Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson, and Twenty Great BattlesMcElroy, John
History
Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson, and Twenty Great Battles
McElroy, John
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction
“The preliminaries were soon arranged, and Mr. Whit-comb and I procured
the necessary license. I then called in our minister, the Rev. Mr. Lowe,
who performed the marriage ceremony in the parlor of our home. We were
very happy that evening in celebrating Henry's and Seraine's wedding,
and seemed to have forgotten for the time being all our misfortunes
and griefs. In speaking of Seraine's success in visiting the Southern
prison-pens and rescuing Henry, I came very near letting out the secret
kept from her father and mother about the visit of Mary Anderson to the
President in order to rescue her brother, but caught myself in time
and changed the conversation. Our minister, a truly loyal man, was
most enthusiastic over the marriage, insisting that this was just as it
should be, and at the same time expressing some surprise that it had
not taken place before. I said to him that I felt so, but had not
interfered. I had allowed the two young people to arrange the matter to
suit themselves. I must confess, however, that I was well pleased, and
certainly should never have been satisfied if Henry had not married
Seraine. No more devoted woman ever lived.
“Just at this moment Aunt Martha announced tea. We all entered the
dining-room and sat down to tea, as she called it, but found, instead,
a right royal wedding feast, which all enjoyed exceedingly. Young
James Whitcomb, who had been very quiet during the evening, though very
attentive to his mother and father, now asked the minister if he thought
it right for him to keep from his parents anything pertaining to himself
which might distress them in his absence.
“Mr. Lowe replied that he thought they should know all. All turned
and looked at each other with surprise. The young man was silent for a
moment, and his great blue eyes filled with tears. He said:
“'I have never heretofore kept anything from my mother, father or
sister, and I am now fully determined to tell them all about myself.'
“We enjoyed our dinner, however, and joked Henry by telling him that
Seraine would have to look after him, as she had been doing all through
the war up to this time.
“Here Aunt Martha had to come in; we could not stop her. She said:
“'Yes, sah; dat gal takes kear of Marsa Henry. If it not done been
for her he done starved to deff, he would. Dem Sesh, dey be affer dis
fambly. Dey done kill mos' all, and am still affer you. I tells you, dey
am; I knows dem, I do. Marsa Henry, you mus' stay home wid de folks, you
mus'.'
“At this my wife became much distressed. I told Aunt Martha to stop,
which she did. Aunt Sarah then referred to Peter, saying that her dreams
were now entirely about him, and that she was sorely troubled on his
account. Ham stood near by, listening, and said:
“'No mistake, Marsa Peter all right. I see him las' night in my head
glass when I's sleep. He all right, sho'.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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