Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-05
SGI&tteb @ alt.
IS5ING @.

What is it, dear p
" Ony the drums. Oh, if they would only
stop one moment -
saw ny dear aunt shake her head mourn
fully. while a look Of meaning passed between
her aud my uncle They thought l was out
Of nv mind but they were mistaken. | knew
as well as they did that the noise which was
yfar;ur rpon every nerve was only the reverb
Grafton OF the crowd of carriages and ouln
buses on Broadway. Still | could hear the
roll Of drains. | had heard it day and night
for weeks.
1t was drum this time, after all, and mul-
fled they were approaching the house. My
aunt started up, with q gesture OF dlSmay, to
try and close ogt the sound. Nearer and near
er came the heavy tramp of men aud now the
sad dirge walled out by low toned instruments,
the Dead March that marks 4 military funcr-
nj. Strange to say, it was wonderfully so0th-
ing aud rcstful us it rose aud died away upon
nv cars, strained SO long TO steady monOt
onous roll When they had all goHe by,
was weeping fer the first time in many days.
It was Ike dew to my dry eyeballS-an an
speakably blessed physical relief to ny aching
heart.
Dortioncd to him. | felt no longer the bitter
est most maddeuing fear of all-thet his dear
form was left unburied, for the i'll birds OF
prey to tear and mangie. d ghaStly biackeu
ed face, upturned to the scOrchlng sun, no
longer glarcd upon ne when | closed my eyes;
g.. but low quiet grave, where comrades had
said prayer as it was hallowed, and where
dust should quietly mingIe with dust, The
grass should spring upon it son:e day Wild
Iowe.s look up with dcwy eyes to Heaven :;
and there peacefully, as il my arms, he should
>Iumber Gntil we should be reunited beyond
all death aud change
Again that sad and touching strain foated
back to my darkencd room on its errand Gt
mercy-fainter and fainter new as the foot
steps receded-" Adesies FSdslls,7 car old Sun
d,y evening hymn For!weekS my nind had
gone in the same dall, maddeuing round ; but
low | saw ny old home as wildly as If we're
in reality the little fair haired child nesting
IN my dlar fathers arms, while nj mother
touched the keys, and their voices rose up,
ward in a solemn and tender ulison-an en-
bIem of their pniCed godly lives
feeling of pity for myself came over me
to thuk had come to this, that bright eager,
hopeful, child | wondered if they did not
pity me, removed as they were from from the
sorrows of earth; if they did not long to plRck
me from the dark waters that were surgluS
over my soul. Who knows but it was their
spirits miniSteriug unto me for from that
moment the stupor Of despair left me. only
wonder had not died at first. 1t happened
thus | cane down so cheerful and buoyant
that morning, singing to my bird as arrang-
ed the flowers that onr city garden afforded,
for it was my day for letter from him, and
all this long year he had never failed me-
Twice a week his daily journal, in which every
act aud thought of his life was chronlcIed tor
my eyes, came. There might be delays alter
1t left his hand, but none through him.
| did not think to unfold the morning pa
per, not knowing that movement of his corps
was expected but my uncle had known 1t for
several days, and had been dreading disaster,
as / afterward found from the carefully word
ed kilograms of the war department. But |
was young and over-coufdent of our cause,
and had paid no iheed to the ominous NUT
teriOgS Of the coming storm The sun fell on
my daily path-what were the clouds to me
There was a white, fixed look, in my uncle's
face that was my first warning. | dropped
the blood red fuschias and fragrant heliotropes
which l held and sprang to his side.
What is it what as it p
My voice sounded strange and husky to my
self. The scared look passed from my uncle 5
Kind eyes, aud one of love and pity entered
into them.
lie may be only prisoner after all !; do
not worry before we hear"
But ! coald detect the cOnceit, as child
does the bitter drug hidden in the conserve.
You mean that he is dead ; aud you are
lying to me p
1t did not matter that Missing" stood
above the column in which his name was en-
IoIIed. They tormented me with watching