Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1865-10-12
GOING HOME.
ny MARY JANE ALLEN.

1t was a bitter night one of those times,
happily infrequent inithis latitude, when eve
rythng, animate and inanimate, seems to
shrink and cover in the intense cold. The
very air was full Of icy, particles which one
was forced to draw in with every breath; and
when the moon rose, round and clear and
bright and the wind came up with it, .pene-
trating every crack and crevce, no matter
how minute, the passengers of the night ex-
n,,.ss gathered closer to the stove, crowdlng
and inst,:ng each other, as even wellBred peo-
nlo will s1metimes do, in their efforts to keep
warm.
All but one man, who sat in scat BY him
self near the door A tail man, mrapt in an
oyercoat of army blue, the visor OF his cap
drawn low over his eyes-7decp, datk eyes,
will, a strange expression in thcm--such eyes
as a man might have who had been fated to
stand for time on the borders of hell, and
having seen, must bear with him through life
the memory of its horrors. ~ ;"
He sat there quietly enough, taking little
heed, apparently, of what was going on about
him, All the evening he had sat so,. seldom
moving, not speaking, onlyonce when he had
o;ven mn his comfortable seat near the fire to
moor looking woman with child in her
arms. and himself taken this one fartherback;
and the passengers, noticing the little act OF
politeness, and observing his dress as well,
decided that he was ga soldier on his way
home; a veteran, probably, and then dropped
him out'of their thoughts. Q .Ty5f.5. M
| And while the hours of early evening wore
away the train tlhndered on, over miles and
miles of level prairie; past farm houses nest
led down among trees and barns and corn
cribs past little groups of dwellings with their
home-lights shining cheerily out.
The man by the window watched them as
they fitted by, an eager, hungry look coming
into his ewes. Was he thinking. of house al
the end Of his journey, where the lamps We're
lighted by this time, and three faces, sad
enough now, would grow suddenly bright al
his coming2 1 do not know.
The conductor came in presently, bringing
| little of the keen outer air with him. He
paused with his hand on the back of the seat
in which the soldier sat, smiling down into the
gloomy eyes lifted to his face as he said
cheerfully, 20 Iah ~ goio'l ,ae'
ave shall be at NJ. in eleven minutes. :
You re almost home, sir." "g..R s.'.''' '''
Eyes, thank God!'
Home! Did Conductor Hines know all
that word meant to the man sitting there SC
quietly? q He thoughthe did; thought he could
understand his feelings, for he himself had
served three years as a soldier and well re
membered the ,honesickness, the weary wait
! ing, the longing that grew alraost ineupporta
BILE sometimes for one glimpse OF dear faces
left behind. .i,rs ~ sggsi .td,. ta..,
Something of this he said in his earnest
way, still standing there, his hand. on the back
Of his seat The soldier grasped it and the
two looked steadily into each other eyes
| Two faces, SO very, very nnlike 0nenleas,
ant to look upon, though Swallowed little by
the cares and responsibilities Of middle life.
| The other showing worn and white under the
lamplight,igray hairs about the temple, lines
upon theforehead, deep lines about the mouth;
| the face of an old man. and yet he was, but
thirty His very voice had a curious, uunat-
ural tone IN Ii as he said still looking at the
Kindly eyes,,fIt's three years since; l. saw my
family, two since heard from them. have
been a prisoner. eighteen months at Sauls-
bury 40 geg7s.ida - I, .isq ,,efJ =
What a story was outlined in those few
words. Only outlihed--the details will never
be known till the great day of Remembrance,
Wien the secrets Of oil prison houses shall be
revealed and the black record OF Southern
cruelty be shown up to the gaze Of angels
md men. Eighteen months! They haddone
the the work of eighteen yenrs on the once pow
erfuI frame Of this man whose whole heart
seemed centered new on the one thought 81
getting home ~,
Home Who can tell how blessed memo.
res of it had steadied the soldiers brain ana
- Elaf5