Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-11-29
A SIMPLE HERO.

Malta in the year 1865.
The sweet spring days; the still
more lovely nights had come and
gone; nights in which the clear,
deep, purple sky seemed so far
away that the stars looked as if
they hung low down, and gazed
lovingly at the world with their
bright twinkling eyes-siars and
skies the like of which are never
seen in these northern climes, and
once seen, are never forgotten.
In the still May evenings we had
sailed on transparent waters, under
the opal skies, as the sun went
down, and when the stars came out
later ou, a rival constellation seem.
ed to shine below; for each boat
carried light at her prov, and
here and there, backwards and for
wards, glided these cleaning sea-
stars.
The orange trees had grown white
with blossom, and tiny golden balls
baby oranges and baby lemons
mingled with the bloom. Our is
land had been visited by countless
feathered creatures winging thei
fight northwards : call they
wonld repeat in autumn, when thu
northern cold should warn them tt
fly to the south once mere.
It was in the midst of all thii
early summer beauty, before The
sun had begun to scorch and burn
and turn the grass brown an(
wither the fresh beauty of th'
leaves; while the pale pink bios.
SONS of the oleander gave out theii
sweet, heavy perfume, and the wil(
narcissus bloomed in wild pro
| fusion in the fields; that strange
sinister rumors were spoken Of
rumors Of coming danger, of deatl
in swift and awful form, nearing
with slow but certain strides, th,
little island, which was then eui
home.
And at last the enemy cam,
amongst us, warily enough at first
with lust a dropping shot here ant
there like the signs Of an approach
Ing army.
Of all things, in such times, pauii
is to be most dreaded; aud so mat
ters were kept as quiet as might be
and the cholera was little spoken 0
openly. But this reticence was no
suffered to continue long, fo
{" cases multiplied, like nothing
can think OF, except the celebrated
| sum about the horseshoe nails.
In the crowded dens Of the Men
draggio-indeed, ia every town ant
vilIage-the Maltese died like rot
ten sheep; and no words Of min
can pay fitting tribute To the cour
age and devotion with which tbl
Roman Catholic priests visited ahC
tended the sick and dying. Ant
among the order of the Carmelit
Friars terrible number fell vic
tins to the pestilence. Meanwhile
in the English hospitals the encWl
cut down its victims pitilessly ant
certainly with marvellous impartial
ity. for old and young, men, womel
and children, seemed to DO equal
welcome prey. 1t was hard to Sc
strong men cut down in the prim
of life, swept away after a feV
hours agony; hard to see aelicat
women, weakened already by Tia
| Elects of climate, fall victims
the destroyer and leave motherles
little ones behind; but the hardes
of ali, far the hardest of all, {
watch the suffering and hear " tn
crying Of the children )" to Sc
their frightened eyes looking up a
you, confident in your power t
help, and to feel that you could d
nothing.
1t was under such disastrous Gil
cumstances as these, that my her
came to the front.
There was nothing very strlkln
or remarkable about him he wa
only a private soldier in q line reg
ment-an orderly, or tender Of IL
! sick, in regimental hospital !
appearance he much rssembled on
~ thoeo man Ia Miss frhnu,rqon