At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

38 AT A GIRL'S MERCY. — I’m not to be fooled. I’ve heard all about you, Nan, and I shall report you at headquarters as deserving of promotion.”’ “But isn’t it terrible about mamma, Ned? I haven’t seen her since early this morning. The nurse won’t allow me in the room, and at the door I can hear her talking, talking, about the boys, papa said —always about the boys as they were before this terrible war. When willit end? Willit ever end, Ned?’’ ‘Oh, yes,’’ he replied, cheerily, gently pushing her down upon the seat within the door of the sum- mer-house, and sitting on the step at her feet, for he saw she was over-excited and much depressed. ‘‘Oh, yes, it will end, though it ae not in some time, but end it must, Nan.” ‘“‘IT wish I could help end it,’’ she said, wistfully. ‘It is so much easier to fight than to stay at home and wait, and wait we never know what for, nor what we will see when we take up the paper——”’ She broke off here, lifting the paper in her hands as she looked down at him almost piteously, a wan little smile on her lips. “See what a coward I am,” she cried. ‘‘I haven’t dared look at it this whole day. It seems as though if anything else should——”’ ‘“There are accounts of the Killed and wounded,”’ he said, with quick kindness, ‘‘as usual, and a - glowing description of General Pope’s struggle against Lee to save Washington, but there is noth- ing you need fear personally, Nan. You have enough to bear just now without that. What is this trouble of your father’s? It will be a heavy drain on him, will it not, losing so much a ERUCe: I hope it is no worse than I heard?” mn Eomicbooks.co