Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-02-26

your head, TO leave the room lor thfee
minutes, and my boy can escape in the
Darkness Then, with Roman virtue,
his poverty unmoved by the tempting
bribe,-his widowed mother and lovely
sister in their humble New England
home seeming, but only seeming, TO
plead for the life long comfort which
could be bought by a moments inadvert-
ence,-he turned sternly to the tempter
witl--'No, sir / do my duty at all hsz-
ards ! wish that this was the end OF
the incident. But the trail Of the SER
pent is over them ALL There seems TO
be no bright picture OF daring, Of self
sacrifice, but it has on its back the stern
tracings of something mean and base.
This lieutenant was taken to proper au-
thorities in the city, ard delivered up.
Imagine the surprise of the whole picket
force, when, three days afterwards, he
presented himself before his captors, and
showed a pass, properly signed, giving
him permission to go at his pleasure be-
yond the federal lines! One thing is
sure the ten thousand dollars did not
find the same unmoved virtue in the city,
which marked the commander of the
picket guard. The persevering father
had found man who had left his home,
not for country, but for self; who did
not care if the rebel officer did lead his
company against our flag and who was
ready TO FL! his pocket book with the
price of many a soldiers life. So the
pictures stand side by sde,-the good
and heroic, the bad and cowardly. We
find engaged in the same work the apos-
tie of Liberty, the young enthusiast,
and the Judas, who clutches the money
bag, and cares nothing for the cause of
the Nazarene. These contrasts all exist
in the community in time of peace ; but
they are down below the surface, and
only the initiated know of them. In
time of war, they are thrown suddenly
and in glaring colors, upon the canvas ot
our history, like the magnified picture:
from camera.
One fragment more, and brief one
Correspondents tell US of many OF th'
hardships OF army life, but few have done
! Justice to one of its redeeming features
its close and benignant intimacy with ma
ture. We pity the unsheltered sleepers
while some of them regard our clos
chambers with feelings of disgust. The.
tell US -
This sleeping out Of doors, lying dowl
in the very lap of Mother Earth, is {
glorious habit. We, who bad alway
slept in the third story back of a bricl
house, with no prospect from the window
but four feet square of blue sky above
and, below, city grape vine, trying tt
live in spite Of the three cart load o
loan which were deposited years ago
and have never been disturbed since
though they are now as hard as sane
stone,-I say, one who has spent th'
glorious nights in such room, and wit
has never allowed the window to b.
open more than three inches, can bardl,
conceive of the luxury of sleeping Oh
the broad bed Of earth, which graciousl,
sends its fragrance of hemlock and min
to lull you to repose, and of having al
the air there is to be breathed. / hav
often felt that one of the heaviest price
We pay for civilization, and the privlleg
of living in the temperate zone, is tn
necessity of sleeping within doors. i
the East, the best room is that which ha
the roof of the house for its floor, ant
the wide heavens for q ceiling. Th
poor Indian, who knows neither how t
read nor write, gets closer to Nature tina
YOU or in our artificial life. He strike
out from the beach, and swims for mile
cutting the life giving water with hi
strong arms, and taking in health an
yieor at every pore and, when nigi
comes. he makes a bed of freshly CT
hemlock, under the protecting branche
of some old tree, and sleeps SO sweet
and soundly, that, in the morning, be
Young again. 1t is well known that ou
soldiers are never so well as when o
the march. The reason is obvious.
is because they have healthy exercis
generally good food and pure air, an
have no time to indulge bad habits whic
characterize the camp
$ Tommy, what does bench speilF
Don't know, ma'am.'
}. sWhat-you little numbskull-wh