Litchfield enquirer., 1872-04-04

cd he kissed her hands, and the two part, ed, one going towards the parsoneSe si1L An the other out by the gate neaT WAysS AsH stood. sft - - zi s.1ss.i xSts bxrt fhe nicht-dews had wet me to tne akin when I stole out of the graveyard and across the road to the schoot-house. [ unlocked the door and took the hatln oraYnmar from the desk and hid 1t m my bosom. There was not 6 sound or light any where as I walked out of the village. And now," said Bladburn, ITS ing suddenly from the tree trunk, ri the little book ever falls in your way wont you see that it comes to no harm, for my sake and for the sake of the little woman who was true to me and didn't love mer Wherever she is to night God bless nerl
 As we descended to camp with ourarms resting on each others shoulder, tne watch-fres were burning low m tne val leys and along the hillsides, and as lar as the eye could reach the silent tents lay bleaching in the moonlight. .i zsE
 TIT ae ssst bszel.- .-- ,s
 We imagined that the throwing forward of our brigade was the initial movement of general advance of the army; but that, as the reader will remember, did not take place until the following March. The Confederates had fallen back to Centre vile without firing shot, and the Ma tional troops were in possession of Lew insville, Vienna, and Fairfax Court-House. Our new position was nearly identical with that which we had occupied on the night previous to the battle of Bull Run, on the old turnpike road to Manassas, where the enemy was supposed to be i'll great force. With feld-glass we could see the Rebel pickets moving in strip of woodland on our right, and morning and evening we heard the spiteful roll of their snare-drums.
 Those pickets soon became nuisance to us. Hardly night passed but they fired upon our outposts, so far with no harmful result; but after while it grew to be 8 serious matter. The Rebels would crawl out on all-fours from the wood into field covered with underbrush, and lie there in the dark for hours, waiting for shot. Then our men took to the rifle pits,-pits ten or twelve feet long by four or five deep, with the loose earth banked up few inches high on the exposed sides. All the pits bore names, more or less felicitous, by which they were known to their transient tenants One was called ''The Pepper-Box," another "Uncle Sam's We'll, another ''The Reb-Trap," and an- other, am constrained to say, was named after not to be mentioned tropical To- cality. Though this rude sort of nomen- clature predominated, there was no lack | of softer titles, such as Fortress Matil- da, and one had, though unintentionally, 8 literary flavor to it, ''Blair's Grave" which was not popularly considered as refecting unpleasantly on Nat Blair, who had assisted in making the excavation. Some of the regiment had discovered a | field of late corn in the neighborhood, and used to boil few ears every day, while it lasted, for the boys detailed on the night-picket The corn-cobs were al- l ways scrupulously preserved and mounted | on the parapets of the pits. Whenever 8 Rebel shot carried away one of these l bGrbette guns, there was swearing in that 1 particular trench. Strong, who was very sensitive to this kind ofdisaster, was com platniuB Ottt0n1y ming, had lost three ''pieces" the night before.
 "There's Quite So, now," said Strong, s'when a Minie-bal comes ping! and knocks one of his guns to flinders, he merely smiles, and doesn't at all see the degradation of the thing"
 Poor Bladburn! As I watched him day by day going about his duties, in his shy, cheery way, with smile for every one and not an extra word for anybody, it was hard to believe he was the same man who, that night before we broke camp by the Potomac, had poured out to me the story ot his love and sorrow in my memory.
 While Strong was speaking, Blakely lifted aside the flap of tent and looked in on us.
 ''Boys, Quite So was hurt last night" he said, with white tremor to his lip. "What!"
 ''Shot on picket
 ''Why, he was in the pit next to mine" cried Strong.
 Badly hurtY' ..-.., "Badly hurt"
 l knew he was; need not have asked the question. He never meant to 90 back to New England s. - t- Bladburn was lying on the stretcher in | the hospital-tent. The surgeon had kneIt down by him, and was carefullv cutting away the bosom of his blouse. The little Latin grammar, stained and torn. slipped. and fell to the floor. Bladburn gave me 8 quick, furtive glance. picked up the book, and as placed it in his hand. the chilly fingers closed softly over mine He was sinking fast. In 8 few minutes the surgeon finished his examination. When he rose to his feet there were tears on the weather-b beaten cheeks. He was a rough outside. but tender heart. ..'s
 "My poor lad" he blurted out, ''it's no use. If you've anything to say, say it now, for you've nearly done with this ! world" -IE Then Bladburn lifted his eyes slowly to the surgeon, and the old smile fitted over his face as he murmured, ''IH 'Quite SO. ft