The Portland daily press., 1864-12-24

6e proud to hear, bravely cheering on his men
He was wounded in arm and leg, but he wa
in the hospital, and they hoped would d.
well.
1t is strange how much strength Is in tn
weakest and most loving type OF women in tn
hours that try mems souls. do not thinl
good DR.. Holmes, used to the horrors of ths
dissecting room, made ready one whit NOR
coolly to start on his search for the captain,
than she on hers for Captain Charley. thinl
she forgot nothing which he could need, and
do not believe tear fell till all her prepara
| tions were over, and she sat in the cars on he
way to him. What If her tears did tall ther
silent, but bitter, behind her thick veil p
There would be no stain of them when be
saw the face, which must be cheerful for his
| sake. ssssg s ~. - tsfsi sff.st. ira faat
How the time went she never knew till she
| stood beside his bed--saw him pale and weak.
| with the impress of terrible pain on his lace
| but saw him alive, in this world
SLOW you must have hurried, mother, TO
| get here SO soon I did not expect you yet,
ont am glad you are here. They will cut
my arm off tomorrow. They can't save it.
Sometimes such an operation proves fatal. !
don't think 1t will in my case. keep I'D
good heart; but IL die should like to touch
your hand and see your face the last thing in
This world. First and last there's nothing like
mother." s< es
All that night she sat by him. II she was
tired she did not know it. She only knew that
tonight he was with her-to morrow might
be flowing between them the waters Of that
river from whose farther shore comes back no
echo. r-s4
As for him, secretly he expected to die; but
great content shone from his eyes. He re-
j)iced in her presence, like child lonely and
tired who tinds rest in its mothers bosom. He
did not fear what the morrow would bring--if
death, there had never been moment when
ne shrank from 1t since he offered his life TO
the need of his country.
The morning came at length, and with it
the ehour which was to decide his fate.s Firmly
ne insisted upon sending his mother away /.
Inc moment there was any fear of death he
told her she should be called; ia the meantime
ne was resolute to spare her the sight of his
suffering. She resisted for while, then yield
ed 70 the force of his will. She never could
have known worse torture, however. than her
waiting. Was 1t for hours or moments--she
could never teli--that she sat there with shut
eyes and clasped hands waiting for her sum
lnons..s ,,..s-s~s r.
At last the assistant surgeon touched her
arm. "He has borne the operation, madam,
much better than we feared. We shall save
mis- leg, though he may always be little lame.
His arm is of, and, according to present ap-
pearances, We think he will get well. His
courage will go great way-never groaned
through The whole of II" .'dsia Ek atoJ
She heard the words as one in dream,
clutching at one thought. Her boy was alive
likely 10 live. She tried to stand and could
not. She began to guess then what the ex-
tent Of the fear had been whose reaction was
so powerful and exhausting. Soon she gath
cred again strength and composure with the
thought that ne was waiting for her, and then
she went to him. A 9d
Then she knelt by his bedside and felt his
lett arm, all he had now, touch her neck. The
utmost exertion of her self control could not
keep back sobs and tears. Manned and halt,
her brave boy, of whose symmetry and
strength she had been 90 proud! isi essEaal
She little knew what bitter, despairing
thoughts were struggling then in his heart
When 1t was all over, he had just begun to
realizs how strong had been his unconscious
hope to die. It would have been SO much bet
Ter, he thought, than to live this helpless, dis
figured hulk, shut out by fate from manhood's
work and woman's love. Her pa sion OF tears
did him good. Remembering how she loved
him, he grew strong to live for her sake.
Very gently he touched her hair as he said,
Mother, you would rather have me as am
than not to have me at alp" 1 a1
How that question stilled her repinings!
How many mothers had given to the good
cause their aii-how many were weeping at
that hour mad, useless tears, which never
thrilled the cold foreheads Of dead sonsi She
had her boy with her still--she could touch
his lps-look In his eyes--he could hearwhen
she spoke, WHAT had she to do with sorrow?
What was 1t to give an arm, and the grace OF
movement she had loved to watch, when still
she could keep her boy, her brave, true boy
Smiling again through her tears she Whis-
pered--7g 20 haa hsa0 On a8 ssssl Z sgss .ssl,s,
Charley, God Is good. Think how desc
late | must have been without you, and even
as 1t is / am content" -
X Never had Captain Charley been SO true a
hero as when he put aside his own sorrow, the
downfall OF his hopes, the wound to his pride,
and resolved to live not only, but to be con
tented with lite for her sake. "a 5.--,S seat
/ In the days that followed she nursed bin
back to health again. Never after the first
hour, did either of them breathe single re-
gret. They accebted lie with thankfulness,
not protests; and think at last Captain Char
ley grew even to be glad that he had been al
lowed to make his sacrifice for his country SO
costly. a8iaoa 4sssa IS, ~ es'ssU -
Inc last week in May she brought him home
The apple trees were In flower, full OF pink
whiteness Of glorious bloom. The fields about
their country house were green; and again, as
when he went away, roses and helfotropes
nodded in the open windows, and the bird,
thrilling to old memories of summer isles,
trilled over them mutiBous jubilee of sweet
sounds, which the wild robins and orioles out
side strove longingly TO emulate. s. i
Ss, And so, amidst birds and flowers and sun
shine, Captain Charley sat down again at
home. t7sAE
as"My work is over DOW he said, glancing
patiently, not sadly, at the empty sleeve athis
side. SPerhaps God thought you were the
one, mother, after all, who needed me the
most and this was His way of aending me
back k"--H Hayper's Magazine. ~ 70 zso9 W8E