Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1863-02-04
AFTER THE BATTLE.
Y VIRGINIA F. ToWNsHEs

long hours of thai terrible day, and had
go. G down in n column Of fire beyond
the western hills, and now the stars were
coming out swiftly like golden petals scat,
tered all over al azure' sky.
Aud the stars lcokod down upon the
battle field, as they had come ont aud
looked down for scores of years on the
fair young land which had arisen in its
strength and beauty, until amid al the
nations there was none to compare with
ler-on the great cities that were hung
Ike jewels on her green bosom on the
the broad harvest fields that waved their
tresses for joy through her golden sum-
mer-on the house where the dwellers
thereof sat peaceful and happy under
their own vine and figtree--on all this
had the stars which came up night by
night looked, until ut last there came
change; and now, where III. haryests
had waved their locks 10 the Summer
! winds, was the most terrible sight which
the sun and the stars ever beheld-tho
sight of a battle field The conflict had
ragged hot aud terrible that day.
The hearts of the distant mountains
had shuddercd with the thunder of can
non, and the earth had drunk blood as
in autumn she drinks in the equinoctal
rains; but Mt last the davis 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
powder; the dead lay thick together,
with stark, ghastly faces on trampled
grass; the wounded lay thicker. filing
the air with moans-ridorle>s horses
rushed terrified oser the field; and the
dying daylight and the solemn stars
watched over all. A little way from the
battle field ran small stream, making
blue fold in the dark grass, and two
wounded mtn had crawled 10 It's banks
to Stake their thirst.
And when the two men crawling
along the banks looked up and met each
others faces, they knew they were enc
mics, and they knew too, that few
hours ago each had aimed bis rife at
the other, and that aim had made he
ghastly wound little way from the
heart which had drunk the life blood of
each, and each glared desperately on bis
adversary q moment before lie fell.
But there was no fcrceness in the eyes
Of these men now, a they sat face to
face on the bank Of the stream: the strife
and The ger were all gene now, and
they sat still dying men, who few hours
before had been deadly f,es-sat still
and looked at eYch other. At last one of
them spoke: 1--WE haven't either Of us
chance to hold ont much longer,
Judge"
NO." said the other, with q little
mixture of sadness and rceklessness.
You Gid that last job of yours well, ms
that bears Witness" and he poiuted to a
wound a little above tie heart, from
which the life-blood was slowly oczing.
Not better THAI you did yours" re-
piled the other, with a grim smile, and
be pointed to another little higher up
larger and more ragged-a deadly one.
And then the two men gazed on each
other again in the dim I'ght, for the
moon hal come over the hills now, and
stood among the stars like Il pearl of
great price. And as they looked q soft
81 feeling stole over the heart of each 9th
er toward his fallen foe; feeling of pity
for the strong, manly life laid low, a
feeling of regret for that nexorabe ne
cessitv of war which made each man
the slayer of the other; and at last one
Of them spoke
"Ther's some folks in the world that
will feel worse, | s'pose, because you
have gone out of it!'
A spasm of pain was on the bronzed,
ghastly features.
Yes said the man, in thick tones,
there is one woman, with q little boy
and girl, away up among the New
Hampsher mountains, that 1t will well
nigh kill to hear of this and then the
man groaned in bitter anguish."O God
have pity on my wife and Children"
And the other drew closer 10 him.
"And away down among the cotton
fields Of Georgia there's woman and q
little girl whose hearts will break when
they hear what-this day has DONE" and
then the cry wrung itself sharply out of
his heart, 80 God, have pity upon them
And from that moment the Northener
and Southener ceased to be foes. The
thought of those distant homes on whom
the anguish was soon to fall, drew them
close together in that last hour, and the
two ~ept like children. And Mt last the
Northener spoke, talking more TO himself
than anything else, and he did not know
that tho other was listening greedily to
every word: 'She used % come--my
little girl-bess Ler heart every night to
meet me when | came home from the
fields; and she would stand under the
great plum tree. that's just beyond the
back door at home, with the sunlight
making yellow crown in her GOLDEN
curIs. and the laugh dancing in her eyes
when she heard the click of the gate. | /
see her there now. and II take her in
my aims, and Shell p 1t up her little red
bps for kiss; but my little girl will ne
YER watch under the old nlum traa hv thu