The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-02

All at once gazing, 10 the roofs of Charles
town blazing
They have fired the harmless village; In an hour II
The Lord in heaven confound them rain his fire
and birthstone round them
The robbing, numbering red-coats, that would burn
peaceful town!
They are marching, stern and solemn we can see
each massive column
As they the naked earth-mound with the slant
Have our soldiers got faint and in noseess
haste departed?
Are they panic-struck and helpless Are they palsed
or asleep?
Now the walls they're almost under scarce rod
the foes asunder
Not a frelock flashed against them up the earth
work they will swarm!
But the words have scarce been spoken, when the
ominous calm is broken,
And believing crash has emptied all the vengeance
Of the storm!
SO again, with murderous slaughter, pelted back
ward to the water,
Fly Pgots running heroes and the frightened braves
OF Howe;
And we shout, 'At last they're done for it's their
barges they have run for;
They are beaten, beaten, beaten; and the battle 8
overn now!"
And we looked poor timid creatures, on the rough
old soldiers features,
Our lips afraid to question, but he knew what we
would ask;
"Not sure,r he said keep quiet-once more,
Here's damnaton TO the cu-throats p! then he hand
ed me his flask,
Saying "Gal, you're looking shaky; have drop Of
I'm afeard thereil be more trouble afore the job is
done
So took one pcorching swallow; dreadful faint
Standing there from early morning when the firing
was begun.
All through those hours of trial had watched a
calm clock dial,
Az the hands kept creeping, creeping-they were
creeping round to four,
When the old man said, They're forming with
their bagonets fixed for storming
It's the deathgrip that's a-coming-they wil.try the
works once more"
With brazen trumpets blaring, the flames behind
them glaring,
The deadly wall before them, in close array they
come;
Still onward, upward tong, like dragons fold
Like the rattlesnakes shr warning the reverberat-
ing drum!
Over heaps all torn and gory-shall tell the fear
ful story,
breaks over q deck;
How driven yet scarce defeated, our worn-out men
retreated,
With their powder-horns all empted, like the swim
mers from wreck!
1t has all been told and painted forme, they say
tainted,
And the wooden-legged old Corporal stumped with
me down the stair,
And when woke from dreams affrighted the even
ing lamps were alighted-
On the floor youth was lying his-bleeding breast
was bare.
And heard through all the furry, "send for
Warren hurry! hurry
Tell him here's u soldier bleeding, and he'll come
and dress his wound 7"
All, we knew not till the morrow told its tale Of
death and sorrow,
How the starlight found him stiffened on the dark
and bloody ground.
Who the youth was, what his name was, where the
place from which he came was,
Who had brought him from the battle, and had left
He could not speak to tell us; but twas of our
brave fellows,
As the homespun plainly showed us which the dying
soldier wore.
For they all thought he was dying, they gathered
round him CRYING
And they said "Oh how they'll miss him :" and,
"What tcW his mother do?"
Then, his eyehds just unclosing like childs that
He family murmured, Mother rr'-and-I saw his
eyes were blue.
"why, grandma, how you're winking !-Ah, my
child IL sets me thinking
OF story not like this one Well, he somehow lined
along;
So we came to know each other, and / nursed him
like mother,
Till at last he stood before me- tall and rosycheeked
and strong.
And we sometimes walked together in the pleasant
summer weather;
" Please TO tell us what his name was?"-Just your
own, my little dear
There's his picture Copley painted; we became SO
well acquainted,
That-in short, that's why I'm grandma and you
children all are here