St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-01-17

sleeping, and alter gazing on him some
time in silence, aWoke him.
Pierre opened his eyes, and staring
about him, said: 40 - ,~.r'ff',:
"The hour, then, is at last come" !
! "No, Pierre" replied the officer, ''it is
not yet the hour, but it will soon GOMEZ;
"|And what do you want with me until
then p ..,.. - r..;5
':Dost thou not know me, Pierre 2? No
matter; [ know thee we'll. I saw thee at
Austerlitz, and bravely didst thou bear
myself From that day, Pierre, l have
had for thee regard no less warm than
sincere. Yesterday, on my arrival at
Strasburg, I learned thy crime and con
demnation. have prevailed on the jail
err, who is relation of mine, to allow me
to sec thee. And now that I have come,
[ would say to thee Pierre, it is often sad
thought for man about to die, that he has
not a friend near him to whom he might
open his heart, and intrust with some sa-
cred commission to discharge when he
should be no more. It thou wilt accept
me, I will be to thee that friend"
II thank you, comrade," replied Pierre
"Why! hast thou nothing to say to me??''
"Nothing. o., 49,,
"What! not one word of adieu to thy
sweetheart ?--to thy sister," r :. !:
"a sweetheart? sister never had eli
ther.' 49, $50, -.~. -~,,eu -. -~-~=
ITO thy father?'' ~---: "r:s.Ga
"He is no more. Two months ago he
died in my arms
"Thy mother then!"
"Ny mother y'-and Pierre, whose voice
suddenly and totally changed, repeated-
"my mother; All, comrade, do not utter
that name--I have never sad it in nv
heart-Without feeling melted like child;
and even new, methinks, if I were to speak
"What then p .:..:.;# ri,
''The tears would come-and tears do
not, become I, imam. x x x X TearsInn,
continued he, clears. when have but a
few hours to live! All! there would not
be much courage in that!' :.<.: -.
!"Thou art too stern, comrade. I think
I have, thank God; as much 'counraa courage as,
other people; and yet I would not be
ashamed OF. weeping, weret1 to speak of
my mother" , !. -. -. ,.o.
"Arc you serious q" said Pierre, eagerly
seizing the, officers hand. "You a man
and a soldier, and not ashamed to weep"
"When speaking of my mother 2: Ger
tainly not. My mothel is 50 good, SO kind.
She loves me much, and I, too, love her
dearly"
''shc loves you, and you love her? Oh!
then may, indeed, tell you ALL My heart
is tull-it must have vent; and, however
strange my feelings appear to you, am
sure you will not laug Oh at them. Listen,
then; for what you said just now is quite
true: "A man is glad, when about to die,
to have heart into which he can pour
out his own. Will you listen to me, and
not laugh at me?"
"Suerely will listen, Pierre. A dying
man must ever excite compassionate SYM
pathy" ..
"lou must know, that since I came IN
to this world, I never loved but one being
that being was my mother But her /
loved as none lovcd-with all that was in .
me of life and energy. While yet babe,
| used to read her eyes, as she read mine,
l guessed her thoughts, and she knew
mine. She was the heart of my heart,
and l the heart OF hers Ihave never had
either sweetheart or wife; I never had a
friend; my mother was everything to nc.
Well, was summoned to t:ke up arms
and when they told me I must leave her, =
in a paroxysm Of despair I declared they
might drag me. limb from limb. but never
should they take me from her alive. With
one word spoken in her holy fortitude and
strong courage, she changed my whole
"Pierre,' said she, you must go--it is !:
my wish:' ..~. :,
~ knelt before her, and said, 4 will co., ~
mother J.. i
"'Pierre, she added, thou hast been a
good son, and thank God for it; but the
duties of a son are not the only ones a man
has to fulfill. Every citizen owes himself
to his country; it calls THEOLOGY! Thou
art going to be a soldier. From this mo-
ment thy hfe1s no longer thine own it
is thy country's. If its interests demand
it, lay it down cheerfully. If it be- the
Will Of God that thou shouldst die BEFORE
me, I should weep for thee my hearts
tears but I will say, "He gave, and He
has taken away, blessed be the name of
the Lord!' Go, now, and if thou love:
thy mother, do thy duty: oh! how pre-
cious those holy words I have never for
gotten them. DO thy Duty she said:
Now, the duty Of soldier was always; and
in all things, to- obey; and in all things,
and always, Iobcyed. twas to 90 straight
forward-to face danger without hesitation
without second thought; and went "
straight forward faced danger without
Observation-Disclosures second Thought
Those who saw me tt nus, as it We're, seek,