The Portland daily press., 1869-02-19
Miscellany.
[FrOm Hearth and Homs.l
A Cup Of Gold Water.
BIZ aRAcE aREENMoon.

simplest of his stories, told with an appear
ance Of the utmost good faith, have never
forgotten-rememberlng distinctly every de,
tail, while some of his more marvellous aud
traelcal variations have quite faded from my
mind. nh,
"Our regiment he said, twas under banhS,
in the spring Of 1862. when ne maui sucn
GOOD time IN getting down the Shehanuoan
VaIlev If was an awful, driving, confused,
exhausting hurry skuriy Change vi 'paSe,
but IT'S curious that chiefly remember ii by
a little incident which you perhaps will think
was hardly worth laying up, and is hardly
worth telling Of"
signifed my desire to hear his little story
and he went on:
Il was one morning dispatched, in hot
haste, to the extreme rear, with very i'm
portant order. As i'll luck would have it,
had to ride strange horse, as my own had
fallen lame. The one provided for me proved
just the most ill.natured, vicious brute ever
mounted. had hard work to mount him at
all, for his furious rearing and plunging, and
when at last reached the saddle, he was so
enraged there was no getting him on for at
least five minutes. With his ugly head down,
and his ears back, he would whirl round and
round, pivoting on his fore feet, and flashing
out with his hind legs, till l fancy they must
have looked like the legs OF big wheel.
When be found that l was master OF the
situation, that my hand was firm and my
spurs were sharp, he gave in-til the next
time; but / knew that he was continually
watching me for a chance to fling me over
his head and trample the mastership out OF
me.
rode hard that day, both because of my
orders, and for the purpose OF putting that
devil of horse through; but there were
many distractions in the road-marching
columns, artillery, army wagons, and above
all, hosts OF contrabands, who were always
scfambling to get out OF your way, just into
your way; so it was noon before had made
half OF my distance. 1t was a hot, sultry,
and dusty day. | had exhausted my can
teen, and was painting, almost loIling like
dog. Just as my thirst was becoming quite
unbearable, came upon group of soldiers,
Iounging by a wayside spring, drinking and
filling their canteens. At first | thought |
would dismount, as my horse seemed pretty
wei subdued and blowed; but DO sooner did
he guess my intention, than he began again
his diabolical iriskings and plungings at
which the stragglers about the spring set up
a provoking laugh, which brought my al
ready hot blood up to the boiling point.
S9ill, didn't burst out at once. l swung off
my canteen, and said to one of the men. the
only fellow that hadn't laughed at my bout
with the horse: "Here, comIade, just you fill
tbs for me-"
He was a tall, dark, heavy-browed. surly..
looking chap, but for all that, didn't look Tor
such an answer as he growled oct:
"Fll your own canteen, and be - to
youp
tel. you / was mad the other fellows
laughed again, and then was nader, and I
just says to him: you mean devil! hope
to God | shall yet hear you begging for
drink OF waterl Ii ever do, iii see YOU die
and so where you belong, before I'll give it to
you"
Then galloped on, though soma of the
men called to me to come back, saying they'd
ill my canteen. didn't stop till reached
house, a mile or two further on, where lit
tie black boy watered both me and my horse
and filed my canteen, with smile that the
handful of new pennies 4 gave him couldn't
begin 10 pay for. When compared the con-
duct OF this poor little chip OF ebony, who
said he never had no father nor mother. nor
no name but Pete" with the treatment had
received from white fellow-soldier, found
that that drink of cold water hadn't cooled
down my anger much. And for months and
months after, whenever / thought of the af-
lair, the old, mad feeling would come boiling
up. The fellows face always came out as
clearly before me as my own BROKERS', only
1t seemed TO be more sharply cut into my
memory. l don't know why resented this
offence SO bitterly. | have let bigger things
of the sort pass, and soon forgotten them,
but this stuck 10y me. l am not revengeful
fellow naturally, but never gave up the hope
OF seeing that man again and somehow pay
ing him back for his brutal insolence. There
wasn't camp or review was in Tor the next
two years but looked for him, right and
left. / never went over field after a battle
but that searched for him among the dying
God forgive me! At last my opportunity
came.
l had been wounded and was in one of the
Washington hospitals-almost well, vet still
not quite fit for duty in the saddle. hate
above all things to be idle, so begged for
light employment as hospital nurse, and
they gave it to me, and said did my duty
well.
Inever felt for our poor brave fellows as L did
there. had been very fortunate, and until
that summer hau never been in hospital
Now saw such suffering and such herolsm
as had never seen ON the battlefield Com
panionshIp 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 CALAMITY. / would rather
have galloped forward on a forlorn charge
any day than have followed any one of them
over to the Soldiers Rest, though it is a
pretty place to camp down in. In fact, my
heart grew so soft here, SO Christianized, as
it were, that forgot to look for my old enc
my; for SO, you see, | still regarded the surly
straggler who refused me water at the road
side spring,
"AUer the battle of the Wilderness, a great
multitude of the wounded were poured in
upon us; all our wards were filled to overflow
ing. 1t was hot, close weather; most of the
patients were tevered by their wounds and
exposure to the sun, and up and down the
long, ighastly lines of white beds the
great cry was for water. took large pitch
er 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 ratified
and rung in the pitcher in a most inviting
way, and many heavy eyes opened at the
sound, and many a hot hald was stretched
out, when all at once, on one of the two far
thest beds of the ward, 1 saw a man start up,
with bis face flaming with fever and his eyes
cleaning, as he almost screamed out: water,
give me water, for Gods sakep
"Theu, madam, could see no other face
in all the ward, for it was hei
II made few steps toward him, and saw
he knew me as well as knew him, for he lell
back on his pillow, and just turned his face
toward the wall. Then the devil frightened
his glip on me, till it seemed he had me sure
and rast. and he seemed to whisper into my
ear: Katie the ice in the pitcher and aggra-
Vate him? 60 up and OWN, giving water to
ali the others, and not drop to himv
"Then something else whispered, little
nearer, though not in such a sharp, kissing
way-concience, suppose it was; good
Methodists might call it the Holy Spirit; 9TH
er religious people might say it was the spirit
OF my mother; and perhaps we would all
mean about the same thing-anyhow, it SEEM
ed to say: Now, my boy, is your chance to
return good Tor evil. Go to him, give him to
drink the first Of ALL! And that somethino
walked me right up to his bedside, made me
slide my hand over his shoulder and raise
him up, and put the tumbler to his lips. How
he drank never can torget-a long, deep
drau9hts, almost tumblerlul at a swallow.
he was satisfied, be fell back, and again turn
ed his face to the wall, without word. But
somehow l knew the fellow'sIheart was touch
ed as no chaplain's sermon or tract had ever
touchedi it.
II asked the surgeon to let me have the
sole care of this patient, and he consented,
though be said the man hal a bad eunshot
wound in the knee, and would have to sub
nit to an amputat1on, if he could stand il;
and IT not, it would probably make great
deal OF trouble while he lasted.
We'll, took charge of him-I had to do
It, somehcw-but he kept up the same ST.
lence, with me for several days: then, one
morning just as was leaving his bedside, he
Gausnt mold OF my coat and pulled me back.
oen ., uown to ask him what he wanted, and
! ne saiu ~ low whisper: "You remember
11aT cS =, business in the Shenandoah
Vahey es; but it don't matter now. old
But IL does matter, he said 7 don't knozu