The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1873-06-11
MiseeIlaneou5,
WAR REMINISCENCE.
The Battered Veterans and the Good
Old Woman OF tennessee.

''Pore soldier! - exclaimed a lone
old widow in East Tennessee, as a
battered veteran in blue appeared at
her door, and meekIy asked for a cup
of cold water. pore soldier
know in reason that you are tired
and thirsty, and that you will be
powerful glad to get drink Of wa
ter, not to speak of little suthin' to
mix with it,
Thank you, mum; but l belong
to the Daughters of Temperance,
and can't drink, unless it is little
in the way of medicine, and l do
feel very weak, as | have marched
more than forty miles to-day"
Forty mile The laws have mus
seyI How could you do it? Why,
it would kill my mule"
ut is very hard but we get used
to it. I wouldn't have minded it, if
I had anything to eat
''Sakes alive! Do come in and sit
down. Pore soldier"
The good old lady brought out
black bottle, from which the batter
ed veteran poured teaspoonful into
a glass of water, and took a vigor-
Gus pull at the bottle when her back
was turned. Then she placed before
him a substantial supper of ham and
eggs and corn bread and coffee, upon
which he advanced in gallant style.
"And you are mighty young to be
a soldierin', - she said, looking at him
benignantly over her spectacles.
Eyes, mum; L am the only son of
my widowed mother but my country
called me, and my duty to my coun-
try is only second to my duty to my
Creator"
"Sho? Why, you talk as peert as
a n4hister.''
81 was studying for the ministry
when the war broke OUT
L had a notion that the soldiers
were all so wicked but I'm glad to
find out that they amt. You have
seen a power of fghtin', reckon r
"A great deal, mum. 1t is hard
for a Christian to take life; but the
enemies of our country must be
punished
jess SO. Have you ever been
wounded?'
''Very often. 1 was once shot
through the heart
Through the heart! Lawful
sal1es Didn't it kill you?"
Not quite. The intercostal mus
Gle was penetrated lengitudinally and |
with varicose veins;
but the bullet ranged across the left
obe of the arachnoid artery, produc-
ng a comminuted fracture of the
anterior process of the cerebellum,
md causing a lesion Of the spinal
'iscera and the hypophosphates of
he fbula. and that delayed my re-
,overy."
'You don't mean to say that you
ived through all that?''
Il am spared, mum, to be an hum
dc monument of the mercy of Prov
dence."
Should think so. What was that
loise? 1t sounded like somebody
lown the cellar
Nothing but rats. Don't be
Harmed, madam. I am here and
will protect you l once defended
he house of a widow when it was
ttaeked by a dozen guerrillas 1
vas obliged to kill seven of them,
na the rest ran away"
do tell Should think you ought
o be an officer"
he 1resl0SnG mas JrIeu 10 per- !
uade me to accept commission as
General. but l have believed that l
an serve my country better in my
resent sphere. Thank you, / don't
are if / do take a spoonful of that,
must be going now. with many
hanks for your kindness. 1t is
early time for our evening prayer
leeting. and l must be there to !
pen it. Have you such thing as a s
ocket Bible to spare2 Mine was +
estroyed in the last battle by being
truck by a bullet in my coat pocket.
was the last gilt Of my beloved
lother, and IL saved nv life."