SEPT 4© 
ANDERSONVILLE VIOLETS. 
Copyrighted by the Rural New-Yorker. 
All rights reserved. . 
chapter n. 
“ THE BABES IN THE WOODS.” 
Babes in the woods! It was the ouly 
Dame Jack and the rest had for them. John 
Rockwell and Archie Sinclair. —th Maine 
Regiment was the entry on the books, hut the 
guards had never taken the trouble to find out 
their real names. When men once entered 
that pen of misery it needed some striking 
characteristic to single them out from the 
rest. 
The name was somewhat appropriate in 
Archie’s case, but great, raw-boned John 
Rockwell was anything but an infant. Archie 
was a little delicate fellow, with goldeu hair 
and a face like a girl’s. Poor little man! He 
marched bravely away from the quiet Maine 
town, bravely and willingly, little thinking of 
the dreadful heat and agony of Anderson- 
ville. Life was full of promise, full of hope, 
when he kissed his mother and sister good¬ 
bye. That was the time when the “On to 
Richmond” order seemed easy of execution. 
The army did, at last, go “on to Richmond,” 
but it was over a weary and bloody road cov¬ 
ered with the dead bodies of those who failed 
at first. The little man had gone through 
many a hard fight w ithout flinching, but the 
disgrace of captivity had weighed heavily 
upon him, and when at last he marched with 
the rest through the prison gate it was in the 
arras of stout Johu Rockwell. The slender 
form had drooped and clung for support to 
the strong, rough, tender-hearted man who 
had seemed so like a brother to him. 
Archie had not noticed w hen the company 
went out under the great elms of old Breeze- 
town how wistfully Johu had glanced at 
sister Nellie. He did not know till long after 
that sad morning what a load John carried un¬ 
der his bright, new uniform. Nellie’s “No” had 
crushed all the sunshine out of John’s heart. 
Poor, awkward, blundering John. There 
was no one in the village to weep over him or 
give him the strong hand-clasp or the smile 
that reaches to the heart. He hail gone to 
the war almost alone. 
Who can tell what the poor fellow thought 
as he w r ent mechanically through his round of 
duty ? The boys called bun odd and made 
him the butt of the whole company. Every 
old trick was played off on honest Johu, yet 
he never once complaiued so long ns Archie 
was amused. The boys would all laugh at 
Johu when the mail came in aud the whole 
army sat down to read the home letters. 
“ h>ko don’t seem to write to ye John! Who’s 
run off with yer girl, Johu ? Better go back 
an’ see how things is.” 
Such remarks would always drive John 
away from the happy group, for he never got 
a letter. He alone, of all the army, seemed to 
have no friends at home. John liked to sil at 
one side—out in the shadow—aud watch 
Archie as he read the home letters. He knew 
they always contained a line from Nellie, and 
he often saw a letter in her own hand writing. 
He could sit there and imagine what she wrote 
to her brother. 
Archie was just like her—so John thought 
as be watched from the shadow. Small and 
slender, with blue eyes and hair like gold. 
John had worshipped her for years. He was 
only the “ Widder Rockwell’s boy,” yet he 
had the heart of a noblenmu. Many a day he 
had paused in his work to see her trip by like 
a little sunbeam. His love had been his one 
great secret aud his religion. The thoughts 
she had inspired kept his mind pure, and 
brought him sufely through a life filled with 
such temptations that thousands would have 
fallen. 
When his mother died, John was left alone 
with nothiug but his strength, bis love for 
Nellie, and the well-earned title of “ Honest 
John.” The war broke'out and all over the 
country thousands of young men rushed to 
arms. The great enthusiasm put souls into 
men who had seemed dull and stupid before. 
The whole village was ablaze with patriotism; 
all business was neglected. John saw Nellie 
at the “sewing circle” making a flag for the 
company to carry away. He put his name on 
the list of volunteers without a moment’s 
thought. Then, the mighty spirit of patriot¬ 
ism giving him a wild courage, he spoke the 
words that the long years of waiting hail told 
him were true. 
Nellie laughed at first—how could she help 
it? This great blundering fellow who had 
always seemed so awkward. And yet in a 
moment she pitied him—this strong man who 
was to lace death at her brother’s side. She 
knew he was sincere—he offered her all he had. 
She told him at last, very gently, that she 
could not love him. He went away from her 
with a love stronger than ever. He knew that 
it was a hopeless love, aud yet he could uot 
help it. 
He would sit aud think this all over, as he 
watched Archie read the letters. Archie 
seemed to John to care very little about these 
precious documents. Every now and then 
the old letters would be torn up aud thrown 
away. John found, one day, a piece of au 
old letter from Nellie, with the words “ I love 
you,” written on it. It was only part of a long 
sentence; ho could uot tell how the words 
were used, but he sewed the little scrap on the 
inside of his vest. There it remained for 
many a day, and his heart grew very tender 
whenever he thought of it. 
One day Archie met John alone. 
“John,” he .said, “I’ve got a message for 
you. Nell sends her regards.” 
John blushed with pleasure, aud stammered 
out his thanks. It was the first message he 
had ever received from a young lady. It 
seemed to him after this, that Archie had 
been left in his special care. He watched 
over the slender lioy as carefully as a mother 
would have done. Perhaps Nellie would 
write and thank him for it. There were 
many tbiugs that hecould do to help the little 
man. He was tireless while there was a 
chance to win a word of thanks from the 
woman he loved. One message such as she 
sent before, would have well repaid him for 
all his extra work. 
A strange intimacy sprang up, by degrees, 
between the two men; strange, because they 
bad hitherto lived such widely different lives. 
Archie learned to lean upon his strong com¬ 
panion, to trust him with all his troubles, and 
to go to him for advice. He came to hold a 
great respect for John’s great strong blocks 
of advice, rough-hewn aud honest as himself, 
—chipped from a tough and bitter experi¬ 
ence. 
John almost worshipped liis little compan¬ 
ion. Archie grew to look more and more like 
Nellie. He had the same gentleness. He 
made a poor soldier, for he pitied his enemies. 
Just before Cbanoelloi'Sville, where they 
were captured, Johu bad told Archie the 
great secret. He never would have spoken of 
it had uot his little companion drawn it from 
him. The great companionship of danger hail 
taught Archie to respect and love “Honest 
Johu.” He wrote Nellie a long letter, paint¬ 
ing w ith boyish enthusiasm John's good quali¬ 
ties, and asking her, for her brother’s sake, to 
give one word of encouragement. John never 
knew till the hideous mouth of Audersonville 
yawned upon them that this letter bad ever 
beeuseot, Archie and be were swept out of 
the army at 0 bancdlorsvillc and left behind 
when the gray wave went rolling forward 
into Pennsylvania. 
It was a sad and bitter journey the prison¬ 
ers made, with beads hung in shame and idle, 
weaponless hands, toward the South. A 
dreadful, heart-breaking journey. Defeat 
behind them aud hopeless captivity before, 
with the dreadful stories of cruelty magnified 
u thousand times, and the sickening thought 
tiiat those at home were mourning their fate. 
The ouly news the}' could hear was the joy¬ 
fully repeated cry that Lee was marching on 
through Pennsylvania, sure to puns the winter 
in Philadelphia, aud thus cut the land of the 
Yankees in two. 
The Southern people really believed that the 
turning point of the war had come. So it had, 
in fact, but it turned as they little expected. 
Ckancellorsvi He seemed to them like Waterloo, 
and Leo was like Wellinglou marching on 
Paris. People turned out at all the little villages 
to see the Yankee prisoners. How they hated 
the blue uuiforra. ^ It was but natural that 
they should hate it. The Northern men had 
come among them as rough soldiers, with all 
the better feelings in them biunted by years 
of rude life aud cruel warfare. How were 
the women to know that these stern, dusty 
meu, who fought so savagely aud burned the 
pleasant homes so cruelly, had wives mid 
children of their own at home? The prisoners 
seemed to the great mass of Southern people 
like so many captured tigers. They were glad 
the creatures had been caught. They were 
glad to see them hurried on through the dust 
and the heat to the horrible prisons. 
Many of the women, with sous of their own 
at the* front, pitied Archie. He had been hurt 
in the battle anil he grew weak as the rough 
journey went on. The people did not taunt, him 
as they did the others. At one place a little 
girl ran out from the crowd aud handed him 
a cup of water, A woman dressed in the 
deepest mourning had suut the little thing on 
this errand of mercy. Archie and John never 
knew wdio she was. She may have been a 
Union woman, or some Southern mother 
whose dead son seemed to look out of Archie’s 
eyes. 
The prisoners were kept for a time at a 
small place in South Carolina, but when Sher¬ 
man began to threaten Georgia they were 
moved to Andersonville, The Southern lead- 
ere probably desired to locate their prison in 
some healthy spot where the prisoners would 
be safe from attack. The rude, chances of war 
crowded so many into the stockade, that it 
became a perfect den of disease. 
Poor little Archie grew weaker and weaker. 
John helped him on. divided his rations, and 
talked about Nellie. Archie’s strength gave 
out at last, and when lie staggered up the sand 
hills and looked down upon his terrible desti¬ 
nation, it was nothing but John’s strong arm 
that held Him on Ids feet. They marched 
down the hill to the gate. Archie would 
have fallen as they entered, had not John 
caught him in his arms from the ground. 
There was no halt for that forlorn column, 
and so, keeping step with the rest, they 
marched in through the gates of death together 
—Ai’chie iu John's arms. The guards noted 
them, and gave them the name at once, 
“ Babes iu the Woods!” 
No roan cau tell what these two suffered 
through these awful days. Archie grew 
weaker and weaker. His strength passed 
away from him slowly, and he came to look 
like a golden-haired ghost. John grew gaunt 
and desperate as be realized Archie’s condi¬ 
tion. He divided his rations with his comrade 
and even sold both allowances in order to 
secure some little dainty for bis weak com¬ 
panion. The most inoffensive of men before, 
be grew surly aud desperate when Archie was 
hungry. He fought many a fierce battle with 
other prisoners for the possession of the scanty 
food. He lost his former title and was now 
known as “ Fighting John.” It was not the 
famine and the disease that changed him, hut 
the desire to do somet hing that should make 
him worthier in the eyes of Nellie. 
Day after day they lived ou—through the 
dreary, rainy season, when the dreadful fever 
leaped over the stockade and laid its hot hands 
upon them, through the broiling days when 
they could only gasp for breath. It was a 
close contest with death for Archie, but still 
he lived on. John know too well that his 
friend was dying. He carried him tenderly 
about, thinking aud talking of the little girl 
at home. There was hardly a moment that he 
left the sick man’s side. On pleasant days he 
carried Archie out of their dug-out, and laid 
him tenderly on the sand. There they would 
sit for hours and talk. They could remember 
so many things about the home folks now, 
that bad been crushed from memory before. 
Poor Archie really expected to recover. He 
made plans for the people at home. John 
knew better. He knew that the prison gates 
would only open for Archie’s dead body. 
Their talk was always sure to center upon 
Nellie. They were like “ babes” surely when 
they reached this subject. 
They were speaking of her in fact when 
Jack Foster turned on his beat and looked 
down into the yard. Archie lay on the 
ground with Johu’s coat for a pillow. John 
sat at his side poiutiug with his hand in the 
direction of the place where Jack was w alking. 
He spoke so earnestly that Archie raised him¬ 
self slightly and looked iu the same direction. 
The sight evidently pleased him greatly for he 
smiled and said something that caused John 
to turn and look squarely at the sentinel. 
Jack could not hear any of the conversa¬ 
tion, but bis eyes followed the motion of the 
“little babe’s” baud. The cause of the dia¬ 
logue surprised him at. first, and yet he could 
not help appreciating it. Dow n in the ground, 
just below where he was walking, grew a 
great bunch of violets. They were beautiful 
—the only llowers he had seen iu the yard. 
Perhaps some brave angel hud brought them, 
with averted face, up to the stockade, and then 
turned back in horror at the wretched picture 
of despair. Jack had never noticed them be¬ 
fore. They were just inside the dead liue—far 
removed indeed from the two “babes,” for to 
cross that liue ineaut death. 
Jack gave the llowers but a moment’s 
thought There were sterner and pleasanter 
duties for him. He marched slow ly on, think¬ 
ing of his letters. Down iu the. prison the two 
“babes” still sat discussing the violets. 
(7b be continued.) 
pijscenatuous 
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Oftlriisbat'K, N. V. 
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