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


AS SHE SAW IT FROM THE BELFRY.
Tis like stirring living embers, when at eighty, one
remembers
All the achngs and the quakngs of " the times that
tried mems souls; !"
When / talk of Whig and Tory, when tell the Rebel
To you the words are ashes but TO they're burn
ing Goals.
had heard the muskes' rattle of the April running
battle;
Lord Percy's hunted soldiers 1 can see their red
But deadly chill comes Ger me, as the day looms
When a thousand men lay bleeding on the slopes of
Bunker Hill.
Twas a peaceful Summers morning, when the first
thing gave us warning
Was the booming of the cannon from the river and
the shore:
all this noise and catter?
Have those scalping Indian devils come to murder
us once more?"
Poor old soul my sides shaking in the midst of
all my quaking,
To hear her talk of Indians when the guns began to
roar:
She had seen the burning village and the slaughter
and the pillage.
When the Mohawks killed her father with their bull
lets through his door.
Then said, "Now, dear old granny, don't you fret
and worry any,
For III soon come back and tell you whether this is
Or
There can't be mischief in IL, so won't be gone
minute
For minute then started. was gone the live
long day.
No time for bodice-lacing for looking-glass gri-
macng;
Down my hair went as hurried tumbling halfway
to my heels;
God forbid your ever knowing, when there's blood
around her flowing,
How the lonely helpless daughter of quiet house
hold feels
In the street heard humping and knew it was
the stumping
OF the Corporal, old neighbor, that wooden
leg he wore,
With knot of women round hint lucky
had found him,
SO / followed with the others, and the Corporal
marched before.
They were making for the steeple,-the old soldier
and his people;
The pigeons circled round us as we climbed the
creakng stair.
just across the rver-oh, close it made
me shiver!
sto a fortress ON the hilltop that but yesterday
was bare.
Not slow eyes 10 find it wellwe knew who stood
behind it.
Though the earth-work hid them from us, and the
stubborn walls dumb:
Here were sister wife, and mother, looking wild up
each other,
And their lips were white with terror, they said
THE HOUR HAS COME!
The morning slowly wasted, not a morsel had we
tasted,
And our heads were almost splitting with the can
mons deafening thrill,
When figure tall and stately round the rampant
1t was PRESCOTT, one since told me; he COM
Inanded on the hill.
Every woman's heart grew bigger when saw his
manly figure,
With the banyan buckled round it, standing up so
straight and tall
Like gentleman of leisure who is strong out for
pleasure,
Through the storm of shells and cannon-shot he
walked around the wall.
At eleven the streets were swarning for the red
coats ranks were forming;
At noon in marching order they were moving TO the
piers;
How the bayonets cleaned and glistened, we
looked far down and listened
To the trampling and the drum beat Of the belted
grenadiers.
At length the men have started, with cheer Qt
seemed faint-hearted),
In their scarlet regmentals, their knapsacks on
their backs,
And the reddening, ripping water, as after sea-
fight slaughter,
Round the barges gliding onward blushed like blood
along their tracks.
so they crossed to the other border, and again they
formed in order;
And the boats back for soldiers, for SOL
diers, soldiers still
The time seemed everlasting to women faint and
fasting
At last they're moving, marching marching proudly
up the hill.
We can see the bright steel glancing Gil along the
lines advancing
Now the front rank fires voiley-they have thrown
away their shot;
For behind their earhwork lying all the balls above
them flying,
Our people need not hurry they wait and answer
not
Then the Corporal, old cripple (he would swear
sometimes and tipple)-
He had heard the bullets whistle Qn the old French
war; before
Calls out in words Of jeering just if they all
And his wooden leg thu1nps fercey on the dusty
belfry floor.
"oh! fire away, ye villains, and earn King Georges
shillin's,
But ven waste ton Of powder before a rebel falls
You may bang the dirt and welcome, they're as safe
as Dan1 Malcolm
Ten foot beneath the gravest ne that you've spin-
tered with your balls!'
In the hush of expectation IN the awe ard trepida-
tion
OF the dread approaching moment, we are well nigh
breathless all
Though the rotten bars are failing on the rickety
We are crowding up against them like the waves
against wall.
just glimpse the air is clearer), they are nearer
nearer-nearer,
When a fash-a curling sInoke-wreath-then a
crash-the eteeple SHAKES
The deadly truce is ended; the tempest's shroud IL
rended;
Like a morning mist il gathered, like thunder
cloud il breaks
Oh the sight our eyes discover as the blue-blach
smoke blows over
The red-coate stretched in windrows az a mower
rakes his hay;
Here a scarlet heap is lying, there headlong crowd
is flying
Like biliow that has broken and is shivered intC
spray.
Then we cried, "The troops routed! They are
beat-it can't be doubted
God be thanked, the tight is over ir-Ah ! the grin
old soldiers smile
"Tell us, tell why you look so 2" I've could hard
ly speak, we shook SOY
" Are they beaten? dTs they beaten? ARE tbey
beaten 7"-" Wait awhile
oh the trembling and the terrori for too W,
saw our error;
They bsfied, not defeated we have driven then
back in vain;
And the columns that scattered, round th,
colors that we're tattered,