The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-07-24
II that remains TO them Of Willie.

0u LIt0G ICIuAsuO ~ SSBOIA Va W HhNe
How stiff and positive seem those let.
tors, telling 80 Enthusiastically that he is
dead! "KrLLEDv' Not wounded
not "missing"-no hope-he is "ksl1ear'
i The paper containing the sad news
falls unnoticed to the fioor-there is no
shrieking or loud weeping. Crest
glistenng tears trickle through the fin.
gers Of the stricken mother and fall
into the brown hair Of Zura whose head
Is pillowed in her lap.
Willie is dead there seems nothing
to hope-nothing to live ior. Willie
may have had faults, not one is remem.
bercd tonight in the little brown cot.
tagc
The mother remembers him as he
leaned on her knee, and looked with
fond truthful eyes upon her face, as she
taught HIM his first childish lesson.
The father remembers him as the
brave, dutiful son who gladly shared
his toils-the son whose providence and
tender regard was to be his shield and
support In his oil age. The sweet Zura
remembers him as he appeared to her
fond gaze, when she was first assured
that his whole noble heart was hers
alone-as the kind hearted youth who
chose her to be the sharer of bis joys
and sorrows through lite's voyage.
The snowy locks Of the old man drop
in disorder over his wrinkled brow as
he PAGES the floor. Great sights strug-
gle mp from his bosom and convulse his
frame tears glitter on his cheeks and
course in their burrows, but his grief
is too deep to find relief in noisy utter
ancc. As he turns in his walk, his eyes
seek the trusty old rifle banging in its
wooden hooks above the kitchen door.
There is fierce blaze in his eye; he
smitcs his clenched hands upoh his
thigh; his bosom swclls and he no long
cr stoops; his frame is erect as in his
youth, and every muscle rs firm.
Alas! tits but for a moment lie
shakes. his head despondenuy ; the FIRE
ofhis eye Is gone; his tense muscles re-
lax, his head drops upon his breast, and
he resumes his walk STOPPING old
man.
Peace, peace, oil man! Those
thoughts arc vain Leave the work Of
vengeance to other hands-to younger,
stronger armsl
Suddenly the young girl starts up
from her recnmbent position. Back
from her broad, snow. white brow she
tosses the Struggling masses Of her
brown, flowing hair, and drawing up
her slender from in qneenly ercctness.
with eyes scintillating sparks of the ar.
dent flame burning within their lucid
depths, her hand-more perfectly med
cled than any cliseled work ever fash
ioncd by dreamy Grecian sculpto,
is slightly advanced, and the pent feel
ings Of her souls depths break forth in
rapid fiery utterancc.
Seemingly, her words were not nd
dressed to the old people, her compan.
ions-she did not even once turn her
gaze upon them, but with eyes looking
slightly upward, she poured forth the
feelings gushing up hot from her heart
as though the whole people Of the land
were within hearing Of hes ringing
voice:
"Why is this hearthstone made desc
late? Why are tho hearts Of these old
peoplc-why is my heart torn with grie1
Our souls weighed down with woe
To whom do we owe this sad afllction'
To men calling themselves Americans
ito brothers born and nnrtured unde
the beni6cent government--shelteret
, under the broad, protecting wing o
our own, that American eagle! Broth
ers in whose prosperity We have eve
4 reioiced !-brothers whose woes hav
ever been our sorrow-for whose aflic
tion we have ever shed the tear ofeym
|, pathy !! False brothers-per6dioua
plotting bretheren, this your work !
: this is your traitorous return for ou
! fraternal trust! Giving credenco +
your professions Of friendship and af
I lection, we allqEed you to possess your
: selves Of our arms and armor. Conl
!, we for moment suspect our own breth
ren-brethIe with whom We had 9
: long stood shoulder to shoulder, an
n walked arm in arm-ofpossessing heart
h sufficiently black, souls sufficiently d
d moniac, to mediate such an infamous
is fratricidal act as plunging our own WEI
It pons into our defenceless breasts? NJ