Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-01-09
BY VIRGINIA F. TOWNSEND.

b1 NlhGlNlA +. TOWNSEND.
1t was over at last The sun which had
walked slow and calm through the LONG
hours of that terrible day, had gone down in
a column of fire beyond the western hills
and now the stars were coming out swiftly
like golden petals scattered AL over an azure
sky,
And'the stars 'ooke,l down on the battle
nGid, as thry had come out and looked down
tor scores OF years "n the fair young land
which had arisen IN her strength and beauty,
until amid all the nations there was none ia
compare with heron the great cities that
were hung like jewels on her green BOSOM
Ola the broad harvest fields that waved their
trcSses iorjoy through her golden summers
-on the house where the dwellcs thereof
sat pra' etuI and happy under heir own vine
and fig re on all this had the stars which
cnmc up night hy night looked, until at last
there came clange; and now, where the
harvc>tS had waved their locks in the sum.
mer Winds was the most terrible sight which
the sun and the stars ever bchrld-the sight
ola battle field. The conflict had ragged bo,
and terrible that day.
The hearts Of the distant mountains had
>hudtered with the thunder of cannon. and
the earth had drank in blood as in autumn
She drinks in the equlnoctial rams; but at
last the days awful work was done, and the
night winds lifted the gray banners of smoke
from the battle field
The air was full Of heat and smell Of DOW
der; the dead lay thick together, with stark,
ghaStIy iaccs, ON the uamped grass; the
wounded lay thicker, filling the air with
moanS--rldc rlesS horses rushed terrified over
the field; aud the dying daylight an the
solemn stars watched over all. A little way
from the battle field ran little stream. ma
king blu fold in the dark grass, and two
wounded men had crawled to its bank to
slack their thirst.
And when the two men crawling along the
banks looked up AMI met each others faces,
they knew they were enemies, and they
knew too, that few hours ago each had
aimed his rifle at the other, and that aim had
made the ghastly wound little way from
The heart which had drunk the ifeblood of
CT h each G Jared desperately on his ad =
S ~ a moment before he iell.
Is t there was no ierceness in the eyes of
o@e men now, as they sat face to face on
the.bank of the stream the strife and the
anger had all gone now, and they sat still,
dying men, whoa few hours before had been
deadly foes-sat still and looksd at each 9th
cr. At last one of them spoke:
1--WE haven't either Of us a chance to hold
out much longer Judge" ..4 ...t.
NO." said the other, with little mixture
of sadness and recklessness. "You did that,
fast job of yours well, as that bears witness"
and he pointed to wound little above his
heart, from which the life blood was slowly
oozing. f ,-af .f... .....,... -
Not better than you did yours" replied
the other, with a grim smile. and he pointed
to another little higher up, larger and more
ragged--a deadly one. Foe
And then the two men gazed on each 9th.
nr again in the dim light, for the moon had
come over the hills now, and stood among
he stars like a pearl of great price And as
hey looked softer feeling stole over the
leart of each toward his fallen foe a feeling
'fpty for the strong. manly life laid low, a
ceiling of regret for that inexorable necessity
# war which makes each man the slayer oc
he other; and at last one spoke l
There's some folks in the world that will
ee! worse. 'spose, because you've gone out
# t?"
A spasm of pain was on the bronzed ghast-
y features. -1# ..
Yes" said the man, in thick tones, there's
ns woman, with little boy and girl, away
famong the New Hampshire mountains,
hat it will well nigh kin to hear of this"
hen the man groaned in bitter anguish
oh, God, have pity on my wife and chill.
rcn ~ a
And the other drew closer to him
And away down among the cotton feds
+ Georgia there's woman and little girl
whose heart viii break when they hear what
his day has DONE and then the cry wrung
tsclf sharply out Of his heart @"Oh, God,
ave pity upon tbcm!'
And from that moment the Northerner and
outherner ceased to be foes. The thought
f those distant homes on whom the anguish
Tas soon to fall, drew them close together in
hat last hour, and the two wept like chill
ren. And at last the Northerner spoke. /
alking more to himself than anything else,
nd he did not know that the other was list
ming greedily to every word:
"She used to come-my little girl--bless
er heart every night to meet me when |
anne home from the fields: and she wouln
tand under the great plum tree, that's Just
eyond the back door at home, with tn. sun
ght making yellow crown in her golden
urls, and the laugh dancing in her eyes,
-hen she heard the click Of the gate. see
er there now, and Ia take her in my arms.
nd she'd put up her little red lips for kiss;
ut my little girl will never watch under the