North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-04-22

a word or token for him."
ooh but Miss Annie, I've sent him two
pairs Of stockings knit with my own
hands; and he's never so much as let me
know that he received them"
a letter should have gone with them"
said the young lady. "The stockings, if
they ever reached him, were bat dumb signs !;
loving sentence, even If he had been obliged
| to spell it out slowly from among i'll formed
words, would have spoken to his heart, and
warmed it with living pleasure. Write to
your son, Mrs. Rogers. Nothing that you
can send him will do Thomas half so much
good as letter from his mother. A single
line will be precious. Don't let him any
longer have the feeling, among his comrades,
that he alone has no one to care for him, or
send him sweet remembrauces."
81 don't believe can write, Miss Annie"
said Mrs. Rogers.
Try. Have you pen and ink ?"
"No, Miss. AS told you just now, I
haven't had pen in my fingers these five
years; and don't believe could compose a.
letter, evenif had the skill 10 write it OUT
You must try, Mrs. Rogers. 1t will nev-
er DO in the world for Thomas to 60 any Ion
ger without let ter from home | have
spare inkstand, and will step around for it,"
And the young lady arose, saying as she
went out,
"l'll be back again in a little while, with
pen, Ink and paper. Between US Thomas
must have letter."
On AnnIe's return with writing materials,
| Mrs. Rogers, still reluctant to undertake the
| unaccustomed task Of penning letter, sat
down, and made sundry awkward attempts
to form words and sentences, by way of prac-
tice, before essaying the epistle, which her
ardent young visitor had made up her mind
should be produced and mailed to the absent
soldier that day
Very well done! OF course you can
write p said Annie, encouragingly, as she
watched The efforts Of Mrs. Rogers. "Now
take sheet Of paper, and jnst 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, that you
think would interest him, as you can call to
mind. Take your time to il, and don't feel
| hurried. I'll come around again in the course
! of an hour, and see what you've done. Then
we'll both 60 over it, and I'll make all the
corrections needed, SO that you can copy II
out fairly. Ny word for it, there'iI be q
nice letter for Thomas, that will DO his heart
| good.
| In an hour, Anrie came back, as she had
| promised. Mrs Rogers had filed two pages
of paper with rather badly spelled sentences !;
! but the matter was oil right, as far as it
went. Annie made oil needed corrections,
and then waited until Mrs. Rogers had cop.
led the letter, which she folded and directed
| fer her.
"Shall mail it for youf"
"Ifyou please" said Mrs. Rogers.
And the young lady went away, taking
the letter. Since learning that Thomas Rog
crs, whom she very well remembered had not
once received letter from his mother, al
| though he had been absent for over Ryear,
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 the more urgent that the
mother should do her duty. The letter was
as we'll 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 particular case, it did not
seem to her all that he needed.
"I will write to him p she said, as the
case continuing to dwell in her mind, pre-
sened itself in stronger light.
lie was once, for short time, my schol-
ar in Sunday School, and that shall be my
warrant So she wrote him brief, but point
ed 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 feel
| ngs and arouse his better nature.
| An officer sat in his tent, near Gaines
Mills Va, three days previous to the assault
on the right wing OF our army before Rich
mond.
"In the guard-house again p he said, speak
ing to the orderly, who had just submitted
his report. There was regret, as we'll as dis
couragemeDt in his voice. I" What are we to
do with the man ~
"You will have to order q severer punish
ment. Simple confinement in the guard
house is of no use."
" He has in him all tho elements OF good
soldier" remarked the officer No one
goes through the manual better. lie is per-
fectly drilled ; is quick, steady, aud brave.
At Williamsburg he fought like lion.
cannot forget, that, to his prompt courage,
| owe my life. No-no-not seyerer punish
ment We must bear with him little Ion