Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1859-01-13

Christain" he echoed in that deep
tone which thrilled tho preacher to the
heart, "will that faith give me back my
honor! Come with me-with me fal, far
over the water. Hal We are there! This
/ is my native home. Yonder Is the church
in which knelt in my childhood-yonder
the green on which sported when boy.
But another flag than that waved when
was child. And listen, old man were
TO pass this street as passed when but
| child, the very babes in their cradles would
raise their tiny hands and curse me. The
graves in yonder oharchyard would shrink
from my footsteps, and yonder flag would
stain baptism of blood upon my heart"
That was an awful death bed The
minister has watched the I" last night"
with a hundred convicts in their cells and
yet never beheld scene as terrible as
this.
Suddenly the dying man arose. He
tottered along the floor. With those white
fingers, whose mails were blue with the
death.chil, he threw open the valise. He
showed his military coat trimmed with
silver, an old parchment, piece Of cloth
that looked like the wreck of q battle
flag.
:" Look ye, priest, this faded coat is
spotted with my blood ~ he cried, as old
memories seemed stirring at his heart
!" This is the coat wore when planted
the banner Of the stars on Ticonderoga-
That bullet hole was pierced in the fight
at Quebec now-I am a--let me whisper
in your ear"
Now, help me, priest" he said in
voice growing suddenly tremulous help
me put on this coat of blue and silver
For you see,' and a ghostly smile came
over his face; ''there is no one to wipe
the cold drops from my brow no wife, no
child must meet death alone but |
will meet him as met him in battle, with.
out fear
While he stood arraying himself in that
worm eaten coat Of blue and silver, the
good preacher spoke to him Of faith in
Jesus. Yes, of grea, faith, which pierccs
the clouds Of human guilt, and rolls them
back from the face Of God.
Faith = echoed the strange man, who
stood there erect, with the death .lgh, in
his eye. Faith, can it give me back my
honor? Look, ye, priest, there over the
waves sits George Washington, telling to
his comrades the pleasant story Of the
eight years war-there, IN his royal hall,
sits George of England, bewailing in his
diotic voice the loss of his colonies And
here am I-I-who was the first to raise
he Gag nf freaAa.a7 the. s IS. .a strike II
blow against that king-here am |, dying
like dog T.
The awe stricken preacher started back
from the look Of the dying man, while
-throb--throb-be the death
watch in the shattered wall.
"Iiush silence along the lines there 7"
he muttered, in that wild, absen. tone. as
though speaking to the dead; "silence
along the lines! Hark, you, Montgomery,
we will meet there in victory or death
Hist! silence. my men, not q whisper, as
you move up those steep rocks +! Now on
my boys, now on Pen Of the wilder,
ness we will gain the town. Now up with
the banner Of the stars! up with the flag
Of freedom, though the night is dark and
the snow falsl Now now - shrieked
the death stricken man towering there in
the blue uniform. with his clenched hands
waving in the air-"now, now! One blow
aud Quebec is ours T.
And look. Iiiseyes grew CLASSY. With
that word Oh his lips he stands there--ah
what hideens picture of despair erect.
livi1. ghasty. fhere Cor a moment, and
then he falls, He is dead All, look at
that proud form, thrown cold aud stiff up
on the damp floor In that CLASSY eye
there fingers even yet. horrible energy,
suhIimi'y Of despair.
Who j. this strange man. dying here
alone in this rude Sarret this man who
in all his crime. still treasured up his blue
uniform and failed flag?
Who is this being Of terrible remorse ?
This man whose memories link something
Of heaven and hell
Let US look at that parchment and the
flag
The old minister unrols that faded flag
it was blue banner cleaning with tbr
teen stars.
He unrolls that parchment. 1t is
Caonel's commission in the Continental
Army, addressed Bv>rrIer ARNOLD!
And there IN that rude hut, while the
death watch throbbed like heart in tn"
shattered wall--unknown, unwept, in all
the bitterness o" desolation, lay the corpse
Of that patriot and traitor. o, that our
own true Washington had been there, to
sever that good right arm from the corpse,
and while the dishonored body rotted into
dust, to bring home that good right arm,
and cmbalm it among the hoiest memo.
res Of the past
For that righ, arm had struck many
gallant blow for freedom, yonder at Ticoa
deroga, at Quebec, Champlain aud Sara
toga--that arm yonder, beneath the snow
white mountain, on the deep silence OF the
dead, first raised into sight the banner oil
,la