Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-11-29

| iSA' GU ANGRY 0IOugSu ue never u edIueu
she might be dead. 1t did not occur to
him that perhaps her silver locks were ly.
ing un Ter the lid Of the coffin. Oh, no
he only thought of the pleasant light in
the window, that her hands had trimmed
for him. So he journeyed to his native
town.
Yonder comes one who trudges on lag
| gingly-a farmer in heavy boots and frock
his whip in his hand. He cheers the lazy
oxen, but suddenly stops, amazed.
81 see you know me- said the sailor,
smiling. "Well, Farmer Brown, how isl;
"Know you? why how tall you are -
SO, his eye drops, his mouth trembles,
$50 you've got home.
eyes, and glad enough to get back again,
how is mother %
"Your-mother," he says, in a low, hes
itating way, that telegraphs i'll tidings be-
fore they are told in words,
"1es, is she well? Is she expecting
me? 0: course she is, we're late by a
month, FULL
"Your mother, Henry? Well the old
lady" he plays with his whip, or rather
strikes it hard on the dusty road. How can
he crush that happy heart!
"There, you need not speak! cried the
young man, in voice OF sudden anguish ::
and he recoiled, almost staggering, from
the farmers side, and buried his face in
his hands.
"Henry, my poor lad, your mother is
"Dont, DON'T" cried the other, showing
now face from which all lor had fled.
ooh my mother she is gone, gone
and | am coming home so happy %
For some moments lie svbbed in agony.
How dreary the world has grown The
flowers had lost their fragrance, the sun
its warmth his heart seemed dead
"Henry, she left a message for you,"
said the old farmer, wiping his eyes with
the sleeve of his frock.
ga message for me pit seemed as if
the white lips could hardly speak.
and so the minister said TELL Henry I
will put a light in the window of heaven
to guide his foot steps there"
Did she, oh did she say that ! God
bless you for telling me! All my long
voyage | have thought of the light in her
little window have seemed to see it
stream ng along, along down to the foot of
the hill, till it grew bri ghter and brighter
as drew nearer. A light in the window
of heaven Yes, mother, / will think
you are still waiting for me. | could not
see you in these long years, but l knew
the light was burning. | cannot see you
now, but I know the light is burning
Slowly and reverntly he went to the
hillside grave yard, and there he wept up
on her lowly grave. But not there he
thought her. A sweet vision was vouch-
safed him. All robed in heavenly garments,
he saw the beautiful soul he had called
mother, and streaming from the bright
ness of her glorious home, slender beam
seemed to come trembling to his feet
Then he knew that the Ii ght was placed
in the window of heaven.
Once more he knelt in the little room
where he had left her. Nothing was NOV
ed, but oh how much was wanting There
on the window-sill stood the little lamp
that brought The tears afresh. But he took
the mothers well-worn Bible, and kneeling
by her bedside, as if she could hear him,
he consecrated hiruself to life and work
of righteousness. From that cottage he
went out into the world carrying his grief
as sacred memorial, but seeing always,
whenever his work led him, his waiting
mother, and the lamp in The window of
heaven.
The Draft I'm NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Items.
From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Among the drafted men who are we'll
known in the city, is Raj PHI Johnson,
formerly of the firm of Johnson & Ohm
sted; Ed. Hayden, formerly Member of
Assembly from the 9th and 9Th " ards G.
P Foote, of the firm of Foote & Mason,
builders, in Main street; Thomas Scurr, of
the commission firm of Scurr & Flowers :;
Charles Hill, harness maker, in the 9th
Ward 9. Q. Paine, a cousin Of the Gen
eral, or else of Hortensius, we are not pos
tive which, and Feveral others, whose
names do not occur to US.
There were a good many peculiarly un
fortunate cases. One man in the 9th
ward who was drafted, recently lost his
vile, and has seven children Oh his hands,
nearly all of whom are quite young. One
man wss drafted who has a son in the
army. Four brothers were drawn in q
couple of the towns
Nearly all those drawn in the 9th Ward
are married men. An Irshman was
if there is al other Irishmen living in the
entire ward. His fellow Irishmen good
naturally remark that it served him right :;
he lad no business to desert the Sd ward.
He is drayrnan and has a family A
| man in the Sth Ward, who Was taking
care OF the family OF a brother Who is in
the war, besides that of his own, is now
drafted himself. A married man named
Peter Smith and a single man of the
same name, " ere in q1andry as to which
was drawn, as they both lived in the oh
| Ward, and that name had been drawn
| There were several cases where brothers
re drawn. So we might go on and
multiply cases. which were especially IN
| fortunate. and are calculated to draw upon
the sympathies o: all who have heart to
| feel for the distress OF others.
When the name Of one man living in
| the 9th Ward was drawn, he slapped his
| hands and flushing up in his face, cried
out :" There, that's mel" ard taking off
his hat handed it To the Commissioner,
requesting him to put the name on his
hat, so he couldn't forget IT," As a gen-
eral thing, there was much good feeling
among the crowd in the Court House, as
the names were announced, and when any
one Ward was completed there was gen
eral buzz, perhaps shout and little
clappng o: hands, and 4 grand upheaving
of relief among all who lived in that
Ward, as if to say Good, we are all right
now !" There were some few women,
however, who were evidently among the
afflicted, SIS they INDUCED 10 tears quite
freely after certain names had been an
| nounc2d. Take all the circumstances into