Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-10-01

to read her eyes, she read mine / guessed he
thoughts, and she knew mine. She was the heart q
my heart, aud the heart of hers | have never ba,
either sweetheart or wife | never had a friend m
mother was everything to me. Well, was summoned
10 lake u arms and when they told me | must leay
| her, In a paIoxysm of d. spar | declared they nigh
drag me limb from limb but never should they take m
from her alive. With word spoken in her ho
| 1orutude ard strong courage she changed my Who'll
| purpose"
"'fIeFre, said she. "you must go--it is my wish
" knelt before her, and l said will 90 mother
"'fferre, she Gdied, thou haet been good geo,
9n, AID thank Sod for it hut the lite. o. son arr
DOT the only ones has to fulfil Every either
owes hInsct 70 bis country it calls thtc-Cbcy Thou
art gClug to be soldier From this moment thy life
Is no longer thine own it is thy country's. Ii lis IN
teess demand it, lay it down cheernIy IT it be the
VIII or Gcd that thou sh0uidst die before Die, should
weep tor thee my hearts tears bat would say 'Hc
gave ard lie has taken away, blessed be tie OF
the Lord" Go, now, and if thou love thy mother, do
thy duty Oh how precious those holy words have
never forgotten them. DO thy duty, she said Nov,
the duty OF soldier always and ill., ell things to
OBEY; and IN all things, and always, Dyed 1t was
TO 20 straight orwardto face danger without bes;ta-
uon-witnCut stcond thought III ~ who saw me
thus as II were seek to the bullets said There is
brave fellow" They might have bette? sid. here
is man who loves bis mother "
One day letter brought NE the >iiinss that sic
%as iiI-my own poor mother Il logged to 90 10 her
L
t> nibtrod Ter last woTd3'I tCu love hy mo her do
Thy duly L submitted little after | heard that
she i2as Gead OA then my 1O7goJk me any
rate determined to travel to the country. Whence
proceeded SO ardent, so impetnous desire to see once
more pace where my mother had just died? | ell
you ana as you have mother and she loves you,
and as ycu love her, you will understand me.
"Ne PEASANTS OF Morvan are simple and c0nidrg
race. We have not received the lis ructon, at
&Lcd the knowledge that they have p the cities but
we have beliefs which the oWL folks call euDcEsti-
deus What matters the name? BE they suQersti-
o1s or beliefs, we have them, and clever would b. the
man that could uproot them. Now one Of these be-
iets to which we cling the most, Is that which attr
butes to tx first 01Cf that bloGs the grave mould
such virtue that he who gathers ii is certain OF
forgetting the dead, and ofmy being forgotten by them
Beilet, how dear, how sweet With it, death has no
tcrrors for DEATH without forgetting being forgot
ten, Is but sweet Sleep but cain repose after long
toll That hower--I painted to it bud painted to
gather 1t L abandoned my post and on my way.
AfGr ten days OF long and weary march, reached my
mothers grave. The earth seemed yet frisi-no loW-
IF appeared. l waited. Six weeks elapsed, and then
oae lovely morning little blue tloWer-'iorget
m1-not' AS l Flucked it, shed glad tears, for lie
thought that little flower my mothers soul that
she had felt that was near, and that undGr the
OF LhAt flower ehe bad given herself 10 my heart once
more
There was nothing now to detain me in the country
3E my father had soon followed my mother to the grave
ard had plucked my precious fl over what more did
duty | sought the gems ddrmeS and | said, " | am
deserter-.arrest me-
And now am to die and ii, as you assured me-
have in you friend, die without regret for you will
DO for rae the only service require. The flower which,
at the risk OF my te pucked from the grave is here
III I little case reXt to my heart. Promise me that
you will see that they do take it from me- 1t is
the link which untes me to my mother and if
thought itwould be b-oken--oh! l should not have
the courage TO die Say, DO you promise to DO = hat
ask of you ?'
II PROMISE, said the officer
So our hand that | may press ii to sy heart. ca
ere very kind to me and if the Almighty Gcd were
in bis onnipoence to give my life second time
would devote it to you
The friends parted
The next day had dawned They arrived at the place
OF execution and already had the fatal sentence been
read, when the low murmur that through the ranks
changed INTO the most deafening shouts.
The Emperor the Emperor Long live the En-
peror!'
lie appeared, dismounted from his horse and then,
with his short, quick step, he walked Up to The con-
Gemntd
pierre" said he to him, "Pierrc,' continued the
Emperor, remember your own words Of last night
Sod gives the life second time devote it not to me-
out to france! She, too, is q kind mother Love
her as thou ddst thy ficst-thine own
lie then turned to depart, and creating shouts of
ailnrIng love followed him till he out of sight
some years after this Captain of the Old Guards
ell mortaly wounded on the field of Waterloo.
Amid the din of battle he was heard to Shout il his
leath pangs
Long live The Emperor France forever My mother
liy mother
1t was Pierre Pitois