The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-10-16


his mother. A single line will be precious
Don't let him any longer have the feeling
among his comrades, that he alone has nt
one to care for him.. or send him sweet re-
membrance."
II don't believe l can write, Miss An
ME" said Mrs. Rogers.
"Try. Have you pen and ink ?"
"No, Miss. AS I told you just now,
haven't had pen in my fingers these five
years and I don't believe could com.
pose letter, even if L had the skill tc
write it Out"
"You must try, Mrs. Rogers. 1t will
never do in the world for Thomas TO go any
longer without letter from home. / have
a spare inkstand, and will step around fol
it." And the young lady arose, saying as
she went out
"Pll be back again in little while with
pen, ink and paper. Between us, Thomas
must have letter."
On Annie's return with writing mate
rials, Mrs. Rogers, still reluctant to under
take the unaccustomed task of penning a
letter, sat down, half per force, and made
sundry awkward attempts to form words
and sentences, by way of practice, before
essaying the epistle, which her ardent
young visitor had made up her mind should
be produced and mailed to the absent SOL
dier that day.
"Very well done OF course you can
write," said Annie, encouragiHgly, as she
watched the efforts of Mrs. Rogers. Snow
take sheet Of paper, and just think you
are talking to him. Write down whatever
you would like to say and say just as much
about home and what is going on here as
you think would interest him, as you can
call to mind. Take your time to it, and
don't feel hurried. I'll come round again
in the course of an hour, and see what you
have done. Then we'll both go over it
and I'll make all the corrections needed,
so that you can copy it out fairly. My
word for it, there'll be nice letter for
Thomas, that will do his heart good.
In an hour Annie came back, as she had
promised. Mrs. Rogers had filed two
pages of paper with rather badly spelled
sentences; but the matter was all right as
far as it went. Annie made all needed
corrections, and then waited until Mrs.
Rogers had copied the letter which she
folded and directed for her.
"Shall mail it for your"
eff you please, said Mrs. Rogers.
And the young lady went away, taking
the letter. Since, learning that Thomas
Rogers, whom She very well remembered,
had not once received a letter from his
mother, although he had been absent for
over year, she had felt pity and concern
for the young man, whom she remembered
as little wild in his habits before he went
into the army. This had made her more
urgent that the mother should do her duty.
The letter was as well as could have been
expected under the circumstances. Still,
as Annie's thoughts went off to the distant
camp, and dwelt on the young mans pecu-
liar case, it did not seem to her all that he
needed.
" will write to him p she said, as the
ease continuing to dwell in her mind, pre-
sented itself in stronger and stronger light.
He was once, for time, my scholar in
Sunday School, and that will be my war
rant"
So she wrote him brief but pointed
and earnest letter, touching his duties as
soldier and as man. Not in a superior.
lecturing tone; but in kind, suggestive
way, and in language calculated to touch
his feelings and arouse his better nature.
An officer sat in his tent, near Gaines
Mills, Virginia, three days previous to the
assault on the right wing of our army be-
fore Richmond.
g In the guard house again p he said.
speaking to the orderly who had Just SUBJ
mitted his report There was regret as
well as encouragement in his voice.
&C What are we to do with the man ?"
"You will have to order severe punish
ment. Simple confinement in the guard
house is of no USE"
" He has in him all the elements of a
good soldier" remarked the officer. "No
one goes through the manual better. He
is perfectly drilled; is quick, steady and
brave. At Williamsburg he fought like
lion. l cannot forget that to his prompt
courage owe my life. Mono not severe
punishment. We must bear with him
little longer. What is his offence now ?"
"He was away at roll-call; and his re-
port of himself is unsatisfactory. The man
is restles and brooding, and sometimes so
ill-natured as to make trouble with his
-,
The officer sat in thought for some time.
He was about speaking, when a sergeant
came in with letters, mail having been
received. In running his eye over them,
the officer noticed two directed to Thomas
Rogers, the soldier reported as in the
guard house. He held them for amoment.
and then laid them aside with his own let.
ters.
Let me see you in half an hour" he
said to the orderly. "We must do some-
thing to reform this man. There is good
in him, if we can only discover the way
to make him active"
The orderly retired, and the officer be-
came occupied with his letters. After get
ting through with them, word was passed
t, have Rogers brought before him. He
came,i under guard, but the guard was dis
missed, and the man was alone with the
officer, who regarded him more in pity
than in anger. The soldier was Young