The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-05-15
AFTER THE BxTTIE.
ny tinqtsiA I, rovssARDil F1sa' I.

udu Wdlk6u slUW uuu chIu tutOdRu Tue
long hours ofithat terrible day, had gone
down in a column Of fire beyond the
western hills, and now the stars were
coming out swiftly, like golden petals
scattered all over the azure sky. %
And the stars looked down on the bat
tle.6eld, as. they have come out and
looked Gown for scores of years on the
fair young land which has arisen in her
strength and beauty, until amid all the
nations there was none to compare with
heron the great cities that were hung
like jewels on her green bosom-oh the
broad harvest.felds that waved their
tresSes of joy through her golden sum-
mers-on the houses where the dwellers
thereof sat peaceful and happy under
their own vine and fig tree-on all this
had the stars which came up night by
night to the watch.towers of the sky
looked, until at lastth came change,
and now where the harvest had waved
their locksfn the summer winds, was that
most terrible sight which the sun had
ever beheld-the conflict had ragged hot
and terrible that day. .q5eI5 -,r
The hearts of the. distant mountains
had shuddered with the thunder of can
con, and the earth had drank in blood as
in autumn she drinks the equinoctial rain;
but at last the days awful work was
done, and the night windslifted 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 the trampled
grass; the wounded lay thick also, filling
the air with moans--riderless horses
rushed terrified over the feld;- and the
dying daylight and the solemn stars
watched over allo.g qss8
A little way from the battlefield ran
q small stream, making blue fold in the
dark grass, and two wounded men had
crawled to its banks to slak their
thirst. .........,... ..... -. ..... .....,...
And when the two men crawling along
the banks looked up and met each others
faces they knew they were enemies, and
they knew, too, that a few hours ago
each had aimed his rife at the other, and
that aim had made the ghastly wound, a
little way from the heart which had drank
the life blood of each, and each glared
desperately on his adversary moment
before he fell. .. taa. .,,. ,.s.,..,.,
But there was no ierceness in the eyes
of those men now, as they sat face to
face on the bank of the stream; the strife
and the anger had all gone now, and
they sat still, dying men, who few hours
before had been deadly foes, sat still and
looked at each other AT last one of
them spoke: ~ = ''%
ave haven't either a chance to hold
out much longer, | judge" "'@' 81 ''
"No," said the other with q little mix
ture of sadness and recklessness. You
did that last job Of yours very well, as
that bears witness;" and he pointed to a
wound little above his heart, from
which the life.bood was slowly oozing.
"Not better than you did yours" re-
piled the other, with grim smile; and
he pointed to wound little higher up
larger, more ragged-a deadly one.
And then the two men gazed on each
other again in the dim light, for the moon
had come over the hills now, and stood
among the stars like pearl of great
price. And as they looked a softer feel.
ing stole over the heart of each toward
his fallen foe; a feeling of pity for the
strong manly life laid low; a feeling of
regret for that inexorable necessity of
war which made each man the slayer of
each other; and at last one of them
spoke 90. - q 3 Hnu.1 ... D..
There's some folksin the world that'll
feel worse, s'pose because you've gone
out of it ~ e c del q. .iaI r.; ] .
A spasm of pain was on the bronzed,
ghastly features. 'i H.1 aE /,
'Yes," said the man, in thick tones
there's one woman, with. little boy
| and girl away up among the New Hamp-
shire mountains, that It'll well-nigh kill
to hear of this" And then the man
groaned out, in bitter anguish, "Oh,
God, . have pity on my wife and chill
drenln ,sl .D efrl as...raei.r r.....
And the other drew closer to him. 20
"and away among the cotton fields of
Georgia, there's woman and little
girl whose hearts will break when they
hear what this day has done" And then
a cry rung itself sharply out Of his heart.
"Oh God, have pity upon theml" N
And from that moment the Northerner
and the Sohtherner ceased to be foes,--
The thought Of those distant homes on
which the anguish was soon to fall, drew
them close together in that last hour,
and the two wept like children. .o'' (, I
And at last the Northerner spoke,
talking more to himself than anything
else, and he did not know that the other
was listening greedily to every word.
"She used to come my little girl
bless her heart!--every night to meet
me when Icame 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 goldencurls and
the laughdancing in her'eyes,s when she
heard the click Of the gate--I see her
there now; and I'd.take her III my arms,
and she'd put uphsriIittle lipsfot a
kiss; but my little girl will never watch
under the old plum tree by the well for
herfather again I shall neserhear the
tcry' 81, 10Y as she catches d glimpse of
me at the gateaI shall never SEQ her
little feetrunning overthe grass tospring
4 In my arms, again n Us 'sas ai5i1 eji