East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-05-26


and scratch compassioned with an al
most extravagant synpatny-there they
Hay, crippled and gashed. and bleeding,
crushed and dying, hud1led together
some where they had fallen, some where
they had weakly craw.ed upon their
hands and knees-and never a wonan'f
touch to bind up their wounds, or wo
mans voice to whisper gentle consolation
It as pitchy dark; and cold misera
bic rain was falling upon W., the very
heavens weeping over our miseres.-
Then through the darkness and the
drizzling rain, through the groans and
prayers of the fallen men about me,
Iheard afamilliar voice close to my side:
"Waterl water! water! | am dying
with thirst lift be but a mouthful OF
water! For Gods sake give me water!"
|. I recoied in dismay. 1t was the
voice of my enemy; the voice Of Richard
Withers. They were once very dear to
me, those mellow tones; once the pleas
antest music cared to hear. Do you
think they so softened me now? You
are mistaken. am candid about it,
Nv blood boiled in my veins when l
heard him, when l new that he lay so
close to mo, and was powerless to
to withdraw from his detested neigh
borhood. There was water in my can.
teen. had filed it before the last ball
came. BY stretching out my hand |
could have given him drink, but l did
not raise a finger. Vengeance was
sweet. smiled grimly to myself, and
said down in my secret heart: "Not a
drop shall cross his lips, though no per.
ish / shall have my revenge"
Do you recoi with horror? Listen,
how mercifnl God was to me.
There was poor little drummer on
the other side, merry, manly boy of
twelve or thirteen, the pet and playthlng
of the Regiment. There was something
of the German in him; he had been with
us from the first, and was rockoned one
Of the best drummers in the army. But
we would never march to the tap OF
Charley's drum again. He had got q
hall in his lungs; and the exposure and
fatigue together with the wound had
made him light headed. Poor little
child! he crept close to me IN the dark
ness and laid his cheek upon my breast.
Maybe he thought it was his own pillow
at home; maybe he thought it, poor
darling, his mothers bosom. God alone
knows what he thought; but with his
hot arm about my neck, and his curly
heal pressed close to my wicked heart,
even then swelling with the bitter ha'
tired of my enemy, he began in his de.
lcr'ium to murmur the "Our Father who
art in Heaven"
was a rough bearded man. / had
been an orphan for many long year;
but not too many or too long to forget
the simple hearted prayer of my child.
hood the dim vision of that mothers
face over which the grass had grown
for twenty changing summers. Some
thing tender stirred within my hardened
heart. 1t was to dark to see the little
face, but the Young lips went on broken
ly:
"And forgice as our tresspases as Oc
forgire those pcho trssspass against as
1t went through me like kuife-
sharper than the sabre cut, keener than
the ball God was merciful to me
and this young child was the channel
of his mercy. zAy t.F
"F0rgive us our tresspases as zoe for.
gies those acl,o treSspass against us"
l had never understood the words
before. If an angel had spoken it
could scarcely have been more of
revelation For the first time the tho't
that might be mortaly wounded, that
/ might be nearer death than dreamed,
struct me with awe and horror. The
text of long forgotten sermon wa, in
my ears: ut is appointed for all men
to die: md after death the judgement.
Worse and worse. What measure
of mercy could l expect, if the same
were to be meted out that l bad mete
unto my enemy The tears wslled into
my eyes and trickled down my cheeks;
tho first that / had she'd since my boy.
hood, / felt subdued and strangely
moved.
The rain was falling still; but the lit.
tie head upon my breast was gone. He
crept away silently in the darkness. =
His unconscious mission was fulfilled; he
would not return ut my call. ,.,r.-
Then / lifted myself with great effort.
The old bitterness was crushed. but
not altogether dead.
"Watcr-waterl" moaned Richard
Withers in his agony.
] dragged nyse closer to him.
"God be ,praisedl' l said with sol.
cmn heart. "Dick, old boy, enemy no
longer. God be praisedl | am willing
and able to help you. Drink and DO
friends"
1t had been growing lighter and light.
er in fhe east and now it was day
Day within and day without. In the
first gray glimmer Of dawn we looked
into each others ghastly faces for mo,
ment, and then the canteen was at
Richards mouth, and hs drank as the
fevered only can drink. watched him
with moist eyes, leaning upon my elbow
and forgetting the bandaeed shoulder.
lie graspedine with both hands. Blood
stained aud pallid as it was, his face
was ingenious and beautiful as childs.
g. ..N s.I...-.Lt go .f..,