The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-06-27
|.eem pos.;ble for such a little wound to

seem possible for such little wound to
kill me.''
s'Shall write to your mother now?"
asked. thinking that these sudden tidings
might change all plans and purposes; but
they did not; for the man received the or
der of the Divine Commander to march,
with the same unquestioning obedience
with which the soldier had received that OF
the human one, doubtless remembering
that the first led him to life, the last to
death.
"No. ma'am; to laurie just the same;
he'll break it to her best, and III add a line
to her myself when you get done"
So / wrote the letter which he dictated,
finding it better than any I had sent, for,
though here and there a little ungrammati-
cal or inelegant, each sentence came to me
briefly worded, but most expressive, full
of excellent counsel to the boy, tenderiy
beuueathing ''mother and Lizzie to his
care, and bidding him goodbye in words
the sadder for their simplicity. He added
few lines with steady hand, and as seal
ed it, said, with a patient sort of sigh, Il
hope the answer will come in time for me
to see it." Then, turning away his face,
laid the flowers against his lips, as If to
hide some culver of emotion at the thought
of such a sudden sundering of all the dear
home ties.
Those things had happened two days be-
fore. Now, John was dying, and the letter
had not come. had been summoned to
many 6eath-beds in my life, but to none
that made my heart ache as it did then,
since my mother called me to watch the
departure Of spirit akin to this, in its
gentleness and patient strength. AS went
in, John stretched out both hands.
III knew you'd come! / guess Pm NOV
ing on ma am"
He was and so rapidly that even while
he spoke, over his face l saw the grey ven
falling that no human hand can lift. l sat
down by him, wiped the drops from his
forehead, stirred the air about him with the
slow wave of fan, and waited to help him
die. He stood in sore need for help, and
could do so little; for, as the doctor had
foretold, the strong body rebelled against
death, and fought every inch of the way,
forcing him TO draw each breath with
spasm, and clench his hands with an i'm
ploring look, as if he asked, ''How long
must endure this, and be still?" For
hours he suffered dumbly, without mo-
ment's respite or a moments murmuring.
His limbs grew cold, his face damp, his
lips white, and again and again he tore the
covering off his breast, as if the lightest
weight added to his agony; yet, through it
all, his eyes never lost their perfect sereni-
ty, and the mans soul seemed to sit there
in, undaunted by the ills that vexed his
flesh.
One by one the men woke, and round the
room appeared circle Of pale faces and
watcbful eyes, full of awe and pity; for,
though q stranger, John was beloved by
all. Each man there had wondered at his
patience, respected his piety, admired his
tortitude, and now lamented his hard
death; for the influence of an upright ma
ture had made itself deeply ielt even in one
hn' feoy, hn
so loved this comedy David, came creeping
| from his bed for last look and word. The
kind soul was full of trouble, as the choke
in his voice, the grasp his hand, betray-
| ed; but there was no tears, and the fare
| well of the friends was the more touching
| for its brevity.
"Old boy, how are?'' faltered the one.
"Most through thank heaven!" whis-
| pered the other.
"Can say or do anything for you any
wheres?''
| take my things home, and tell them
that 1 did my best"
81 win! l Will ~ t'
"Good-bye, Ned" .v
Goodbye, John, good bye!'
They kissed each other tenderly as wo-
men, and so parted; for poor Ned could not
stay to see his comrade die. For little
while there was no sound in the room bu,
the drip Of water from a pump or two, and
Johns distressful gasps as heslowly breath
ed his life away. / thought him nearly
4 gone, and had laid down the fan, believing
its help no longer needed, when suddenly
he rose up in his bed, and cried out with a
bitter cry that broke the silence, sharply
startling every one with its agonized appeal
l ''For Gods sake give me air!'
1t was the only cry pain or death had
wrung from him, the only boon he had
asked, and none OF us could grant it, for all
l.
flung up the window, the first red streak OF
dawn was warming the gray east, a herald
OF the coming sun. John saw it, and with
| the love of light, which fingers in us to the
end, seemed to read in it a sign of hope, OF
help, for over his whole face broke that
! mysterious expression, brighter than any
smile, which often comes to eyes that look
their last. He laid himself down gently,
and stretching out his strong right arm, as
if to grasp and bring the blessed air to his
lips in fuller flow, lapsed into merciful
unconciousness, which assured us that for
him suffering was forever past.
Y AS we stood looking at him, the ward
master handed me letter, saying it had
been forgotten the night before. 1t was
Johns letter, come just an hour too late tC
gladden. the eyes that had looked and long
I'D for it so eagerly-yet he had it; for after
had cut some brown locks for his mother
and taken off the ring to send her. TELLING
how well the talisman had done its work,
kissed this good son for her sake, and laid
the letter in his hand, still folded as when ]
drew my own away.
THE CRUISE or THE u. S. GUN Boat De
lSoTo.-kEY WEST, May 28th, 1S63.-The
gunboat De Soto returned to this port to-
day, after an unusually long cruise. She
has been under steam about forty five DAYS.
| About month ago ship appeared in
! an unusual quarter, and soon after the
room Of gun, with a jack flying at the
fore, OFF the Northwest Passage set this
community all agog, and many were the
speculations INDUCED in, nobody suspect
ing what ship it could be. So Completely
was she disguised that not pilot nor a
man of the squadron could recognize her.
Out went pilot with acracking breeze,
and just before night closed we saw a
squadron Of five sail standing into the
channel.
By o'clock curiosity was all appeased
by the announcement that the De Soto had
come off the port to send in her prizes, foul
having cargoes of cotton bound to Havana
and one assorted cargo bound into Mobile
and was waiting off the light for the return
of her officers and men. Since then she has
been furrowing through every wave oftht
Gulf and the Caribbean Sea- and for many