American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-03-16
Miscellany.
BEN'S LEGACY.

Miscellany.
BEN'S LEGACY.
BEN GRANGER was a soldier in the
til Regiment Ohio Volunteers.
One night the boys were sitting around
the camp fires after hard DAVIS march,
when the mail came in, bringing letters
from the dear ones at home.
Ben received letter, but instead of
It being from his mother, as he ex-
pected. it was from quite different per-
SOD.
Dear old friend Ben," it commenced,
when this comes to you across the lines,
I shah be sleeping in a soldiers grave.
The tact that we stand on opposite sides
in this struggle will, feel, make no diff
ference with you, as concerns the request
i 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 a protector.
Will you take her to your mothers home?
leave ample means for her support. For
the sake of the past, l charge YOU to care
for my little darling.
"HARRY SMITH"
Ben Granger and Harry Smith had
been the Lest of friends since their first
acquaintance 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 TWEEN
ny years before at college.
Harry was ten years the elder, and
when they left college together was a
handsome, bearded man of twenty-cight,
while Ben was smooth-faced boy of
eighteen.
Since then the friends had not seen
much of each other, for Harry had mar
ried and settled down in the city, while
happily upon the old farm with his
INC Their
Poor Harryr' said Ben, as all these
old memories came back to him, sitting
there by the campfire, with the letter in
his hand. ''Poor Harry! will care for
little Ella as faithfully as though her
father had fallen in battle by my side.
These are terrible times, when the best of
friends are trying to cut each others
for a father while live
'What news from home, Lieutenant
Benz" said the CHEEKY voice of Charlie
Lee, Ben's mess-mate, who came up while
Ben sat gazing into the fire. Some, man,
why do you look SO glum! How's your
mother and all the folks."
-"My letter is not from home"
:: "Oh! from your sweetheart, perhaps?
But, no, you say you never had one. All!
have it, You are going to be promoted,
and your letter is from headquarters"
Wrong again, Charlie. 1t is from
n4ither swestheart nor headquarters"
Then 1 give it up"
"Here's the letter; you may read it for
yourself"
Who ever saw soldier who would not
read letter when it was offered him?
& Ben watched the serious look that came
ever his friends face as he read the let
ter.
= 81 declare, Ben, it's quite romance;
equal TO the books. But won't you, an
old bachelor verging upon forty, feel
rather. awkward with such a charge as
hhis upon your hands; for of course you
mean to take herr"
''Of course; and as to the awkward
ness, Iwould do anything for the writer
OF that letter, and besides, she will be
companion for my mother in her old
dayx",
..t'True, had not thought of that"
That night Ben wrote a long letter to
his mother, telling her of his friends re-
quest, and desiring her. to write imme-
diately to the lady teacher in the city,
who had the girl in charge, and inform
her of the child's great loss, and her
fathers wishes concerning her future
life. 80
Two months later he received an an
swer, stating that Ella had arrived from
the city, and appeared content and
pleased with her new home and friends,
bnt was very sad at the loss of her dear
father.
Ben had not seen the girl thus left I'M
expcctedly on his hands, for some years,
and then only once
He remembered her as a bright, win
some, golden haired little creature, the
pet and delight of every one who knew
her.
Ever after this, his letters home carried
. few words for little Ella, and in each
one he received his mother spoke of her
in such glowing terms that he often found
himself thinking of the time when he
could go home and see this little
charge thus left so unexpectedly in his
care.
The time came sooner than he expect
ed In the battle of Corinth both Ben
and Charlie Lee were wounded; the
former not seriously, but poor Charlie
dangerously.
Poor merry hearted Charlie, He was
the favorite Of the whole regiment, and
now, that there was danger of losing him,
every man was as much concerned as
though he were brother.
At last, however. the doctors said he
. could recover but recommended him to
go home and spend the interval before he
would again be fit for service.
But here arose a new difficulty. The
poor fellow had no home that he could
go to- lie was an orphan, and the only
relations he had were n couple of I'M
cles who both lived within the Southern
ines.
Il FIJI tell you what you can do, Charlie, !"
said Ben one day; II can't bear to see
you moping in this hospital ally longer.
Nov, I've been thinking of going home
some time, to see mother. If l can get
leave of absence for couple of ponths,
we'll run up there and if they won't let
me go. why I'll write a letter and send
You along by yourself. You'll be vel
come, Old b ,; never fear. Mothers
saDpous for bridging one around when
ie gets knocked under"