The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-09-14

BITndywine, and where the carnage
gathers thickeSt, where the fight is most
bloody, there you may see Il stout form
strding ON, lifting huge hammer into
light. Where that hammer falls, it
kiIls-where that hammer strikes it
crushes 1t is tho blacksmith's form.
And the war.cry that he shouts? Is it
Il mad cry of vengcance--half howl, halt
hurrah ? lsit but fierce yell, breaking
up from his heaving chest?
All, no All, no!
1t is the name Of Mary! 1t is the
name Of his young wifel
Oh, Mary-sweetest name Of womal--
name 80 soft, so rippling so musical
name of the mother Of Jesus, made holy
, by poetry and religion--how strangely
did your syllables Of music ring out from
that bIacksmith's lips, as he went muir.
dering on!
MARY" he shouts, as he drags the
relocated trooper from his steed ;
Mary" he shrieks as bis hammer
crashes down, la iing that officer in the
dust. Look. Another officer, with Il
gallant face and form-another officer
glittering in tinsel, clasps that black
smith by the knees and begs for mercy.
81 have wife-mercy! | have a wife
yonder in England--spare mel"
blacksmith, crazed as he is, trem-
g there is a tear in his eye
c,,n, would spare you, but there is Il
'''1' before me-the form Of my dead
wife That form has gone before me all
day ! She calls on me strike!"
And the hammer fell, and then rang
out that strange war cry" Maryw
At last, when the battle was over, he
was found by WAGNER, who had at
last shouldercd a cart-whip in his coun-
try's service-he was found sitting by
the roadside, his head sunken, his leg
hroken-the life.blood yelling from his
many wounds.
The wagner would have carried him
from the field, but the stout blacksmith
refused.
You see, neighbor,' he said, in veice
husky with death, 81 never meddled
with the British till they burned my
home, till they" He could not speak
the outrage, but his wife, his child, were
there before his dying eyes "And now
I've but five minutes lite in me. I'd
like to give a shot at the British before
| die, Dye see that cherry tree? Dye
think you could drag man Of my build
up thar? Place me thar; give me
powder-horn, three rifle balls, an good
rifle; that's all ask"
The WAGNER granted his request; he
lifted him to the foot of the cherry tree,
he placed the rife, the balls, the powder
horn in his grasp.
Then whipping his horses through the !
narrow pass, from the summit of a neigh |
boring height he looked down upon the
last scene of the blacksmiths life.
There lay the stout man, at the foot
Of the cherry tree, his head sunk, his
broken leg hanging over the roadside
bank. The blood was streaming from his
wounds-he was dying.
suddenly he raised his head-a sound
struck ON his ears. A party Of British
came rushing along the narrow road, mad
with carnage, and thirsting for blood.
They pursued a scattered band of conti- |
nentals, An officer led the way, waving |
them on with his sword.
Tbs blacksmith loaded his rifle with |
that eye, bright with DEATH he took the
aim
"rhat's for Washington" he shouted |
as he fired. The officer lay quiycring in
the roadside dust On and on came the |
British, nearer and nearer to the cherry |
tree--tbe continentals swept through the
pass. Again the blacksmith loaded -
again he fired.
"Thats for mad Anthony Wayne" 3"
he shouted, rs another officer bit the |
sod
The British now came rushing To tine |
cherry tree determined to cut down the
wounded man, who with his face toward |
them, bleeding AS lie was, dealt death |
among their ranks. 4 fair-vlsaged Off !
Ger, with golden hair waving in the wind
led them on.
The blacksmith raised his rifle with
that hand stifiening in death he took aim
--ho fired the young Briton fell with a
sudden shrek.
And that" cried the blacksmith, in
Il voice that strengthened into a shout,
"and that's for"
His voice was gone. The shrek died
on his white lips, His head sank----his
rifle fell.
A single word bubbled up with hi-
death grOan. Even now methinkS
hear that word schoing and trembling
there among the rocks Of Brandywlne. |
That word was Mary!