Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-02-11

and filed my canteen, with smile
kthat the handful of new pennies gave
HIM couldn't begin to pay for. When
l compared the conduct of this poor
little chip of ebony, who said he
never had no father, nor mother, nor
no name but Pete with the treatment
l had received from white fellow
soldier, I found that that drink of
cold water hadn't cooled down my
anger much And for months and
months after, whenever thought of
that affair, the old, mad feeling would
come boiling up. The fellows face
always came out as clear before me as
my own brothers, only it seemed to be
more sharply cut into my memory. l
don't know why l resented this Of
fence SO bitterly. | have let bigger
things OF the sort pass, and soon tor
gotten them; but this stuck by me. !
am not revengetul fellow naturally,
but l never gave up the hope of see
ing that man again, and somehow pay
ing him hack for his brutal insolence.
There wasn't camp or review was
in for the next two years but | looked
tor him, right and LETT. l never went
over field, after battle, but that l
searched tor him among the dying
God forgive me! At last, my oppor
tunity came.
Il had been wounded, and was in
one Of the Washington hospitals-al-
most well, yet still not quite fit for
duty IN the saddle. l hate, above all
things, to be IDLE: sol begged tor
light employment as hospital nurse,
and they gave it to me, and said l did
my duty well.
II never felt for our po or, brave
fellows as / did there I had been
very fortunate, and until that summer
had never been in hospital. Now l
saw such suffering and such heroism
as had never seen on the battlefield.
Companionship helped to keep up the
spirits of those we could not save, to
the last. Then it seemed hard that
each brave boy must make his march
down the dark valley alone. But they
all went off gallantly. Iwould rather
have galloped forward on forlorn
charge, any day, than have followed
any one OF the,l over to the Soldiers
Rest though it Is a pretty place to
camp down in. In fact, my heart
grew so soft here, SO Christianlzed, as
it were, that l forgot to look for my
old enemy; for SO, you see, | still re-
garded the surly straggler who retus-
ed me water al the roadside spring.
"Atter the battles of the Wilder
ness, great multitude of the woun-
ded were poured in upon us; all Jour
wards were filled to overhowing 1t
was hot, close weather; most OF the
patients were fevered by their wounds
and exposure to the sun, and up and
down the long CHASTITY lines OF white
beds the great cry was tor water. 1
took large pitcher OF ice-water and a
tumbler, and started on the round of
my ward as eager to give as the poor
fellows were to receive. The ice rat
tied and rung in the pitcher in most
inviting way, and many heavy eyes
opened at the sound, and many hot
hand was stretched out, when, all at
once, on one of the two tarthest beds
of the ward, l saw a man start up,
with his face flaming, as he almost
screamed out: Water. give me water,
for Gods sake!
"Then. madam, l could see no other
face in all the ward, for it was he!
Il made a few steps toward him,
hn /
him, tor he fell back on his pillow, ana
just turned his face toward the wall.
Then the devil tightened his grip on
me, till it seemed he had me fast and
sure, aud he seemed to wisper into my
ear: Rattle the ice in the pitcher, and
aggravate him! Go up and down, CIV
ing water to all the others, and not
drop to him.
"Then something else whispered, lit
tie nearer, though not in such sharp
Kissing way-conscience, Issuppose it
was; good Methodists might call it
the Holy Spirit; other religious people
might say it was the spirit OF my
mother; and perhaps We would all
mean about the same thing-anyhow,
it seemed to say; Now, my boy, is
your chance to return good for evil.
Go to him, give him to drink first OF
all. And that something walked me
right up to his bedside, made me
slide my hand under his shoulder and
raise him up, and put the tumbler TO
his lips. How he drank I never can
torget-in long, Ieep draughts, al
most tumblertul at swallow, look
ing at me SO wistfulIy all the time.
When he was satisfied, he fell back,
and again turned his face to the wall,
without word. But somehow l knew
that fellows heart was touched, as no
chaplain's sermon or tract had ever
touched it.
Il asked the surgeon to let me have
the sole 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 amputa-
ton, il he could stand 1t; and if not,
would probably make great deal OF
trouble while he lasted.
swell, l took charge OF him-I had
70 do it, somehow-but he kept up the
same silence with me tor several days;
then, one morning, just as ! was ieav-
ing his bedside, he caught hold OF my
coat and pulled me back. | bent down
to ask him what he wanted, and he
said. in hoarse whisper: y ou remem-
Der that canteen business in the Shen-
andoah Valley? Yes; but 1t don't mat
ter now, old fellow answered.
"But it does matter he said. l don't
know what made me 50 surly that
day, only that an upstart young lieu
tenant from our town had just been
swearing at me for struggling; and l
wasn't to blame, forI was sick. I
came down with the fever the next