The Trials of the Soldier's Wife
Page 5
CHAPTER FIFTH.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI--A HAPPY HOME.
We will now change the scene of our story, and, using the license ofall writers, transport the reader to Jackson, the Capital of the greatState of Mississippi, and there introduce him or her to othercharacters who will bear a prominent part in this book.
In the parlor of an elegant resident on Main street, a beautiful girlwas sitting with an open book in her hand. She was not, however,reading, as her bright blue eyes rested not on the pages, but weregazing at the half-opened door, as if expecting the arrival of someone. While she is thus musing, we will endeavour to give a descriptionof the fair maiden. Fancy a slight and elegant figure, richly dressedin a robe of _moire antique_, from under the folds of which thedaintiest little feet imaginable could be seen. Her features, thoughnot regularly carved, made her, at the name time, very beautiful,while her bright blue eyes and rich golden hair, braided smooth to herforehead, and ornamented with a jewelled tiara, then much worn, lentadditional charm to her appearance. Her hands were small, and asByron, we think, has it, was an undoubted mark of gentle birth.
She remained in this reverie for some time, but was at last aroused bythe entrance, unannounced, of a handsome young man dressed in theuniform of a lieutenant, when she started up, and meeting him, said ina half-vexed, half-playful tone:
"Oh, Harry! why did you not come earlier? I have been waiting for yourarrival over an hour!"
"Excuse me, dearest," he answered. "I was just on the point ofstarting from my office when I received a mass of orders fromregimental headquarters, which detained me until a few minutes ago.You must, therefore," he continued, "excuse me for this once, and Ishall not offend again," and as he spoke he parted the hair from herforehead and pressed a kiss upon her lips.
"I forgive you for this time," she answered, playfully tapping him onthe shoulder with her fan; "but the next offence I will not be solikely to excuse."
"I will take good care not to offend again, then," he laughingly said.
The conversation continued for some time in this light way, whichlovers will sometimes indulge in, when, assuming a seriouscountenance, she spoke to him:
"When does your regiment leave for Virginia?"
"I hardly know," he replied, "if it will go to Virginia at all. TheColonel informs me that it is likely the regiment will be sent toTennessee; so if it is sent there, I will be nearer than you thought."
"What a horrid thing war is!" she said, without appearing to noticehis last remarks.
"You are not inclined to show the white feather now, are you?" hesaid, laughing.
Her bright blue eyes sparkled for a moment, as if repudiating thequestion; then lowering them she answered: "No, indeed. I would nothave a single one that I love remain at home while the Abolitionistsare invading our homes."
"Spoken like a brave girl and a true Southern woman," he replied, "andI shall remember your words when I go into battle. It will nerve andinspire me to fight with redoubled courage, when I recollect that I ambattling for you." As he spoke he gazed at her with mingled pride andaffection, and for some minutes they remained gazing at each otherwith that affection which springs from
"Two souls with but a single thought-- Two hearts that beat as one."
Oh, Love! ye goddess of all that is blissful and elevating in man! Howthy devotees bow down to thy shrine and offer all that they possess topurchase but a smile from thee! And when you have cast your favors onsome happy mortal, and the pure feeling of affection becomes centeredon woman, the fairest flower from Eden, how should not mankind cherishthe gift you have bestowed upon him, and look upon it as the first andpriceless object on earth, and but second to one above in heaven!
The lovers remained in this silence, which spoke more than words couldhave done, until the entrance of a tall and venerable lookinggentleman of about fifty years of age. As soon as he entered, theyrose up together, the young lady addressing him as "father," and theyoung man as "doctor."
"How are you, Harry, my boy? give me a kiss, Em'," he said, in onebreath, as he shook the young man warmly by the hand and pressed aparental kiss on the brow of his daughter. "Pretty warm weather,this," he continued, speaking to the young man; "it is almoststifling."
"Suppose we step out on the balcony, pa," said the young lady; "it ismuch cooler there."
"Ha, ha, ha," he laughed; "you had not found that out until I entered.However," he went on, "do you both go out there. I am certain you willdo better without than with me."
His daughter blushed, but made no reply, and the young man removingtwo chairs to the balcony, they both left the old gentleman, who,turning up the gas, proceeded to read his evening _Mississippian_.
Dr. James Humphries was one of the oldest and most respectablecitizens of Jackson, and was looked upon with great esteem by all whoknew him. He had been a medical practitioner in that city from thetime it was nothing more than a little village, until railroadconnections had raised it to be a place of some consequence, and thecapital of the State. He had married when a young man, but of all hischildren, none remained but his daughter Emma, in gaining whom he losta much-loved wife, she having died in child-birth.
At the time we write, Emma Humphries was betrothed to HenryShackleford, a young lawyer of fine ability, but who was, like many ofhis countrymen, a soldier in the service of his country, and beenelected first lieutenant of the "Mississippi Rifles."
We will now leave them for the present, and in the next chapterintroduce the reader to two other characters.