Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-04-25
Foes no Longer.


"We haven't either Of US chance to
hold out much longer, I judge"
NO." said the other, with a little
mixture of sadness and recklessness,
''you did that last job of yours well, as
that bears Witness" and he pointed to
wound little above the heart, from
which the life blood was slowly oozing.
mot better than you did yours" an
swered the other, with a grim smile
and he ;pointed to wound a little
higher up, larger and more ragged-a
deadly one.
And then the two men gazed upon
each other again in the dim light, for
the moon had come over the hills now,
and stood among the stars like a pearl
ofg great price. And as they looked a
soft feeling stole over the heart of each
toward his fallen foe-a feeling of pity
for the strong, manly life laid Iowa
feeling Of regret for the memorable
necessity Of war which made each man
the slayer Of the other; and at last one
spoke:-
''There are some folks in the world
that'll feel worse when you are gone out
oft"
A spasm of pam was on the bronEed,
CHASTITY features.
Yes" said the man, in husky tones
''there's one woman, with a boy and a
girl, away up among the New Hamp-
shire mountains, that it will well nigh
kill to hear of this" and the man
groaned out in bitter anguish, "Oh
God, have pity on my wife and childreno
And the other drew closer to him.
And away down among the cotton
fields of Georgia, there's woman and
little girl whose hearts will break
when they hear what this day has done"
and then the cry rung itself sharply out
of his heart, 'SOh. God. have pity upon
them"
And from that moment the Northerner
and the Southerner ceased to be foes.
The thought Of those distant homes on
which the anguish was to fall drew them
closer together in that hour, and the
two men wept like little children.
And at last the Northerner spoke,
talking more to himself than to any one
else, and did not know that the other
was listening greedily to every word II
''She used to come-my little grl,
bless her heart every night to meet
me when came home from the fields
and she would stand under the great
plum tree that's Just beyond the back
door at home, with the sunlight making
yellow brown in her eyes when she
heard the click of the gate-I see her
now-and I'd take her in my arms, and
she's put up her little red lips for kiss,
but nv little darling will never watch
under the old plum tree by the we'll for
her father again. I shall never hear
the cry Of Joy as she catches glimpse
of me at the gate. l shall never see
her little feet running over the grass to
spring into my arms again" ~
And then," said the Southerner,
''there's little brown-eyed, brown
haired girl, that used to watch in the
cool afternoon for her father when he
rode in from his visit to the plantation.
l can see her sweet little face shining
out now from the roses that covered the
pillars, and hear her shout Of joy as I
bounded from my horse, and chased the
little flying feet up and down the veran-
dab again"
And the Notherner drew near TO the
Southerner, and spoke now in husky
whisper, for the eyes of the dying men
were glazing fast. 1--WE have fought
here, like men, together. We are
going before God in little while. Let
US forgive each other.'
The Southerner tried to speak, but
the sound died away in a murmur from.I
his white lips; but he took the hand of
his fallen foe, and his stiffening fingers
closed over it, and his last look was a
smile Of forgiveness and peace. When
the next mornings sun walked up the
gray stairs of the dawn, it looked down
and saw the two foes lying dead, with
their hands clasped in each others, by
the stream which ran close to the battle
field. And the little girl with golden
hair, that watched under the plum tree
among the hills Of New Hampshire, and
the little girl with bright brown hair,
that waited by the roses among the
green fields of Georgia, were fatherless.
Wtttr THE TJrpIyc ('nNSTnEP