Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-03-13
(From Peterson's Magazine for March)
THE SOLDIER LETTER
BY T. S. ARTHUR.


| small house, standing on the Outskirt of a viii
| lage in Pennsylvania, and asked this question
| of woman who sat working on coarse gar
ment.
sits more than two months since I've mad
word from him." replied the woman, in a
half-troubled, half-complaining tone. Then
| rising, she added, Wont you come in, Miss
| Annie?"
The young lady accepted the invitation,
and as she took protlered chair, said,
"Two months is long time not to have
heard from your son, Mrs. Rogers. Where
is hep"
1.-The last news l had came from Williams
burg just after the battle. He sent me three
or four lines, to say that he wasn't hurt"
''And you've heard nothing since?"
Nothing, Miss Annie. He may be dead,
or prisoner, for all know. Oh dear, dear
It's worrying the very life out of me-"
''When did you write to him last?" in
quired the young lady.
Mrs. Rogers moved uneasily, and shame
flush covered her face, as she replied:
81 haven't taken pen in my fingers these
five years. They're all cramped with hard
work, and | couldn't write fit to be SEEM
"a single line from your hand, Mrs.
Rogers, hlotted and scrawled though it might
have been, would have come to Thomas, in
from home. Think of his comrades getting
letters by every mail, while there came not
word or a token for him.
''Oh. 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 re-
ceived them"
"a letter should have gone with Them" said
the young lady. 1.-The stockings, if they ever
reached him, were but dumb signs; a loving
sentence, even if he had been obliged to spell
it out slowly from among Informed 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
remembrances."
II don't believed can write, Miss Annie"
said Mrs. Rogers.
TRY. Have you pen and ink?"
"No, Miss. AS | told you Just now.
haven't had pen in my fingers these five
years; and don't believe | could compose a
letter, even if had the skill to write it out"
''You must try, Mrs. Rogers. 1t will never
do IN the world for Thomas to go any longer
without letter from nUuIv. I ha~a - snare
illhSldiiui anu VIII olS oIOuiiu iOl II.
And the young lady arose, saying, as she
went out:
"Ill be back again in little while with
pen, ink and paper. Between US Thomas
must have a letter"
On Armies return with writing materials,
Mrs. Rogers, still reluctant to undertake the
unacCustOmed task Of penning letter, sat
down, half per force, aud made sundry awk-
ward attempts to form words and sentences
oy way OF practice, before esSaying the epiS.
tie, which her ardent young visitor had made
up her mind should be produced and mailed
to the absent soldier thar day.
Very well done! Of course you can
write !" said Annie, encouragingly, as she
watched the efforts of Mrs. Rogers. Snow
take a 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, that you
think would interest him, as you can call to
mind. Take your time to it, 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 go over it, and I'll make all the cor
rections needed, so that you can copy it out
fairly. My word for it, there'll be nice let
ter for Thomas, that will do his heart good"
In an hour Annie came back, as she had
promised. Mrs. Rogers had filled 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 let
ter, which she folded and directed for her.
''Shall l mail it for your"
elf 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 Tor over a
| year, she had felt pity and concern for
| the young man, whom she remembered
as a 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 well as could have
| been expected under the circumstances. Still,
as Anne's thoughts went Oft to the distant
camp and dwelt on the young ans particular
case, it did not seem to her all that he needed
| 81 will write to mimi" she-said, as the case,
continuing to dwell in her mind, presented it.
self in stronger and stronger light. ale was
once, for a snort time, my scholar in Sunday
school, and that shall be my warrant"
So she wrote him a brief, but pointed and
earnest letter, touching his duties as a soldier
and as a 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 before Richmond.
''In the guard house again!" he said, speak
ing to the orderly, who had just submitted his
report. There was regret as well as discour-
agement in his voice. "What are we to do
with the MANI"
"You will have to order a severer punish"
ment. Simple confinement in the guard house
is of mousse
''He has in him all the elements of good
soldier" remarked the officer. mo one goes
through the manual better. He is perfectly
drilled; is quick, steady and brave. AT Will
llamsburg he fought like lion. cannot for
get that to his prompt courage l owe my life.
No-no-not severer punishment. We must
Dear with HIM little longer. What is his
offence now ?"
he was away at roll call; and his report
OF himself is unsatisfactory. The man is
restless and broodng; and sometimes 50 ill.
natured as to make trouble with his com.
rades."
The officer sat in thought for some time
He was about speaking when sergeant came
in with letters, mail having been received
In running his eyes over them the officer no.
ticed two directed to Thomas Rogers, the sol.