Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-12-02
The Young soldiers story.

The Young Soldiers story.
Generally speaking" began the youth
"stories have what is called moral to them
and if you don't know what that means ! shall
not stop to tell you
Yes, yes, we know ran in low murmurs
around.
well, mine has no moral, because it comes
too tate,n and his voice thrilled as he spoke
land If it had, its uses would be very doubt.
| full
1T matters very little who or what | am, y
he continued. II have lain in silk and purple,
and grew up as one born to command | went
to college, and very likely you think was a
wild, harum-scarum devil of fellow-boating
driving, hunting, gowning and towning it
cultivating wine, cards, and so on, as YOU may
have heard that young fellows with plenty Of
money do. Well, if you think so you are mis-
taken. ! was quiet, studious young man, |
might add moral and his sardonic laugh
Jared as before; and it would have been per
fectly true. loved books, study, and peace,
was good scholar, studied music and the arts,
fenced like Angelo-there is not a man in the
army, perhaps, that can play at the smallsword
with me-and quiet as an infant. / still had
fiery devil in me.
fell in love, ha hal with little doll of
girl about my age, that was seventeen, and
Tor whom would have taken my heart out of
my BOSOM: She was so frail and fairy-like a
creature, that could have put her in nv breast
to shelter her as one would little bird and
she loved me with such strength of faith, that
had been Don Juan himself there was such
lavish trust in her that she would have con-
verted me from debauchee into true, honest
| man.
She IS as still now as frozen rill-sleep-
ing like the streams of winter-she will never
waken again. and his head fell on his breast /;
though his eyes were burning with the pain Of
MS strong agony, they were not moistened with a
tear. They had dried at the very fountains.
u dare say more than one among you know
what it is to be in love, my lads Here is Char
ley, for instance" and our hero gave a start !:
he, imagine, can understand me-"
Yes, yesr' again murmured the soldiers;
"we know it."
"4esl" he repeated, somewhat scornfully;
all very well that but different men have diff.
terent ideas of love. Some are sensual and de.
PRAYED, and with them love is mere pollution
and miscomprehension of the sublime passion;
and have met with but few that could under
stand it as did, but it was with me portion
of life-of existence!
Yes, with me it was different; she was a
lovely little trusting flower the daughter of a
very worthy, honest tradesman, who loved her
| like the apple of his eye! but she was worthy
OF throne, and | would have given her one.
As it was, ! could make her, thong ht-fool
that was!-honored, great, wealthy. She is
poor enough now, and so am l!
"Our dream of love was delicious but yerv
| brief. She eloped with me, aud, as the Lord
God liveth, meant her no harm-for / made
her my wife?" he added, with solemnity that
startled the soldiers, who were not often moved
| by any strength of expression.
| " s, she became nv wifer' he continued
Your wife" calculated one or two of the
men. Thunder and lightning, here, Dick.
give us your hand, my boy!' and cordial
grasp was given. We thought you trifed with
the little child"
| Ny parents heard that had eoped with
| the child OF tradesman," the soldier, needless
| OF this went on "and threatened the poor old
| fellow with ruin and humiliation. 1t would not
have taken much to have broken his heart. for It
was half gone already; but what was done could
not be undone; and thought my father and
mother loved me too well to thwart me, and
that had only to bring her home to give her
another father and mother who would love her
like her own. 80
meant to have put her back into his bosom,
ana sald, embrace your daughter but also EN-.
| brace my wife, and you can love her still but
that day never came. believed, however.
very firmly in it and was happy, living in a
niue Eaen Oh my own, far from the turmoil of
| me, ana expecting then my little baby hourly.
MY parents prevented this" he continued
after convulsIve pause, during which he drew
his hand over his brow several times 90 tbonoh
things were crowding into his brain. and con.
fusing him with their multitudinous variety
Yes, they hindered all We lived in Wales
at the time, and when my baby was born. and
she put 1t IN my bosom, and laid her own sweet
little head like blossoming flower beside Il I
i prayed tor her, for both, and loved them
more and more. Then / made up nv mind to
return to my fathers house.
one day l went to my little home, after
walking, or fishing. or something, and found
her gone-gone-both gonel O! then the
sleeping devil within me woke up. learned
from the people OF the house, that stern man,
and proud, pale woman, richly dressed. drovo
up in splendid chariot, drawn by four horses
and carried her ofg-robbed me of INV wife and
child. This man-this woman, were NV na-
rents. travelled night and day, and arrived
at their house in town.
!" demanded my wife they called her a
designing. cunning girl-and they said some.
tnlnS worse OF her than / conld bear, and I
sllenced them, and made them turn pale and
tremble. | demanded my child. They knew
nothing OF either. l cursed them both. and
Quilted the house, never to return to it more.
need not tell how long AFTER or by what
means, | traced my Alice through stages of
wretchedness and penury, till l found both
mother and child, dying on mean pallet in
aparish workhouse.
u could have called curses from heaven.
and fires from hell to avenge this immitigable
wrong-for what this pale, tender dove done to
WIN such an atrocious injury? But when saw
her pale, thin cheeks, and heard her moaning.
and saw her wasted babe on the halfstarved
breast OF the woman / adored, as devotees
adore heaven, | stilled my SOUL shed no
tears; ! heard her utter cry of joy and pain,
my head, as laid it kneeling by her side in
that horrible hole, upon her breast beside INV
child No NY
Little Alice ! said, little Alice, you and
not ha1o 1~n 4