The Star of Gettysburg

more hovering of the temperature near the zero mark. The vast sea of mud increased, and the swollen Rappahannock, deep at any time, flowed between the two armies. P

on on a great scale. One commander-in-chief after another had failed. After Antietam it had seemed that success could be won, but the South had come back stronger than ever and had won Fredericksburg

the icy ruins. A few families had returned, but as the town was still pract

ud, ice and snow were deeper than ever in the streets. Many of the houses had been demolished by cannon balls and fire, and only fragments of them lay about the ground. Others had been wrecked but partially, with holes in th

missed gloom, and, first making a brave pretence, finally succeeded in having real cheerfulness in a fine old brick house which had been pretty well shot up, but which had some so

el Leonidas Talbot and Lieutenant-Colonel Hector St. Hilaire occupied the great sitting room on the ground floor, and

and those of the parlor adjoining it. Curtains hung at the windows. They were more or less discolored by smoke and other agencies, but they were curtains. A

, save that two one-hundred-pound cannon balls, fired by the Unio

Langdon, as Harry a

ch he had taken from a deserted sutler's wagon on the fie

most welco

rst arrival, but

to all Virginia Presby

" said Dalton, as he drew from under his cloak tw

do. Go in on t

bacon, and the other with a twenty-pound bag of flour. More followed, bringing like tickets that were perfectly good, and it seemed that all

rom Gen'ral Jac

on, looking at the

asked the colored man, his wide mouth parting in an

ight of the Dark but Kind Cou

s head and looked do

ng me some kind of

a? Bearest thou upon thy person some written token, or, as

philus Moncrieffe. That's the owner of this house, and I bel

as addressed to the chief of whatever officers might be occupyi

ND GEN

irginia for more than two hundred years. He is a good man, as were his father and grandfather before him. He will not steal unle

in the army, I have therefore sent him to you with what I could gather together, in order that he might cook you a dinner worthy of Christmas. Put him to work,

ia the continued and brilliant succ

ema

obedient

LUS MON

ppy Tom. "It is a stout and goodly horse from which thou hast dismounted, and I see that he yet carries on his

t well, and he grinned. Happy Tom rushed toward Colonel Talbot

Colonel Talbot, s

ar to be excited, and that is not see

up by the Yankees, but it's a dinner, Colonel! It's a Christmas dinner, and it b

light-headed way than usual. All that we had we brought with us, and your young

t come in with a loaded horse, belonging to the owner of th

and passed it to Lieutenant-Colonel St.

h, Hector?" Col

ellent, L

h Happy Tom, and again Ca

onel Talbot. "I am commander here.

ad his horse. The young officers had come crowding to the door, but

's real! By all the stars and the sun and the moon, too, it's real, be

id Harry. "Ah, you noble bird! What better fate could you fi

r turkey!"

f nuts!" sai

o bottles of claret

" said Lieutenant-Colo

Colonel Talbot, in whose eye, usu

fe, just nine years old. She wished she had a bunch for eve

ncrieffe, aged nine," said

y we all of us," the

there which you can give to him. Then come to the kitchen. Mr. Moncrieffe, whose name be praised, says that you'r

orse to the stable, and the approvi

y doubts about Santa

Clair, "but like you I

out this restoration of our bel

person we all observe

s a very l

wo at the v

wenty, and all of i

is coa

rk night he would seem to b

ybody before that Santa Claus

irst who have ever se

a will and a wonderful light-handed dexterity that justified Mr. Moncrieffe's praise of him. The younger office

ips and hunger of two years. More than twenty officers were present, and by putting together thr

we have for friends not so f

heart, Leonidas," said Lieuten

ave Southern youth have gone, Hector. However, we will not speak of that to-day, and we will try not

istmas dinner was eaten that day in the whole United States. Invincible youth was around the bo

other slice of ham they heard the boom of a cannon on the far side of the Rappahannock. Ha

, sir?" he said to Colonel Talbot. "T

and they would not violate Christmas in that manner. We and the Yankees have become too good frien

. Listen, there goes

t each side will fire either seven or twelve shots. It is certainly a graceful compliment from the Yankees,

e will be twelve," said Lieutenant-Colonel St

piece," said

," said S

w," said

," said

ow," sai

w," said

d," said Colonel Talbot.

y counted. Harry knew that both armies, far up and down the river, were counting those shots, as the lit

said under

en

eve

elv

conveying Christmas good wishes, and the group in the house went back to their dinner. Some glasses had been found, and there was a thimbleful of wine, enough for ever

down upon them, hiding the ruined town, the blackened walls, t

had been sufficient for their purpose-wiped them carefully, and

stay here. You've done enough for one day. In fac

, "but I done got to git back to Mass

. Besides, some Yankee scout may

ees every time. On a dark night like this I could go right up the gul

nd. Then they saw him ride away in the darkness, armed with his pass from General Jackson, and

y of our colored people regard the Yankees who are trying now to fr

n little of cruelty, too, in my own South Carolina. They are used to our ways, and they turn to us for the help that is seldom refused. The Northerner wil

idn't free 'em ou

ut many of our famous men, Harry, have not approved of it. The great Washington said slavery, with its shiftless metho

's one of the things we're now fighting for, unless we should

him a man set apart. He is not really in touch with the nation. He cannot be, because he has so little personal contact with it. For that reason West Pointers should never aspire to public office. It does not suit them,

ied Harry, as he joined

as sad, I l

ng farewe

d tears my s

er heart wa

words her na

the vows th

eart in ang

I left be

tay overnight at the house, and, forgetful of the war, they sang one song after anot

ooms," said Colonel Talbot. "Take the candle.

burning low, but Happy Tom and Arthur, shielding

the wall on the other side. You need not get under that hole if it should rain or snow, and meanwhile it serves splendidly for ventilation. The rip in the wall serves the same purpose, and, of course, you have too much sense to fall through it. Some blankets are spr

Dalton, as St. Clair and Langdon went out. "There's straw

windows and the cannon-shot hole

sing, I'm going to put my clothes in it, where they'll keep dry. You'll notice that all the panes

up in some way in that old head of

ened the

s been left h

doll with blue ey

dy who sent us the holly. Evidently they took away all their clothing and lighter articles of furniture, but they

he doll and closed the drawer. "You and I ought to b

ndressed rapidly and lay down upon the

they were dragged into the middle of the r

eady. Go down on a piece of the back porch that's left, and you'll find two pans of cold water in which you can wash your f

e from the covers they found it icy cold in the room. Then they ran down,

ir," sa

much of it,"

some new ones came to town last night! And what a cold river! I don't

from it, too. It looks exactly as

id Harry. "I'm going to make a

ir work ceased in a moment or two, as breakfast was ready. It consisted of coffee and bread and ham left over from the n

said Colonel Talbot, "an

e, finishing first, withdrew to a wide window seat. There they produced the board and box of ch

in great danger, Leonidas," said L

I do not think it beyon

a hard tas

ficer in the Army of Northern Virginia, and the Army

as, but I must insist that your po

Hector, but I assert firmly t

ntil they almost touched. Everybody maintained a respectful silence. Colonel Talbot's brow was corded deeply

em to be your rig

tor, as you wil

ill now choose

whole mental energy upon the problem. Harry watched them a little while, and then

tainment in so slow a game," he sa

r, with a slight smile. "It's odd how something always breaks it up. I

is intellectual, mere

Colonel Leonidas Talbot made another, and th

You made no royal capture, H

see your path of retreat. I must en

other side of the river, saw a flash of flame a

arry?" asked C

elling us Christmas is over. The bal

e done all the damage to Fredericksburg

A whistling sound suddenly came from the street without. Something struck with a terrible impact, and then followed a blinding

smen were scattered on the floor and the board was split in half. A fragment of the exploding shell had entered the wi

ad suffered except the chessboard. He sprang

strips underneath, a few tacks,

p the scattered chessmen and announ

he young still show courtesy to their elders. You will bear in mind, Hector, when this game is

will be no trouble to either of us to replace

hosts. Heavy winter rains began. The country on both sides of the Rappahannock became a vast sea of mud, and the soldiers had to

ear and the first day of the new, along the banks of Stone River. Harry and his comrades looked for a t

nd he was reading from it to an attent

o or three days later we withdrew to Chattanooga. Well, I don't call it much of a v

Happy Tom, "and since it looks like a draw, so far as the f

id come of them? Here is the enemy on Virginia soil, just as he was before. We've given the Army of the Potomac a terrible thrashing at Fredericksbu

. "We don't want any lecture from yo

ton, laughing, "but I

illage of Falmouth. The Army of Northern Virginia faced it, and along the hillsides the young Southern soldiers erected s

AY TO