Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1862-04-02
9uttrg for tBt Sour.
THE goL1IEa,g LITFIE pAUaHTER.

By MRS. NJ. A. DENIsoN.
The night was stormy, dark and cold;
My. way led through the city,
Where wretched buildings, gray and old,
Seemed strained with tears ofpity.
Few were the cheerful sounds heard,
No laughter wild and free;
But once the sweet voice Of a bird
Piped up and planned to me.
A little bird unblessed with wings,
Her dark, sad eyes all tearful;
All God to see such tender things
Out in the storm, is fearful
And thus she planned OH stranger here
Inever begged before;
But mother has been dead a year,
And fathers gone to war.
And yesterday the work gave out
By which earned penny;
Last night had a crust of bread;
Tonight I haven't any.
And am very hungry, sir;"
brought her bread-tO spare
Then up into the old gray house
Climbed by the broken stair.
A tremulous light threw shadows long
Over the cheerless room;
o! childhood-shrined in deathless song,
Are such your spots Of bloom?
My name is Nelly Grover, sir;
Ny father loved me dearly =
And is it true as people say
The war is ended-nearly
y
Twas strange, but as she spoke, I CHANGED
To look my paper over;
And there 1 read, g shot through the heart
4 prtrqte, William GrOrer."
o! awful hour! can forget
Her tears, her broken sobbing-
The little heart pressed to mine
With bitter anguish throbbing!
And as the light grew DINNER
And the wild cries fainter fell,
Unto my soul there came a voice,
marked its cadence well.
"I sleep beneath the traitors sod
died for Liberty
I give my spirit unto Cod
Ny little child to thee.
Teach her to hold as sacred trust,
Her patriot fathers doom;
Teach her to pray that from his dust
Freedoms fair flowers may bloom"
Thus to my home, most teuderly,
With loving words I brought her;
All only death could tear from me
That Soldiers little daughter.
GIVING THE KITTEN.
he gave him the mitten the villagers said,
And that they alleged was the reason
Fhy Ray AIlis went as private last spring,
To fight for suppression of treason.
Whether gossip spake idly or wisely, twas true
That his glances grew calmer and colder,
md smiles never more to his lips came again
Since the day he enlisted soldier.
md June Dashaway-what said she the while?
She smiled, but she trembled all over,
md tore the pale rose to flowery snow
When they spoke Of her wandering lover.
listened, pressing her bodies tight over her heart
When the wire thrilled the grim battle story.
If Lexington lost, of its heroes laid low,
Meeting death on the field of glory.
hen winter came on, and pitying hearts
Told Of soldiers wan, weary, frost-bitten
ma June stole away to her grandmother's side
To ask" Couldn't knit a mitten ~
lay Allis is coming on sick soldiers leave
How quickly the bright needles quiver
III soon have them done, and one man the less
On guard shall not tremble and shiver.
But Ray must not know this heart, turning
traitor,
Takes back all those hasty words spoken:
said would never be his if he went
I must keep the rash promise unbroken.
III take them to him, to see ifthey fit,
Or, if needs be, some stitches to alter,
And if he is better and happy at heart,
know that my speech will not falter.
But he should be very sorry, or sick,
Or look very weary and lonely
stay, am quite sure I can meet him again?
Courage, June, fora brief moment only"
Friend Ray, will you try them knit them fol
YOU"
A smile lit his face sad and sober,
While holding mis- hand lightly over her own,
The kneeIing form trembled all over.
{ This fits very well, the other please try,
To make them both right pI endeavor."
lie threw back his cloak June Dashaway, dear
One mitten hencefOrth and forever!
And now couldn't such a sweet story tell?
How the girl, with her eyes softly shining,
Jrept closer beside the arm lonely for aye,
Around it her slight fingers twining.
And murmured some words in womanish way
Something all about soldiers and glory;
And then that the mitten might not want hand
She gave him her own. That's the story.
EEzzsszalz.zz-zzza
WHAT IS A RATIoy.-For the information 0
2uF readers we give the following list of arti
lies constituting a ratiOn-frOm the army reg
lIations:
20 oz. fresh and salt beef or 70 OF. of pork
Is OF soft bread or -four, Or u OF. Of hart
bread.
d OF beans or 3 to OF rice.
l Sc OF sugar.
I OF ground coffee.
! III nE .-tnnr.a1.