The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-11-02
BEN'sLEoAcY.

Z a
One night the boys were sitting
around the camp fires. after . hard
lays march, when the mail came
In, bringing letters from the dear
ones at home.
Ben received letter, but instead
of its being from his mother, as he
expected, it was from quite a diff
ferent person.
"Dear old FRIEND" it commenc-
ed, "when this comes to you across
the lines, l shall be sleeping in a
soldiers grave. The fact that we
stand on opposite sides in this
struggle will, 1 feel, make NO dif-
ference with you, as concerns the
request am about to make. You
know that since the death of my
wife, my little daughter Ella has
been my only care. When am
gone she will be without q protec-
tor. Will you take her to your
mothers homer 1 leave ample
means for her support. For the
sake of the past, l charge you to
care for my little darling.
s'HARRY SIXTH"
Ben Granger and Harry Smith
had been the best of friends since
their first aca uaintance up to the
breaking out of the war.
Then they had chosen opposite
sides, each no doubt thinking he
was right.
Their friendship had commenced
twenty years before at college.
Harry was ten years the elder
and when they left college togeth-
er Harry was q handsome bearded
man OF twenty-eight. while Ben
was smoothfaced boy of eighteen.
Since then the friends had not
seen much Of each other, for Harry
had married and settled down in
the city, while Ben had stayed in
the country and lived happily upon
the old farm with his mother.
"Poor Harry" said Ben, as all
these old memories came back to
him, sitting there by the camp. fire,
with the letter in his hand. "Poor
Harry. I will care for little Ells
as faithfully as though her father
had fallen in battle by my eide
These are terrible times when the
best of friends are trying to cu'
each others throats- Yes. little
Ella shall not want for . father
while live"
"What news from home, Lieuten
ant Ben p said the CHEEKY voice ol
Charlie Lee, Ben's mess. mate, VII,
came up while Ben sat gazing int
} the FIRE. "Come, man, why do yo,
, look so glum2 How's your mothe
n and all the folks p
"My letter is not from home.''
Oh, from your sweetheart, pei
haps But no, you said you neve
had one. Ah, have it. You ar
going to be promoted, and you
letter is from headquarters.'
! "Wrong again, Charlie. It i
! from neither sweetheart nor head
) quarters"
d "Then give it up"
"Here's the letter, you may rea
= it for yourself"
r Who ever saw q soldier VII
would not read letter when it y.
. offered him.7
Ben watched the serious loo
that came over his friends face ,
he read the letter.
h Il declare. Ben, it's quite . r,
d nance; equal to the books. B,
n won't you, an old bachelor vergir
! upon forty, feel rather awkwal
with such charge as this ups
your hands; for Of course you me,
q to take her p
a "Of course; and as to the aw
'e wardness, I would do anything
g the writer of that letter, and
sides, she will be 4 companion
r my motherin her old days."
. "True, / had not thought
1g that"
G That night Ben wrote q long Il
's' ter to his mother, telling her of /
friends request. and desiring b
to write Immediately to the la'
"a teacher in the city, who had t
: Z girl in charge, and inform her
70 the child's great loss, and her fa'
er's whistles concerning her futu
!, life.
! Two months later he received
,e answer, stating that Ella had
10. rived from the city, and appear