Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-09-22
AND THAT'S now HE FELT.

He had a wooden leg, three fingers
were gone from the left hand, and he
had 10 use crutch. In the dusk Of
tho evening he sat down on q dry
goods box on the street corner, and strik.
ind tho ground with his crutch, no OK.
claimed
"Well, old pard, the wars over2
Gimme your hand--shakc hard I"
lie shook the orutch with hearty
good will, and continued.
There's no more Reb--no more
Yank We'rc all Americans, and
standing shoulder TO shoulder--South
Carolina alongside Massachusetts--we
can lick tho boots oi'n any nation
under the sum- U.fsai'
He waited awhile and then went on:
"No more skirmishcs--no more
fouts. Uncle Robert is dead, Gen.
Grant wants peace, and they're melt
ing up swords and bayonets 10 make
cotton mill machicryl We're about
through camping out, old pard, and
we hain't sorry--not a bit
He leaned tho crutch against the
box, lifted his wooden leg, and said:
"Lost good log at fredericksburg
when / was under Barksdale, and
Burnside thought ho could whip old
Uncle Robert and Stonewall Jackson
togetherl Good Lord but wasn't II
hot that day, when the Yanks laid
their pontoons and got up and got for
us And when we got up and got for
them, wasn't 1t red hotlp
He stopped to ponder for while,
and his voice was softer as he said:
"But / forgive 'em / took the
cbances--and lost | am reaching out
now to shake hands with the Yank
who shot me, and I'll divide my tobac-
co half and half with him 1t was
big war Yank and Reb stood right
up and showed pluck, but it's time to
forgive and forget"
He cut chew off bis plug, took off
his battered bat and looked at it, and
continued:
"Didn't We all come from one blood i?
Hain't we the big American nationY
Isn't this here United States the big
gest plantation on the river, and is
there a nation in the world that dares
knock the chip off our shoulder"
Maryland, my Maryland,
Michigan, my Michigan"
He put down his leg, looked at his
crippled hand, and soliloquized
"Three fingers gone-hand used up,
but I'm satisfied Folks who 90 to
war expect to feel bullets. We stood
np to the Yanks-they stood up to us
lit was fair fout, and we got licked,
Two fingers hain't as good as five, but
they are good enough to shake hands
with We raise cotton down here
you raise corn up there--less trade y
He lifted his crutch struck it down
iard, and went on:
"Dun family who'll fight each
,ther We've got the biggest and
,est country that ever laid out doors,
md il any foreign despot throwsa club
1t the American eagle, well shoulder
lrms and shoot him into the middle of
,ext week r.
He sat and pondered while the shad-
'ws grew deeper, and by and by he
aid
There's lots of graves down here
there's heaps O. war orphans up
Iorth Pm crippled up and half sick,
nut I'm going to get up and hit the
merry cuss who dares say word ag'in
ither. We've got through fighting
we're shaking hands now, and durn
he man who says word to interrupt
he harmony It's one family-ole
Jncle Sans boys and gals and babies,
nd we're going to live in the same
Iouse, eat at the same table, and turn
ut bigger crops than any other ranch
N the globe"
He rose up to go, raped on the box
With his crutch, and continued:
"ReSolred, That this glorious old
amily stick right together in the old
for the next million years
o come.'- VickSbwg Herald.