The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-10-13


gay-colored bees as soon as the train stop
ped, shaking hands and laughing and en-
changing salutations with their Dale Ma
nor cqualntances-for these soldiers were
from Rich Harbor. and Charlotte, and
Bowenville, and all the places in our i'm
mediate vicinity. Ten minutes later and
the train was off. My old head almost
whlrled In the unwonted hustle and con-
fusion. | Just saw Johnny Curtis strain
his mother to his heart, impress kiss on
NIary's ripe lips and another on Mrs o.
trender's cheek and then he was waving
his cap TO us from the rear platform of the
last car as the train gliJed away, with the
band playing the " Star-spangled Banner, ~
leaving me nursing my right hand with
my left. for it was aching to the elbow
with the shaking it had undergone. There
were more than score of my former
scholars in that company, and Johnny was
but one of them The strongest grip nv
hand got was from Mark LowenStcin,
whose face was one glow of joy: and he
certainly must have pumped some of it in
TO my heart, for | think that hour was
the proudeSt and happiest in my whole
life, With all lis sadness.
| don't suppose city people can realize
at all what Il gap was made in our village
by the hundred men that train bore away
10 the war, not one Of them to return till
the war was over, as il proved. The
crowd OF women. children. and elderly men
straved away homeward with strange.
hali-,ad faces. where that warm light
glowed too. which faded out only slowly.
slowly in the coming days. as enthusiasm
settled into routine and common duty and
the heroism of waiting.
The events of the past four years have
been like 4 dream to some As for HE,
my old eyes have followed this war along
through one reprcsentative-Iohnny Cur
ti>. lie has typified all things TO me- Ali
those great battles before Richmond are
to me Johnny Curti,'s daily life He was
in them all, and | saw all his letters
home Winter and summer Mary O>-
trandcr brought them to me- Here. in
nv school-room. | sat when she brought
me the news OF his first battle. and how
for hi~ bravery Colonel Wood took him bv
the hand with thanks. How proud Mary
was with that. | remember | drew Il
map OF the "sItualion on the black
board, and Mary was full of buoyam en-
thu>ia-m over il. AMI made NE promise
not to rub il out till she could bring hi
mother to see it. | remember, too. the
summer morning when | was walking in
the Beech Woods pasture. and little boy
hot JOHNNY now-clinc to let down The
old bars for the COWS TO come out: and
the emerald sward WAS every where flcck-
cd with daisies and butter-cups. and the
still air was made stillcr bv the hollow
rattle of IN occasional cow-bell | heard
a CHEEKY voice crv. Mr. BALDWIN," and
looking up saw Mary tripping toward
me with 4 white letter tluttcrin" high in
her hand. That was the letter that told
how Johnny Jared at Antietam, and how
he washed off tlic blood and dust after
ward, and had not a scratch: and Mary
laughed a little bubbling laugh that came
from deep down in her heart. Just such
another morning il was when came the
picture of Gettysburg. From early dawn
till late in the afternoon. through the fu-
rious conflict, we saw Johnny struggling
with Lees blooI-drunk rebels: and We
saw him when he took into his lap the
head OF poor Captain Berry, who fell on
that field
AT last the change came.
In that dreadful battle of the Wilder
ness Johnny was taken prisoner. with
about a dozen others of the Dale Manor
company Soon after We heard from him
hlough an exchanged prisoner from Rich
mond. who brought lis a letter from Mark
Lowenstcin.
why should Mark write instead of
Johnny"
In this question read the emotions of
our hearts. which found expression in no
other words than these. but could not have
been painted in volumes
The prisoners had been taken to the
Libby prison in Richmond. Out of the
thirteen Dale Manor men every one save
Johnny fell sick and was placed in the
hospital. (When the prisoners first ar
rived there they Were stripped of the most
of their clothing, and any valuables they
had. Johnny possessed a cornclan ring
that once was ,MaryS. and this he secret
ed i'll his mouth while being stripped, and
attcrward buried ii in the ground secretly.
pointing out the spot to Mark Lowenstein
only). Mark ailcrward became conva-
lescent, and found that Johnny had disap-
pearcd-no one knew whittier. And this
was what he wrote to Mrs Curtis
Whether her boy was dead or alive he
could not tell the mother. This was all.
As the weeks dragged slowly by now,
and no tldings ever came of Johnny's fate,
the bloom began to fade quite cut of Ma
rvs check, and in poor widow Curtis's
eyes there dwelt Il light so sad it made nv
Old heart ache to observe her. In vain |
tried to say some poor comforting words
could not speak of the boy as dead but
if living, we knew too well the horrors of
Southern prisons to- be chcered even by
that hope. There is nothing so calculat-
ed to wear the life out of a loving heart
as the bare knowledge that the dear one
is swallowed up i'll a great, black gulf of
oblivion, almost more frightiui than death