The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-11-04

water ! water water J. am dying with |
thirst-if it be but a swallow-water For |
Gods sake give me water +
receiled with dlsmay. 1t was the voice OF |
my enemy the voice of Richard Withers-
They were once very dear to me, those mellow
tones; once the pleasantest music I cared to
hear. Do you think they so softened me now :
You are mistaken I am candid about it. My
blood boiled in my veins when heard, when
knew he lay close to me, and was pow
erless to Withdraw from his detested neighbor-
hood. There was water in my eanteen. /
had filled it before the last ball came. By
stretching my hand Icould give him a drink,
but die mot raiso5a aiugcr. " en-; ;scanee was
sweet. 1 smiled grimly to myself, and said
down in my secret heart 2 -
4 Not a drop shall cross his lips though he
perish. Il shall have MY revenge
5 Doyou recoil with horror? Listen, how
merciful God was to me. -
There was poor little drummer on the 9TH
er side. a merry, manly boy of twelve or thir-
teen, the pet and plaything of the regiment
There was something of the. German in him;
he had been with us from the first, and was
reckoned one of the best drummers in the ar
my. But we would never march to the tap of
Charley's drum again. He had got ball in
his lungs and the exposure and fatigue, to-
gether with the wound had made him light
headed. Poor little child he ,arept close to
me in the darkness and laid his cheek on my
breast. May be he thought it was his own
pillow at home may be he Thought It, poor
darling, his mothers bosom. God only knows
what he thought bat with his hot arm about
nay neck, and his curly head pressed close to
my wicked heart, even then swelling with Bit
ter hatred ofmy enemy, he began to murmur
in his delirium, Our Father who art in Heav-
en-
1 was,a rough, bearded man. had been
orphan for many long year ; but not too
many or too long to forget the simple hearted
prayer of my childhood-the dim vision of that
mothers face over which the grass had grown
for twenty changing summers. Something
tender stirred within my hardened heart. 1t
was to dark too the little face, but the young
lips went on bFokenly.:
tAnd forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against u.s.
1t went through me like knife-sharper
thansa 'saber cut, keener than the ball. God
was merciful to me-and this young child was
the channel of his mercy -
Forgive US our trespasses as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
I had never understood the words before
If an angel had spoken, it could scarcely have
been more of revelation. For the first time
the thought that I might be mortally woun-
ded that death might be nearer than l
dreamed, struck me with awe and horror
The tey of long forgotten sermonwas in my
ears :: 1T is appointed for all men to die ]; and
after death the Judgment
Worse and worse. What measure of mer-
cy could expect, if the same was meted out
that had meted unto my enemy. The tears
welled into my eyes, and trickled down my
checks the first that had shed since my boy
hood felt subdued and strangely moved.
The rainswas falling still; but the little
head upon my breast was gone. He crept
away silently in the darkness. His unconscious
mission was fulfilled he would not return at
my call.
Then 1 lifted myself with great effort
The old bitterness was crushed, but not alto
gether dead
sWater-water 2 moaned Richard Withers
in his agony.
1 dragged myself closer to him.
God be praised = I said with solemn
heart. dice, old boy, enemy no longer. God
be praised !! I am willing and able to-help you.
Drink and be friends
1t had been growing lighter and lighter in
the east and now it was day. Day within and
day without. In the first gray glimmer of
dawn we looked into each others CHASTITY faces
for moment, and then the canteen was at
Richards mouth, and he drank as only the fe
vered can drink. I watched him with moist
eyes, leaning upon my elbow and forgetting
both hands.
Blood d-tained and pallid as it was, his face
was ingenious and beautiful as childs.
Now let me speak, he said, painting, You
have misjudged me, Rufus. 1t was all mis-
take; I found it out after we parted. I meant
to have spoken this morning wen / grasped
your rein, but-but-
His generosity spared me the rest.
The wound my hand had inflicted was yet
L L L L IL.
sion of the blow it must have been mortal
Was vengeance so sweet after all 1 felt
something warm tricklihg from my shoulder.
The daylight was gone again--how dark it was!
Forgive me, Dick I murmpred, cropping
about for him with my hands. Then l was
blind-then was cold as ice-then tumbled
down an abyss, and everything was blank.
''The crisis is past-he will recover" said
strange voice.
/ THANK God thank Godp cried familiar
one.
1 opened my eyes. Where am l How
odd everything was. Rows of beds stretching
.doEn long narrow hall, bright with sunshine;
and women, wearing white caps and peculiar
dresses fitting to and fro with noiseless activ-
ity, which in my fearful weakness it tired me
to watch. My hand lay outside the covers !;
it was as shadowy as n skeletons. What had
become of flesh? Was child or man p
A body or spirit7 So light and frail did 1
feel, began to think was done with mate
rial things altogether, and had been subject
ed to some refining process, and but now
awakened to new existence. But did they
have beds in the other world !? l was looking
lazily at the opposite one, when some one took
my hand. A face was bending over. The
golden sunshine was on it-on the fair, regu-
lar features, and the red lips and the kindly
blue eyes.
dick ? ], gasped, where have you been all
these years.
/ Weeks, you mean.' said Richard, with the
one smile. "But never mind now. You are
better, dear Rufus--you viii liye--wes shall
be happy together again
where am I p l asked still hazy. "Nyhat's
the matter with me p
EHosDital in tie first nIace' said Richard