RECREATION. 



i59 



Cole." The letters contained very few 

 phrases of affection, but were mostly 

 brief summaries of marches, battles and 

 military experiences. But in each was 

 some such injunctions as these : '* Keep 

 father in the dark as long as you can." 

 "Remember that the less you talk the 

 better off I shall be." "Tell nobody 

 unless you have to." 



Something must now be done, how- 

 ever. These women went to Robert's 

 parents. They knew nothing about it. 

 They refused to write to him about it. 

 They had always opposed his intimacy 

 with the girl. They did not wish to 

 know anything about her. 



So one of the women wrote to Rob, as 

 the village called him, putting the ques- 

 tion direct — if Nelly Cole was his wife. 

 This letter was in a mail captured by 

 the confederates. After waiting nearly 

 three months for an answer, the woman 

 wrote again. But now came news that 

 Rob had been captured. It was eight 

 months before he was released; and then, 

 a great battle being imminent, he went 

 to his regiment, instead of going home. 



Time passed, and Nelly, becoming 

 accustomed to whatever obloquy the 

 people had for her, made no further 

 sign. She would not worry Robert with 

 her troubles when writing to him, but 

 dilated on the perfections of their baby. 

 She was the only milliner and dress- 

 maker to be had, and her quiet, blame- 

 less deportment commanded enough 

 public respect for her needs. Rob wrote 

 more and more seldom, and always 

 briefer. He seemed to her to be fading 

 out of dier life. But, in the army, he 

 was a noted man, for a private. H e saved 

 the regimental colors at Stone River, 

 and rescued them at Shiloh. At Chicka- 

 mauga, when his company went to 

 pieces, he made his way to where 

 •Thomas held that glorious mountain 

 ridge, and was one of the immovable 

 brave. At Missionary Ridge, Kenesaw, 

 Atlanta and on the immortal march to the 

 sea, he was known for desperate courage 

 and madcap pranks. He did not go 

 home till the army disbanded. Through 

 all he kept his health and left the ser- 

 vice a young veteran, tough as a mule 

 and supple as a race horse. 



He called first at the little front room 

 in Widow Jones' cottage, where two 

 bonnets and sundry varieties in the 

 window indicated Nelly's shop. The 



frowzy little girl who came to the door 

 said, " Ma has just gone to the grocery. 

 Miss Cole, she's gone to Gurley's farm, 

 to make dresses. They'll fetch her back 

 to meeting, Sunday." 



So he went home to his father's, mus- 

 ing by the way. " Miss Cole," the child 

 said. What did that mean ? 



He was warmly welcomed. Yet there 

 was an embarrassment in the manner of 

 his parents. After some hours had been 

 spent in relating his army life, his 

 mother asked : 



" Rob, did you stop at Mrs. Jones' ? " 



" Yes, mother ; but there was nobody 

 at home except a little girl." 



His mother looked relieved. His 

 father now spoke, very gravely and 

 sternly. 



" I might as well say what has to be 

 said now as any time, Robert. Mother 

 and I have talked it all over, many 

 times, and settled our course. That was 

 a bad scrape you got into with Nelly 

 Cole — a foolish and wicked freak, my 

 boy. However, young men will be 

 young men, and people will forgive and 

 forget in the case of a good soldier and 

 patriot. Still, you may have some trou- 

 ble. She claimed, three years ago, 

 when her baby was born, that she was 

 your wife ; but nobody believed her, 

 and she has dropped it ever since. She 

 said that you were married at the Rev- 

 erend Mr. Larkin's parsonage ; but Mr. 

 Larkin died shortly after you left, and 

 no record of any such marriage was 

 found among his papers. She said that 

 Cyrus Jones was the witness ; but he 

 was killed in battle. You lost all your 

 papers when you were taken prisoner 

 by the Confederates. Neither she nor 

 you can prove any marriage." 



"What if I should acknowledge it?" 



" So ! And you think any body will 

 believe such a story, when the girl her- 

 self has not claimed to be your wife 

 these three years, not even to save her 

 good name or yours ; and didn't claim 

 it after you left until the night her baby 

 was born, when she was desperate ! I 

 tell you, boy, you can't make people call 

 Nelly Cole l Mrs. Glisson,' unless you 

 marry her, and that you shan't do. 

 Marry a woman who has lost her repu- 

 tation ! Who hasn't cared enough for 

 you to call herself your wife." 



The old man struck the table violent- 

 ly, to emphasize his words. 



