The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-04-07
MISCELLANY.
THE SOLDIERS LETTER.
BY T. s. ARTHUR.

small mouse, standing Oh tne OutsklftS oil a VIII
lage in Pennsylvania. and asked this question
OF a woman who sat working on coarse gar
ment.
ats more than two months since I've had
a word from him." replied the woman, in a
haIi-troubled, half-complaining Tone Then ri
sing, she added, wont you come in, Miss
Annie?'
The young lady accepted the invitation, and
as she took the profered chair, said
"Two months is long time not to have
heard from your son, Mrs. Rogers. Where
is he p
1.-The last news had came from Williams
burg, just after the battle. He sent me three
or -four lines, to say that he wasn't hurt"
"And you have heard nothing since?"
Nothing, Miss Annie. He may be dead or
prisoner for all know. o dear, dear Its
worrying the very Lille out OF me-"
when did you write to him last?' inquir-
ed the young lady.
Mrs. Rogers moved uneasiy, and shame
flush covered her face, as she replied:
Il haven't taken pen in my fingers these
five years. They're all cramped with hard
work, and / couldn't write fiji TO he seen"
"A single line from your hand, Mrs. Rogers,
blotted and serawied though il might have
been, would have come TO Thomas, In bis far
away camp as most welcome visitor from
home. Think OF bis comrades getting letters
by every mail. while there came not "a word
or token for him."
20, but Miss Annie, I've sent him two pairs
of stockings knit with my own hands; and
he's never so much us let Inc know that he re-
ceived them"
"A letter should have gone with them" said
the young lady, "The stockings. il they ever
reached him, we're but dumb signs; loving
sentence, even il he had been obliged to spell
il out slowly from among Informed words,
would have spoken to his heart, and warmed
1t with living pleasure. Write to your son,
Mrs. Rogers. Nothing that you can send him
will do Thomas half so much good as a letter
from his mother. A single line will be pre-
cious. Don't let him any longer have the
feeling, among his comrades, that he alone has
no one to care for him, or send him sweet re-
membranes"
Il don't believe can write, Miss Annie"
said Mrs. Rogers.
"Try. Have you pen and ink ?"
NO, Miss. As told you just now. | haven't
had a pen in my fingers these five years; and
Idon't believe conld compose a letter, even
IL had the skill TO write 1t out"
lyon must try, Mrs. Rogers. II will never
do 10 the world for Thomas to 60 any longer
without letter from home. l have q spare
inkstand, and will step around for it,
Andthe young lady arose, saying as she
went ont:
I'm be back again in little while with pen,
ink and paper. Between us. Thomas must
have a letter"
On Armies return with writing materials,
Mrs. Rogers, still reluctant to undertake the
unaccustomed task OF penning letter, sat
down, half per force. and made sundry awk-
ward attempts to form words and sentences,
by way Of practice, before essaying the epis-
tie, which her ardent young visitor had made
1x. .t.,I H.. a
TO the absent soldier that day.
"Very well done! or course you can
writew said Annie encouragingly, as she
watched the efforts of Mrs. Rogers. Now
take sheet of paper. and just think you are
talking TO him. Write down whatever you
would like TO say, and say just as much about
home, and what is going on here, that you
think would interest him, as you can call to
mind Take your time to 1t, and don't feel
hurried. I'll come round again in the course
of an hour, and see what you've done. Then
we'll both 60 over it. so that you can copy it
out fairly. My word for ii, there'll be nice
letter for Thomas. that will do his heart good.r
In an hour Annie came back, as she had
promised. Mrs. Rogers had filled two pages
of paper with rather badly spelled sentences;
butthe matter was all right as far as il went
Annie made all needed corrections and then
waited until Mrs. Rogers had copied the let
ter, which she folded and directed for her.
I"ShalI mail it for you?"
aIf You please said Mrs. Rogers
And the young lady went away, taking the
letter. Since learning that Thomas Rogers.
whom she very well remembered, had NOT
once received a letter from his mother, al
though he had beeu absent for over year.
she had felt pity aud concern for the young
man, whom she remembered as little wild in
his habits before he went into the army. This
had made her the more urgent that the moth
er shonld do her duty. The letter was as
well as could have been expected under the
circumstances. Still, as Annies thoughts
went off TO the distant camp and dwelt on
the young mans particular case, it did not
seem 70 her all that he needed.
Il will write TO him. r she said as the case
continu ng TO dwell in her mind, presented it.
self In stronger and stronger light HE was
once for short time, my scholar in Sunday
School, and that shall be my warrant"
So she wrote him brief, but pointed and
earnest letter, touching his duties as a soldier
and man. Not In superior, lecturing tone,
but In Kind, suggestive way, and in language
calculated to touch his feelings and arouse
his better nature.
An officer sat in his tent near Gaines Mills,
Virginia, three days previous to the assault on
the right wing of our army before Richmond.
@In the guard-house again y he said, speak
ing to the ordrely, who had just submitted his
report There was regret as well as discour-
agement in his voice. "What are we TO do
with the man ?'
"You will have TO order n seyerer punish
ment Simple confinement in the guard-house
is oil no use"
"Hc has In him all the elements ola good
soldier remarked the officer. mo one goes
through the manual better. He is perfectly
drilled is stately and brave. At Williams
burg he fought like "A lion. / cannot forget
that to his prompt courage l owe my life.
No--no-not severer punishment. We must
bear with him little longer What is his
offence now ?"
He was away at roll-call and his report Of
Observation-Disclosures The man Is restless
and broodng; and sometimes SO il-natured as
to make trouble With his comrades
The officer sat in thought for some time
He was about speaking when sergeant came
in with letters, mail having been received
in running his eyes over them, the officer no.
ticed two directed to Thomas Rogers, the sol.
der reported in the gnard-house. He held
them for q momen. in his hand, and then laid
them aside with his own letters. 7ea
.sBet messee you in half an hour,' he said te
the orderly. "We must do something to re-
forpt this man. There is good ID him, If VIZ
only discover the way to make it active"
The orderly retired and the officer became
occupied with his letters. Afterhe got through
with them, word was passed to Have Rogers
brought up. He came, under guard, but the