Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-03-19

that u'ihh vi CViu WatST HhQU cOuleu
down my anger much. And for
months and months after when /
thought of that affair, the old, mad
feeling would come boiling up. The
fellows face always came out as clear
before me "a my own brother'a, only
1t seemed to ME more sharply cut In
my memory. don't know why re-
sented this offence 30 bitterly. Ihave
let bigger things of the sort pass, and
soon forgotten them ; but this stuck
by me. l am not a rovengefuI fellow
naturally, but ! never gave up the
hope Of seeing that man again, aud
somehow paying him back for his I'M
solence. There wasn't a camp or re.
view ! was In for the next two years
but looked for him, right and left
never went over t!old, after bat
tie bnt that searched for him among
the dying God forgive me! At last
my opportunity came.
II had been wounded, and was In
one of the Washington hospitals-al-
most we'll yet still not quite flt for
duty In the saddle. / hate, above all
things, to be idle; 80 begged for light
employment as hospital nurse aud
they gave IL to me, and said did
my duty well.
II never felt for our poor brave fell
lows as did there. / had been Very
| Fortunate, and until that summer
had never been in the hospital.
Now | saw such suffering and such
heroism rs I had never seen on the
battle. field. Companionship helped
to keep up the spirits Of those who
we could not save, to the last. Then
Ii seemed hard that each brave boy
must make his march down the dark
valley alone. But they all went Off
gallantly. / would have rather gal.
loped forward to a forlorn charge,
any day, than have followed any one
of them over to the "Soldlers' Rest
though II Is a pretty place to capap
down in. In fact, my heart grew 30
soft here, 80 ChristianiZed, as 1t were,
that l forgot to look for my old enc
my; for so you see, l still regarded
the surly straggler who refused ME
water at the roadside spring.
after the battles of the wilder
ness, great multitude Of the wound.
ed were poured In upon us nil our
wards were filled to overllowing. II
was hot close weather; most OF the
patients were feevered by their
wounds and exposure to thes sun, and
up and down the long, ghastly lines
of white beds the great cry was for
water. took large pitcher of Ice
water and q tumbler, and started on
the round of my ward, as eager to
give as the poor fellows wero to re-
eeive. The Ice ratified and rung hn
a most inviting way aud many
heavy eyes opened at the sound, and
many hot hand was stretched out,
when, all at once, ON one of the two
farthest beds of the ward, / saw II
man start up, with his face flaming
with fever and his eyes cleaning, as
he almost screamed cut; "Water |!
give me water, for Gods sakem
"Then, madam, could see no
other face in all the ward, for it was
he.
81 made few steps toward him,
and saw he knew me rs we'll as /
knew him, for he fell back Oh his
pillow and turned his face To the
wall. The devil tlgbtened his grip
on me, and 1t seemed that hc had me
fast and sure, and he seemed to whls-
per In my ear: Rattle the Ice In the
pitcher, and aggravate him! Go up
and down giving water to all the
Others and rot q drop to himln
| "Then something else whispered,
a little nearer, though not in such a
sharp, Kissing way--consciepce,
suppose 1t was; good Methodists
might call 1t the Holy Spirit; other
religious people might say IL was the
spirit OF my mother; and perhaps
they would all mean about the same
thtrg-anyhow, 1t seemed to say
Now my boy is your chance to re.
turn good for evil, Go to him, give
him a drink first Of ALL And that
something walked me right up to his
bedside, made me slide my hand un-
der bis shoulder aud raise him up,
and put the tumbler to his lips
How he drank / never can forget
IN long deep draughts, almost Il tum
bier full at o swallow, looking at me
so wistfully all the time. When he
was satisfied, he fell back, and again
turned his face to the wall without o
word. But somehow knew that
fellows heart was touched, as nc
chaplain's sermon or tract had cvei
touched 1t.
! II asked the surgeon TO let me
have thesole care OF this patient, and
he consented, though he said the
man had bad gun-shot wound In
the knee, and would have to submit
to an amputation, If he could stand ii
and If not, would probably make me
a great deal of trouble while lie last.
ed.
4
well, I took charge of him
had to do Ii, sonehew--but ho KEEP
up the same silence with me for sev.
eral days, then, one morning, just a.
| was leaving his bedside, lie caughi
; hold Of my coat and pulled me back
| bent down 10 ask him what h.
wanted, and he said in hoarse wills
per: You remember that canteer
: business in the Shenandoah Valley /?
Yes, but II don't matter now, ole
fellow / answered.
But il does natter he said. i
don't know what made me so surl,
that day, only that an upstart young
Lieutenant from our town had Jus
been swearing at me for struggling
and / wasen't to blame, for wa.
; Fl