Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-06-06
my way to the old doorstep, and laid
my head down on the threshold, say.
ing over Dead Dead!

y II
Three days after, letter cam,
from one of Robbie's comrades. Their,
had been sudden charge upon tn.
enemy, John Earle and Robbie
lighting side by side. sHe fell like /
hero,' the letter said, and there were
other words of praise, that l canno,
read over to this day without a great
thrill of exultation. Oh, my hero
= Tell Ruthie
to remember what l told her BY
mothers grave was his last message
John Earle was wounded ran the
last words of the letter. He was
trying to shield your brother from q
bayonet stroke, and received the blow
on his own arm. He says, tell her
was true to my promise-she will
understand-and that Robbie died
with his hand in mine.' I write his
words down and what they mean you
will doubtless know
| oh, so well, so wellr
Two weeks after the tidings OF
Robbie's death, another message came
TO me. John Earle was dying. In
his delirium he kept calling me. II
l cared to see him OH earth there was
no time to lose. Would l come p
1T l cared to see him Till that
letter came, | never knew how much
John Earle was to me. My love for
Robbie had blinded me to the truth.
1T was Sunday morning when
reached the place where John was.
tie was not dead, they told me in
answer to my question. / should see
him again this side of heaven
An old lilac bush grew by the door.
There was but one late cluster OF
blossoms on it, and l thought OF
Johns fancy about lilacs and his
mothers soul, and broke it from the
bush. A strange excitement took
hold of me as | reached the door.
4 came to see John Earle,'I said
to the soldier who met me.
you are the Ruth he talks about,
thinks' he said, questioningly.
Il am Ruth | answered, and he
motioned me to follow.
| stood still at the sight of Johns
face. 1t made me think of an angel,
as it lay upon the pillow, wan and
shadowy, like that of a ghost Then
saw another thing. Where Johns
strong right arm had been there was
an empty sleeve. He had lost his
arm for Robbie's sake!
4 will leave you now,' the soldier
said. lie will wake up pretty soon.'
He went away, and / crept up to
Johns bed and knelt down softly.
Oh, the poor, pale, patient face! The
sight of it brought a rain of tears. I
laid the lilacs down upon the pillow
and waited.
He stirred. i thought / smelled
lilacs,' he said, in a whisper. Mother,
are you here :? Is it lilac time, mother?'
john said, softly, and with a
broken voice, John, all here. Don't
you know me p
=, Oh, the swift, glad light that broke
over his wasted face 4! The glad look
In his eager, wistful eyes! Can
ever forget it?
Ruth = That was all, but it was
the most eloquent of ANYTHING / ever
heard, and then he tried to hold out
bis one poor hand to me. l took it in
mine and covered it in kisses. Then
there was silence of many minutes
THAT neither of us cared to break. We
were together, and the sight of each
other was hpftar th a n ,ynr1s
By-and by he whispered, 4 know
how lonely you've been since-since
that and then his lips quivered, and
the tender, truthful eyes were like
violets in summer rain. Il knew it
would almost break your heart. If it
could only have been mel
Oh, most unselGsh soul How weak
and unworthy l seemed to myself
then, in comparison with him.
BY and-by with his hands in mine,
he fell asleep. The physician came
while he was sleeping.
4 think your coming has dole him
good already he said. perhaps we
may save him yet. Woman's care
will do more for him than we cam
Perhaps he would not die! l
dropped my face in the pillow and
prayed that he might be spared to
me. Perhaps God heard my prayer,
and answered it. / love to think of
1T in that way. Perhaps it had been
so willed in the eternal wisdom that
he would have lived if l had not
prayed. But it pieases me to think
the prayer was heard and answered.
The next morning there was differ
ent look on Johns face. The doctor
nodded his head in qualification when
he made his visit.
There's no tonic like familiar
face. Lieut.. Earle he said. Il be.
gin to think you're worth a score of
dead men,
shall never forget the long sum.
mer days l passed there by Johns
bedside. They were full of hope, Of
trustfulness and peace. l could think
OF Robbie without feeling that old,
hard ache at heart.
After little we had the room to
ourselves most of the time. Those
who were not sick unto DEATH were
taken elsewhere, and those to whom
the call OF the angels came went out
into the other world with the peace of
God upon their lips. I shut down
the lids of more than one poor SOL
dier's eyes in that old house, and won
dered where the dear ones were who
would fam have stood where did in
those last sad hours of life. / put a
little flower or leaf between their
palms for mothers sake, or wifa's, or
sisters, and saw them borne away in
the awful pomp and state which
seems to cling to the humblest burial.
we will 60 to Robbie's grave some
day. John said. Almost the last
thing | remember is the volley thew
fred over it.
| He got to calling me sister Ruth in
those long, quiet talks of ours, and
from the first | knew that he had
given up wholly, on that Summer
night when he said goodbye, the
thought of ever calling me by any
dearer name He had accepted nv