A Virginia Girl in the Civil War, 1861-1865: being a record of the actual experiences of the wife of a Confederate officer
John Locke · en
These words were spoken sarcastically by a man in civilian dress who
was with the sergeant--a detective, I suppose.
“I am Mrs. Milicent Duncan Norman, of Baltimore,” I said firmly. “You
can telegraph to No. -- Charles Street and see. You will please remove
your hand,” I continued. “If necessary I will go with you, but I am not
the person you wish to arrest. You are making a mistake.”
I turned my face full to the light, and stood, calm and composed,
though my knees were trembling under me, and I felt as if I should
faint. I saw Bobby at home waiting for me!
“I must stay over if you insist,” I repeated, “but I hope you will
permit me to convince you of your mistake. It would be extremely
inconvenient to me to be detained here. I left Baltimore this morning,
and my little boy has been without me all day. He will cry himself sick
if I don’t get home to-night.”
In spite of all I could do my lips quivered.
“I am sorry, madam,” said my sergeant, more respectfully than he had
hitherto spoken, “but you will have to come with me. If it is as you
say, you can telegraph and satisfy the authorities very quickly.”
My arrest had attracted some attention. I saw that people in the car
were gathering around me, and I saw curiosity in some faces, sympathy
in some, but among all those faces none that I knew. This was my first
visit to Washington, and there was not a soul to identify me. There was
nothing to do but to go and telegraph--if they would let me. I would
have to miss my train. Bobby was watching from the window for me this
very minute--Bobby would cry all night. I told the sergeant that I
would go, and tried to follow him, and then everything grew dark around
me, my head whirled, and I dropped across the seat nearest me.
I could not have been unconscious more than a second. The kind
gentleman over whose seat I had fallen had caught me, and was slapping
my face with a wet handkerchief, and assuring the sergeant that he knew
by my face that I was perfectly harmless and ought not to be arrested,
that he would bet anything on it, when a new passenger hurriedly
entered the car and brushed squarely up against us.
The sergeant was saying: “We must hurry,” and offering me his arm very
courteously. “You will feel better when you get out in the air. And you
will perhaps come out all right, and be able to go on to-morrow.”
The newcomer looked over the sergeant’s shoulder and saw me.
“Milicent!” he said, and clasped my hands.
It was a dear friend whom I had known in my girlhood days as Captain
Warren.
“What is all this?” he asked quickly of the sergeant.
The sergeant was staggered, the little man in civilian’s clothes
cringed, the old man who had offered to bet on me was in the majority.
“We must get out of this, commodore,” said the sergeant quickly, “the
car is moving.”