The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1871-07-06
ZENAS CARY'S REWARD.
A Soldiers Story,

through the tangled depthS OF the NO
vember woods casting bloody lines O.
light across the fallen trees, whose
messy trunks were half hidden in the
drifts of faded yellow leaves, and
evoking sweet scents, like orient san
die wood and teak, from thousand
forest censors hidden away, who
knows how or where. And that line
Of dull flaming fire, the sky trowned
"a leaden gray coRcave, freighted
as the weatherwise could tell you
with the snow flakes sufficient to turr
the broken forest into a fair grove OF
pearl and ermine. So the daylight
was ebbing away from this Thanks
giving Eve.
Now l wonder where am p said
John Siddons, pausing abruptly in
the scarce visible path that wound
among trees. 'As completely turned
around as though l stood in the des
erts of Egypt ! wish [ had been
sensible enough to keep the high
road, these short cuts generally turn
out very long ones. However, if
keep straight ahead, | must inevita,
bly, emerge from these woods some
where =
He sat down on a messy stump
leaning his head carelessly on one
hand, while the other he played IN
consciously with the worn brim o.
his blue soldiers cap-a slender
pleas ant faced young man, with gray
blue eyes, and dark hair thrown back
from bronzed forehead, which had
been touched by the fiery arrows Of
Southern sun in lonely swamps, and
along the fever reeklng shores of sui
len rivers.
'Houseless, homeless = he murmur
ed to himself. Il wonder how many
others are saying the same thing this
Thanksgiving Eve To think thai
| should fight through the campaigr
unhurt, and return with an honorable
discharge in my pocket to place
| where no one cares whether I'm alive
or dead, while SO many brave fellows
were shot down by my side with bul
lets that tore score of hearts a.
home carrying sharper pangs thar
death has to give ! It's queer
thing to have only one relative il
the world, and he a total stranger
If find this second cousin of my
father he'll kick mo out Of doors fol-
a shiftless, soldering vagabond. But
hang it, nan can't live alone, like
tortoise in the shell. | remembeI
when | was a boy, the Maderii
vines over the porch stretched on
their green tendrils, and seemed t.
grope through the sunshine for some
thing to cling to. think | under
stand it now
He rose up and walked on through
the russell leaves that rustIed, alike
deep, beneath his tread, still musins
-musing !; trying to study out the
unknown quantities in life's grea
equation, while the sun went dow,
behind a bank of lurid clouds, ant
the chill night wind begun to sigl
sorrowtully in the tree tops. Anc
suddenly the sturdy woods taperec
off into a silver stemmed thicket 0
white birches, fringed lonely coun
try road with little red house be
yond, whose windows are aglow will
freight, and whose dooryard wal
full of the peculiar perfumed maroon
blossomed chrysanthemum.
Zenas Cary was leaning over thu
gate surveying the stormy sunse
with critical eyes.
Il told Melindy so 2 calculated Re
mas, apparently addressing himself tt
the crooked apple tree by the road
Il bet my best steer we have an old
fashioned fall of snow to keel
Thanksgiving with. | smelt it in tn,
air this morning, but women dom
believe nothin' until it comes to pas
right under their nose
This rather obscure sentence wa
nipped in the bud by a footstep a
his side. Zenas turned abruptly t,
reconnoitre the new arrival.
will you be kind enough TO Civ
me glass of water, sir p said join
Siddons, YEARLY.
'Sartin, sir 2 said Zenas. so yo,
are a soldier, hey?'
"A returned soldier said Siddona
draining the cool element from tn
cocoanut shell that always lay clos
to the we'll curb, at the side of tn
house.
Coin home to keep Thanksgivin'?
questioned Zenas.
Home sir, / have no home =
Siddons had spoken sharply, as j
the thought were goading him.
'Zenas put out his brown, knotteC
hand, and grasped the retreatin.
mans arm.
'My boy - he said, with kindly alb
ruptness, you're soldier, and to tel
by your looks, should guess you ar,
about the age of him that is buriet
at Gettysburg-my only son |! Ilov,
that blue uniform for Davy's sake
and if there's a soldier in the worlC
that hasn't a home to go to OF
Thanksgivin' Eve, there's corne
for him by Zenas Carey's Preside
Come IN, sir; come in You're wei
come as the flowers of May p
John looked into the wet eyes ant
working face of the old farmer an in
slant, and accepted his invitation
without another word.
What cheerful change it was
from the frosty air, and chill twilight
of the lonely night air, to the brigh
kitchen with its spotless board floor
and the fire of resinous pine logs
And when Melinda Carey drew {
hump back rocking chair to the
hearth for him, and spoke word o,
two of welcome, John Siddons won
dered If the eyes of the mother, who
died years ago when he was babe
had not beamed upon him just SO.
Il told mother SO this very morn
ing,' said Zenas, with a triumphant
flourish of his hand, as he stirred up
the logs to waving glorious sheet Of
flame.