Noon
it was useless now . Her darling 's heart was weaned away , and her love lavished on that tall , objectionable young soldier so soon to go forth to battle . Reproaches , tears , wrath , were all in order , but were abandoned at sight of poor Nina 's agony of grief . Noon came , and the train , and with buoyant tread the gallant command marched down the winding road and filed aboard the cars , and Howard Jerrold , shame-stricken , humbled at the contemplation of his own unworthiness , slowly unclasped her arms from about his neck , laid one long kiss upon her white and quivering lips , took one brief look in the great , dark , haunting , despairing eyes , and carried her wail of anguish ringing in his ears as he sprang aboard and was whirled away . But there were women who deemed themselves worse off than Nina Beaubien , -- the wives and daughters and sweethearts whom she met that morn in town ; for when they got back to Sibley the regiment was miles away . For them there was not even a kiss from the lips of those they loved . Time and train waited for no woman .