 " Free ! to-morrer ! Who s gwine to b lieve dat, 
 Sandra ? We s been tole such stories often ; but de 
 morrer s never come, and now we s gwine to bring 
 one for ourselves." 
 
 The gigantic man with the spiked collar on his neck 
 said that, with a smile of grim determination, as he took 
 up the iron bar, which in his desperate hands became a 
 terribly formidable weapon. 
 
 A low growl, as of muttering thunder, answered him, 
 and Sandra s heart sunk within her. But one hope 
 remained ; and, desperately clinging to it, she found that 
 even in these betrayed, benighted creatures there still 
 lived a sense of honor, a loyalty to truth, born of the 
 manhood God had given them, the gratitude which ono 
 man had inspired. 
 
 "Hear me, jes once more, fore yer goes, boys. Tell 
 me, what has young massa done ter make yer want his 
 blood? Has he ever lashed yer, kicked, and cussed yer? 
 Has he sole yer chil ren, bused yer wives, or took yer 
 ole folks from yer? Has he done anything but try to
 
 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STORIES. 
 
 make ole massa kinder, to do his best for us while he a 
 here ; and when he can t do nor b ar no more, dou t he 
 go way to pray de Lord ter help us fer His sake?" 
 
 Not a voice answered ; not one complaint, accusation, 
 or reproach was made, and Prince, the fierce leader of 
 the insurrection, paused, with his foot upon the threshold 
 of the door ; for a grateful memory confronted and ar 
 rested him. One little daughter, the last of many chil 
 dren, had been taken from him to be sold, when Gabriel, 
 moved by his despair, had bought and freed and given 
 her back to him, with the promise that she never should 
 be torn from him again. For an instant the clasp of 
 little clinging arms seemed to make the sore chafing of 
 the iron ring unfelt ; the touch of the hand that gave 
 the precions gift now made that rude weapon weigh 
 heavily in his own, and from the darkness which lay 
 between him and the doomed home there seemed to rise 
 the shadow of the face which once had looked compas 
 sionately into his and recognized him as a man. He 
 turned, and, standing with his magnificent yet mournful 
 figure fully revealed by the red flicker of the torches, 
 put out one hand as if to withhold the desperate crowd 
 before him, and asked, with an air of authority which 
 well became a prince by birth as well as name, 
 
 " Sandra, Avho tole you massa meant ter free us right 
 away? You has blessed dreams sometimes, and maybe 
 dis is one ob em. It s too good to be de troof." 
 
 "It is de troof, de liviu troof, and no dream ob mine 
 was eber half so blessed as dis yere will be, if we has 
 faith. Milly tolc me jes now dat Massa Gabriel swore 
 before de Lord aad his dead father dat he d free us all 
 ter-morrer ; and I ccme here ter save yer from de sin dat
 
 AN HOUR. 377 
 
 won t help, but hinder yer awful in dis world and de 
 next. Dere s more good news sides dat. I heerd em 
 talkin bout de Norf. It s risiii , boys, it s risin ! de 
 tings we s heerd is shore, and de day ob jubilee is comin 
 fas ." 
 
 It was well she added that last hope, for its effect was 
 wonderful. Men lifted up their heads, hope quenched 
 hatred in eyes that grew joyfully expectant, and for a 
 moment the black sky seemed to glimmer with the first 
 rays of the North star which should lead them up from 
 that Dismal Swamp to a goodly laud. Sandra felt the 
 change, knew that only one more effective touch was 
 needed to secure the victory, and, like the pious soul 
 she was, turned in her hour of need to the only Friend 
 ^who never had deserted her. Painfully bending her stiff 
 knees, she knelt down before them, folded her hard 
 hands, lifted her sightless eyes, and cried, in an agony 
 of supplication, 
 
 " Dear Lord, speak to dese yere pore chil en, fer I se 
 done my bes ! Help em, save em, don t let em spile 
 de freedom dat s comin by 5, sin like dis to-night, but let 
 em take it sweet and clean from Thy han in de mornin*. 
 Stan by young massa, hole him up, don t let him spoint 
 us, fer we se ben bery patient, Lord ; and help us to 
 wait one night more, shore dat he ll keep de promise fer 
 Thy blessed sake." 
 
 "I Avill!" 
 
 The voice rang through the place like a voice from 
 heaven ; and out from the darkness Gabriel came among 
 them. To their startled, superstitious eyes he seemed no 
 mortal man, but a beautiful, benignant angel, bringing 
 tidings of great joy, as he stood there, armed with no
 
 37 CAMP AND FIRESIDE STOIUES. 
 
 weapon but a righteous purpose, gifted with no eloquence 
 but the truth, stii red to his heart s core by strong emotion, 
 and lifted above himself by the high mood born of that 
 memorable hour 
 
 " My people ! mine only while I speak ; break up youi 
 league, lay down your arms, dry your tears, and forgive 
 as you are forgiven, for this island no longer holds a 
 master or a slave ; but all are free forever and forever." 
 
 An awful silence fell upon the place, unbroken till old 
 Sandra cried, with a glad, triumphant voice, 
 
 " Chil en ! de Lord hab heerd, de Lord hab answered I 
 Bless de Lord ! O bless de Lord ! " 
 
 Then, as a strong wind bows a field of grain, the 
 breath of liberty swept over fifty souls, and down upon 
 their knees fell fifty free men, while a great cry went up 
 to heaven. Shouts, sobs, prayers and praises ; the clash 
 of falling arms ; the rattle of fetters wrenched away ; 
 the rush of men gathered to each other s breasts, all 
 added to the wild abandonment of a happiness too mighty 
 for adequate expression, as that wave of gratitude and 
 love rolled up and broke at Gabriel s feet. With face 
 hidden in his hands he stood ; and while his heart sung 
 for joy, tears from the deepest fountains of a man s 
 repentant spirit fitly baptized the freedmeu, who, clinging 
 to his garments, kissing his feet and pouring blessings on 
 his head, bestowed upon him a far nobler inheritance 
 than that which he had lost. 
 
 " Hark ! " 
 
 The word, and Sandra s uplifted hand, hushed the 
 tumultuous thanksgiving, as if she were in truth the 
 magician they believed her. A far-off murmur of many 
 voices, the tramp of many feet was heard ; all knew
 
 AN HOUR. 379 
 
 what it portended, yet none trembled, none fled ; for a 
 mightier power than either force or fear had conquered, 
 and the victory was already won. 
 
 Through widening rifts in the stormy sky the moon 
 broke clear and calm, gliding, like a visible benediction, 
 from the young man s bent head to the dusky faces lifted 
 toward the promised light ; and in that momentary hush, 
 solemn and sweet, across the river a distant clock struck 
 twelve.
 
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