The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-12-12
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d ght at Quebec; now an, a-let me
whisper in your ear
Now help me, priest he said in a
voice growing suddenly ,remalous, .help
me put on this coat Of blue aud oliver
For you see, and q easily smile came
over his face, there is no one to wine
.ae cold drops from my bros: no wife
no child must meet death alone; but
l VIII meet him as I met him in battle.
withou. foar.'
While he stood arraying himself in
that worm eaten coat of blue and silver
tie good preacher sposs to BIN of faith
in !esus. Yes, Of that great faith which
piarees tAe clouds Of human guilt, and
rolls .aeln back from tho face Of God
Faith echoed the strange man, who
sSeod there erect, with the death light in
ais eyes. Faith, can it give me back NV
honhof' Look, ye, priest, there over
'os "a'ef' SITS dsorge Washington telling
20 big comrades the pleasant story Of the
elchs years w'r-:n his royal hall sits,
George Of England bewailing in bis IDIOT
'e voice the loss Of bis colonies AMI
here am I-I-who was the frst I. ar;so,
the blow against that King-hero am l..
dying like dogP
lie awe-stricken preacher started
back from the look Of tho dying man.,
Observation-Disclosures the
death-wateh i'll the wall.
lush! silence along tho lines there p
he muttered in that wild absent tone 40
though speaking to the dead bark YOU
montgomery, we viii meet them there
IN victory or deathl Hist! silence INV
men; not a whisper as you move Up those
steep rocks! now on my boys, BOW on!
Men Of the wilderness we will ssin the
town. Nov up with the banner Of tho
stars;up with the flag Of freedom though.
tie night is dark and the snow falls /
Now-now-' shrieked the death strick-
en- man, towering there il tho blue uni.
form, snow, nov ore blox, sad Quebec,
| is oursp
And look. His eyes grow glassy.-
With that word on bis lips, he stands
there-ah what hideous picture Of des-
pair, erect, livid, CHASTITY There for a
moment ard then he falls Ha is dead r
Abs look at that proud form, throwA
cold and stiff upon the damp Hsor. In
that CLASSY eye there fingers even vet.
horrible energy, sublimity of wild dos
pair.
Who is this strange man. dying here
alone in this rude garnet; this man, who,
with oil his crimes, still treasured up his
blue uniform and faded flag!
Let US look at the parchment and u 9 :
f1agl
The old minister anrolls the faded flag
it is a blue banner cleaning with thir-
teen stars.
lie unrolls that parchment. 1t is a
ColoncPs commission in the Centinent.J'
Army, addressed to BENEDICT AR.
NOLDl
And there, in that ruds hut, while the,
deathwatch throbbed in the shattered
wall-upknown, unwept, in oil the Bit
terness of deso'ation, lay the corpse o,
| that patriot and traitor.
O, that our own true Washington,
had been there to sever that right arm
from the corpse, and while the body rot
ted into dust, to bring home that coed
right arm, and ernbalm it among the.
hottest memories Of the past.
For that right arm had struck mauy.s
gallant blow for freedom, yender at IT,
conderogo, at Quebec, Champlain ans
Saratoga--that arm yon9er, beneath the
snow-white mountain, on the deep silence
Of the Dead, first raised into sight t. .:
banner the Stars.
It was during the renownd expedition
through the wilderness to Quebec, that
Arnold encamped for two or three days
beside the River OF he Dead, near the
snov-whi;e nountsin, which rose in
lovely grandeur over oil other mountains,
into the autumnel s.4y. A single soldier
assembled the mountain with The hope Of
beholdirg from its summit tie rocks END
spires OF Quebec. When he cana down
Arnold took from his breast, where, for
four days in prirs.ioh and danger, he
had carried il, blne banner glesming
with thirteen stars. lie raised it into
| the light and FOR the frs. time the Con-
| tinental Bonner foatsd over tho soil
| 81. "a i n