Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-08-26
THE SOLDIERS MOTHER.


In one of the fern glens of the upper Ale
ghanies stands a small log house, which once
held large family ohm Riley, the father;
Susan Riley, the mother; and children, j Ohm,
Susan, James, Patrick, Sedwick and little
Bess. Bred to hard living, there was not one
in all that little hutfull of light souls who
would shrink to face Il -atamOunt, or a bear,
or an Indian, or find fault with hard bread
and cold quarters.
At the breaking out of the war, the father,
John, James and Patrick enIisted-the last
as drummer-boy. Sedwick cried to go, but
was told, to his great grief and indignation,
that he would have to wait and grow, he
was only twelve years old, and about three
feet two. The wife and mother had as big a
heart as anybody, and there can be no ques-
tion but that heart gave sharp twlnge when
. old John" and the boys left her; but she,
nevertheless declared that she would have
gone herself if they hadn't. They might 90,
and God speed to them, for there was no help
for it, and as for her, she had not a doubt
whatever but that it was decreed from the
foundation OF the world that she should be
left to carry on their business, which was
farming and sh0emaking, according to the
season, all alone, just as she was. And she
could do ii, If worse came to wOrse--she was
sure of that.
So half the Riley family went from the log
=.
Susan took care OF what little there was in
doors, and the mother, according to her state
ment, took care Of all outdoors" with Su-
sans help whenever she HAS off duty, and
with SedWicks always. Little Bees was
unanimously voted good for nothing yet, but
to keep bread and cheese from moulding.
Mrs. Riley plowed the glebe with the old one
horse pillow, with Sedwick to ride. Mrs Riley
planted it with corn and potatoes, with Sed-
ft,ar..
time came she ard Susan hoed it. while Sed-
wick did the best he could at pulling weeds,
and Bess actively and noIselesslv about,
+. picking up angle worms and treading on the
hills.
The season wore round thus and still the
indcfatigaole industry of Ms. Riley kept ap-
pearances very much as they were. The cow
shed had several windows, perhaps, not left
by the carpenter, and the COW herself show
ed hide of hair that pointed several ways :;
but appearances were, if the truth was known
not so much against Mrs. Biley's management
after all. Said COW amt cow-shed had never
been kept iii a state Of perfect repair. The
hens and turkeys always took care OF them
selves, and Of course they looked as well as
ever The old horse, hssbitually light in flesh
may have betrayed his ribs a tritIc palmer
and possibly the pig was a shaving les fat !;
but let nothing be said about tritcs where
the only wonder Is that the woman, left by
her husband and three sons, should keep her
family together at all, and, much more, cult
yate her farm. When CONSUMPTION goes
through our towns and cities, sweeping every
able-bodied man away, We shall then see how
many there are like her.
With all this outdoor labor, Susan Riley
did not so far forget 1.-THE shop" as 20 Justify
taking down of the old shingle
'.BooTs < SHUs MED & MINDED HER"
When customers came and left work before
they knew that John vas gone, she continued
to do it, and did il SO well that they kept
on bringing, and the good woman had all she
could DO with her cobbling and farming to-
gethcr, YOU may be sure.
Meantime she kept informed tolerabIy wei
Of the movements of her husband and bows
for though all OF them were but indifferent
writers, she depended on Susan to decipheI
the letters when they came, for not a word
could she read of good bad writing-yet
they made up in frequency and pith WA;
they lacked in penmanship and rhetoric
Their regiments did duty most OF the year IN
Western Virginia. The Rileys had enlisted
III two regiments-the father and youngest
son IN one, and John and James IN the other
and it Jared with them about alike.
In October a letter come from John bearing
IN rustic but touching phrase, bad news min
gied with good:
CAMP GREENE RfDG SEP TwKNrY
Dear A'tfher-A Crate battles ben st & vvev beat
but mother that amt al the 49th got up wuSyr
wee did \ fathers dcd donno nuther wha5lI he.
poor little pat fur they say hes wundiI Ga
tuti can't git leve to go him x vCcr or,lird
to march to morrer at 1 O'Clock wuth 8 DAYS rash.
uus \ God help "a coodnt ye mother To nut
wars terrbuI thing anihow but father ava III TFI
thick the lite list may be God bless c moth,
yure son Jouy
There was enough of natural affection in
that rough Riley tamily-deep, genuine down
right l9ae. II one member possessed it more
than any OF the rest, it was the mother
BIuntIy ana coarSely is she always talked and
hard-ieatured as She was TO look upon. no
poetess ever had richer vein of human sen
timent than Mrs. Riley, and Florence Night
Iugale herself could not handle a case o. asr-
grayated distress more tguderIv than she -
The news of her husbands death came with
sudden stroke that almost icllcd her TO the
floor. But she bore ii hravelv tin her work
vas done for that day, and let the Younger
eyes she'd the tears.
Why don't YOU cry. mother :" said little
Bess, WHO vas sobbing bitterly, with Susan
and oedNlek, over a grief She could not uu
lerstand, but the pale. thin lips of the moth
er did not move
In the middle Of that night. long after
sleep had stolen over the chlldren's sorrow
SUSAN hsiS aAdhtntG bN a -rUaI. She started
up, and found her mother sitting in the. bed
whlte,in the harvest moon that shone through
the one window, az a shrouded corpse.
Light the candle, Susan" she heard hel
whisper, and then the terrified girl obeved
and lnqu ed, hurriclly, if she should bring
the calaphor or heat some water. Mrs RILEY
shook her head, aud said, faiutly-
0et the Testament aud read
Susan got the book, and asked where sb,
should read.
No matter much Open somewhere IN
the middle
And kneeEng by the bed, with the candle
in her hand, the Younger daughter read. viii
trembling voice and simple. unlearncd cm
phasis Let not your heart be troubled: v,
believe in God; believe also in Ne Ia m,
Fathers house are many mansions if il wcr,
not 50, ould have told you. ! 20 to pre-
pare place for YOU
\ low, faint cry from the bosom of the
suffering woman, and the girls voice wa,
drowned in the stormy couvulsive sobs thai
shook the next instant through the strong
frame of Mrs. Rily, as if they would rend il
asunder.
The deep waters were loosed, and boarded