Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-03-01
An American Mother.

AL AHSiIC1u QxOGu5E.
Il understand YOU; I passed thru
| Ill that year. ayn!' sail q grAy-hair-
ed, careworn mother, to whom we were
'nrnrnf'ully talking about the boys en-
hst n.nt "B It there's 4 comfort for
YOU. There's something to die for
now; this var is for rights and lib-r.
ties 4; that was cruel war of conquest
that took our children in 1917"
Il never stall forget the day Char,
lev cam. to ask M If he might enlist
1t was vet. gloomy i,v in early FL
ruarv. 1t had been raining steadily ali
the week. TaiS was "Wednesday. and
now the winl had refreshed y little
an the cloui, were moving, but it
was heavy and stormy still. 1t wax
dark bv four o'clock, and ! was hurry
inc to get nv fine work done before
dark, thinking about him all the time.
H. hal been ont of work six weeks
I had done everything l could think
Of for him; hal applied everywhere.
and got the cold shoulder from all our
rich relations. | knew he was almost
,!iscnura ged, an1 | didn't dare ask his
father to let him stay at home. All six
Of the .lrs were 1T home then, and
work was dull.
Il was trvinr hard to contrive some
plan, j:1st a. the door opened, and he
came iii. H. sat down with a tired,
discouraged look, AMI I knew in a
minute he hadn't had any lux. The
giri> we're sewing ana sin5in! by one
wiEiow and l sat by the other; the
chilitcn had not come home yet. /
had Just put down 4 new carpet, and
put up 4 new cooking stove we look
ed pretty comfortable for the hard
times. Well, he sat there and looked
around AMI noticed everything H.
was \ great home boy, and thought
there was no woman SO smart as his
mother.
"'Whrre did this new carpet come
from, mothcr:' sail he.
IL earned it.
"'A IL the Stovp, too:'
Yes, that oil! affair was fairly
burned OUT
"'Y You'r- 4 great Tonoa.' he sail
81 wish | was great enough to get
You 81 good place. | said.
Hive you ben to see the Jones
es? ?
Your father said he'd speak to
them
Yes they cant do anythin. for
me- sail ne, kind of chnked up lit
tie.
II kept stitching and thinking; AMI
the girls, poor foolish things, kept on
singing; AMI he sat still, watching us.
| knew his heart was fall, bat | hadn't
guessed what his heart was full of
Is and bv. Gearing his thr 'at ~, len
ly, he said, VI 'ther, l h"iieve III Ell
li,t, If You'll only say >o!'
E dist! crlei the girls, turning
pale.
80, Charley = was all c,ul,! say.
The words fell like death on me. 1t
was the first time he hal eyer mem
toned it.
"Whcn he saw how we took it he
was fall enough IL cry. could see
~ " Is IL ~ "a l'tNh''i, GNU -
iavci his sisters an mother, as |
| Thought, with unusual atf.rtion.
NV work was done for that dav
woulln't give way to tears. thou gh l
wanted t.. ), after while we all
talked about it. and tried 1o persuade
him away from the notion. | talked
ahout tn. country and climate, an !
! told him / knew he wouldn't st,n it.
anl not to think anv mare about it -
The girls crie.l and sail everything .
th.v could think of. They tried t.
Joke a little about somphodv' they
tl,nusht he waited on. He smiled a
little, and threw it back and talked ye-
~ hrxvelv; hat I knev he only put ii
on. and siszt lie didn't want to 90 any
more than ve wanted to let him GO
For WHY in the world should a vonno
man want to j"in in snch a war as that
if he could help it,
"s0nlv = year. voa see, M,thar.' he
said. ':and then shall GET nv bounty
land and can give you all farm and