The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-03-13

sword
Very pretty, sis. said Robert, loft.
~. Better write a poem about it. anO
+ send ii to the Babblebrook Eagle. -
II see the editor, and get him to pub
lish it,
Ny spirit rose under the twofold in
suit. As though my poem would need
amy lobbying in their behalf.
II do better than that, said, he
roically. Pm live poems, instead OF
writing them. The day for TRANQUIL
Thought Is pa7t-the day for action ha.
c0me,0
Puii, pufrwent Roberts pipe. CAPT
tai sentiment puff. puff" work II
into The first verse;
Don l. Robert don't hector the
child ~ said mother, mcrcifully.
O, don't mind him. | really mean
To 20 all the sumo
Nonsense ~ twas the whole fami-
II IN chorus.
Why not .' urged.
LOOK IN ia the glass Patty" from
Robert, J didn't look ! knew well
enol-h what ! should see.
" land what then ?N
W hai then? Why, if YOU should
present yourself before their mightinesS-
es, they 4 be likely 10 say, Little girl.
goa had better 20 home To your moth
en-.
Nonsenscl" And it wa. nonsense.
What i'd had pink checks and curly
hair J had as brave heart a. anybody.
and could work just as hard as if | was
Alright 50 fretted and fumed, when
zap spoke sister Mildred:
lflatty wants To 70, | don't see any
reason why she should not"
HuFrah ~ ! wa sure of my case
now. Quiet Mildred had certain rock
like per-istcncy Of character which in
the end wore away all opposition. And
yet, with her powerful ciS iacrtE to aid
me, potentially as it was, il was two
whole Years before | got permission TO
go. When il came, at last, | wasn't
quite ready. But | became an embodi-
ment OF perpetual motion. / under
went fortunes in being Vaecinated,
slowed away whole apothecary' s shop
Of dried herbs and specifies in my car
pet-hag, kissed everybody all around,
and started.
Once III the ears / dried my eyes,
tossed my herbs etc, out Of the window,
read the morning paper through, adver-
ti9ement- and all, aad at last, having
been properly labelled and consigned at
the outset, / reached my destination.
which was Gladi0lus Hospital. 1t was
ID large, rambling building, which had
once been something different, and was
therefore considered very appropriate
place for q hospital. Ii stood in the
centre of a great broad, plain, a
good many miles from anywhere else
and was not by amy means place where
you would 90 if You could possibly help
IL. K was indeed dreadfully forlOrn
4 q q. I a.
ing that I was dolefully homesick for a
Few days but l would not look back
having the fate o. Lots wife in my
mind: and, moreover, / never should
have dared 10 appear in BabblebrOOk if
I had shown the white feather thus
soon.
So ] bore my miseries like Spartan,
went away hungry every day from Tn
81 Sam's luXuriant table, slept on a
couch Of thorns, gloried in my dcpriva-
ton of al the little clegances Of durmi-
tory and toilet, and finally forgot my
selfand everybody belonging 10 me in
the great tide Of sympathy that swept
iu up0n nay heart with the first battle.
Glalialus Ha-pita was WAY down
towards lile front. add ii was not many
hours after the roar OF the cannon began
before the first Anbuiances came in with
their suffering gas. Then there was
hurrying to and fro, am incessant Civ
ing Of directions, an apparent chaos in
whose complications and c0nfusions or
der always seemed TO be, int never was
quite lost.
If ] could have multiplied myself az
ter the fashion of certain queer speci-
mems Of anineted nature, OF become
temporarily ubiquitous, il would not
IA L. olsv
Nv impracticable did what / could. |
inundated my preiudices in favor of
that modest merit which should be seen
and not heard upon the altar Of country;
made great raids upon the kitchen
and came out laden with coffee and such
tit-bits a. / could contiscate ! trudged
uD and down stairs, and run hither and
thither till couldn't have told who |
was nmv excitement and fatiuue; and,
moreover, preserved my self-control,
and never broke down or cried once,
though sorely tempted.
And so the day faded into night, and
toward the small hours the incessant
rumbling of wheels, and patter of hur-
rYing feet and the din Of questions and
answers, died away, the wounded for
got their pain in sleep, and the attend
ants, who had been busy ever since ear
~ day, found time for a little rest.
II was still now in the corridor upon
which my room opened. All the apart
ments opposite and upon each side
were full, so great had been the rush of
patients NV little dormitory seemed
an ark of refugee peaceful retreat, UNI
invaded bV pain or distress | looked
from the window. 1t was almost dawn;
a faint flush of color in the East indi-
eating how near was the new day. In
the west hung Il sombre cloud of smoke,
dun and pale, broken by the wind that
came now and then in sharp, quick
breaths, and through the riffs shone the
old moon, swimming heavily in the
gray smoke, and looking down upon
white, upturned faces that lay thick and
close along the track of the retreating
army.
shuddered and turned away, and
tried to forget in sleep the weird, CHASTITY
thoughts that beset me. | could hardly
have fallen asleep when | was aroused
by sounds in the corridor Tsprang up,
and opening my door looked out. Just
as ] did so, there was sharp, quick eX
clamation of pain.
Don't move me any further; for
Gods sake, lay me down and let me
diel"
The voice quivered with agony pent
up, and the expression controlled but IT.
repressible. They bent over him-three
or four men WHO were bearing the
wounded soldier.
"Poor fellow He's gone off in a
swoon now. It's pity to take him any
fnrther, but we're all full on this fioor.'
took a step forward.
"Will you take my room, Mr.. Hen
Messy ?if He looked about moment.
"Thank you. yes. But what will you
do? You're not likely though to have
any time for sleeping at present. Now,
boys, gently!"
They brought him in and laid him up
on the bed, fine, noble figure, the
straight-cut, knightly features, tense
and deadly white with pain: no sign Of
life in the beautiful face. / flew to my
private stores; a draught Of brandy I'M
sealed the closed eyelids, and set the
torpid pulses in motion. Only for mo-
ment, though, the faint hold on life
slipped away again, and his conscious
ness fell back into the strange region of
silence.
A thousand kingdoms for doctor! l
could have cried, but none came. Hen
Messy went away, saying he would send
one of the surgeons Immediately; the
attendants followed, and / was left
alone.
The minutes seemed ages. Would he
liye-or would he never come back from