Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: In Rose Mather’s carriage, and behind the iron-grays, an honor she had never dreamed in store for her, when she saw, as she often had, the stylish turnout passing the door of her cottage in the Hollow. That night, just as it was growing dark, there came to the cottage in the Hollow a servant from the Mather mansion, bearing Rose’s compliments and a huge basket of jellies, wines, pickles, preserves, French mustard, and fruit cake, the whole comprising a miniature grocery of as questionable delicacies as were ever offered to an invalid. But it showed how kind Rose Mather was, and in her accustomed prayer that night Annie did not forget to commend to the Throne of Grace the little thoughtless lady, whose first attempt to benefit the soldiera had ended so disastrously. CHAPTER HI THE DEPARTURE The 13th Regiment was ordered to Elmira, and the day had arrived for the departure of the volunteers. Bright was the sun and cloudless the sky which shone on Rockland, that spring day, but cloudless sky nor warm spring sun could comfort the many hearts about to part with their treasure, some forever, and some to meet again, but when or where or how, none could tell save Him who holds the secrets of the future. Mothers there were, who, since the hour which gave them birth, had never felt a pang so keen, a pain so sore, as when with hearts too full of anguish for the dry red eyes to weep, they watched their sons pass from the threshold of the door, and knew that when the golden sunlight, fallfiig so brightly around them, was purple in the west, they would look in vain for that returning step, listen in vain for tones which were the first, perhaps, to stir the deep fountains of maternal love. Fathers too, were there, with heads bent down as if to hide the tears they deemed it weak to…