Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-04-10

Ours Is the heavier cross;
And forever the cry will be
Would to God had died for thee,
Oh Absalom, my son!'
atlantic Monthly.
TIE BATTERY'S PRIDE.
Ono tonch Of nature makes the whole world kim"
Shakespeare.
some tins sgo, called :T6e Pride Of Battery FL it
as ss % is the
own.I
We were party Of artillerymen, rough,
Western men, for the most part. Although
Ransom, our sergeant, was fine featured,
delicate handed fellow. not overbearing nor
proud, since he had always pleasant word
or kindly smile for most OF us, and yet,
witha certain distinction of bearing, which
made one wonder how he had come to be a
simple sergeant. I, at least, knew him to be a
gentleman, for although it is tale too long
to be told now why I had left home and
friends and refined surroundings for the rude
life of a private soldier in time of wa, l
could very we'll see that Ramson's past had
had been no less refined than my own; and
during the campsigu of 1854 we had been as
signed to the same post of duty, and frater-
nized at once, most naturally. | shared his
although he proved to be the most agreeable
of companions he rarely spoke of his past
life, and when he did a cloud of such painful
remembrance seemed to pass across his fair,
handsome features that I soon learned to
avoid all 1llusion to it, and only enjoyed the
good fortune which had thrown this pleasant
deboDa comrade across my path.
For Ransom was the life of our camp. He
had rich baratone voice, which had evident
ly been carefully cultivated, wonderful
memory, which retained with the most vivid
distlncness every occurrence, and powers OF
narration of the highest order, so that he was
eagerly welcomed at every camp-fre-eor The
times when soldier is not on active duty are
very sure to be tedious. Neither Ransom nor
myself set up for SAINTS among our wild
western confreres, and yet there were times
when their lawless ways shocked us both,
nd this fact, probably, made our sergeant
ven more willing to turn the thoughts of the
ollicking boys to more innocent amusements
nan even draw-poker and such like evil de-
vises. Even the charm Of draw poker would
often yield to Ramson's powers of entertain
ment. and first one and then another of the
great bearded gamblers would throw down
the cards and steal across to the little knot OF
listeners which were sure to be grouped
around the sergeant whenever the tinkling
of the guitar, which he carried everywhere
with him, was heard in the stiffness of the
summer evenings.
we l0Q CHOSEN Il very TOIudQGlC SpOL lOT tue
camp We were part of the advance guard Of
the army and very well knew that across the
wooden hill to the right the enemy's outposts
were stationed, only a stones throw, as il
were, from our own. Indeed, the pickets
often came in sight OF one another beyond the
the foot of the hill, while the drums could be
distinctly heard when the wind blew from the
west, where against the horizon the South
Mountain rose, blue and misty in the summer
distance. It was a beautiful valley, smiling
and peaceful, when we first saw it, but a
month of constant fighting had left its mars
even upon the calm face OF nature, for scarce a
day had passed without skirmish Of some
sort, and one or two desperate battles had
been fought.
It was only an evening or two after one Of
these skirmishes that we were GROUPED as
usual around the sergeant and his guitar
Somebody had brought some good tobacco
into the camp, and it was circulating freely
among the men. Every one of US were smok
ing as we listened to the sergeant, and the
pleasant evening wind blew great whiffs Of
smoke up the hillside, where it hung in little
was sufficient to put US all in good humol
even had we not come out best in the fight
and "a we sat in the moonlight beside the
stream, some one called out to Ramsonto sing
a wild, daredevil kind of song that was 8
great favorlte with some of the men.
lncTC was no uaTm Ill tuc song, July uup
rpy-go-lucky species of composition, hitting
off with considerable humor the life of a sol
der in camp, and Ransom had scarcely ut
tered the last words of the first verse before
every man of us wass tartledbv the reverbera
ton of a childish laugh, which came from
some point in the tnickly- wooded hillside close
by.
The moon was pouring her clear white
light over the hill and upon the foaming
thread OF water which dashed around its base,
aud in a second or two we saw, picking her
way over the great rocks which lay in the
water, tiny barefooted child, O little girl,
who came quite confidently toward US across
the stream.
She was such tiny tot of thing and she
looked 50 weird aad eric standing there in
the moonlight, with little grey cap on her
head, beneath which chick mass of glossy
plack curls hung wildly over a pair Of great
bright eyes, that we all stopped smoking and
stared at her in unfeigned establishment. II
was long since child had been among US
and this little creature came across the stream
and up the steep bank toward us without q
shadow of fear or embarrassment upon her
pretty gypsy face. She stopped when she had
climbed the bank, put her bare feet together
straighted her baby figure, and lifted he,
hand to the little grey cap in military salute
It happened that WAS nearest the child
and held out my hand to her coaxingly.
Who are you, little maid?" I asked.
d.
'and nv boys call me the Pride of the Bat
terry That's because belong to 'em, you
know, and ride the guns"
'Ride the guns" I ejaculated: "a little
mite like your And does your mother lei
you do thate'
"I'se pct no mouver," she said, shaking hel
long curls sadly, land no papa either, and sc
Captain Ned took me for the betty's child
he adopted me you know"
Adopted vou~
"Yes," she answered proudly, and then she
threw around upon us all a quick, bright
its audacity been tempered by such an ex
quisitely truthful innocence.
'They don't know I came," she went on
with continuation Of the gay childish
laugh we had heard on the hillside. II crept
out underneath the tent after Captain Ned
cause knew you were soldiers, and soldier
wouldn't hurt little thing like me. And
good Mister Yankee men want some of you,
baccar' 'r-~ - -,----'-- -.-..---
s.You want some Of our 'bacca.. do YOU
That'ssa queer thing for a little girl to want!'
somebody said, amused at the child's earnes
" anxious manner ~ ~f%S2 ~ 8 49,
80, wouldn't use It" she cried, in childish
disdain. 81 want it for my boysl It's beer
days and days since they had any, and i
makes 'em so cross. Even the old Colone
swore to-day. Che swears dreful, and it make
lug SICK ne,Q give alsg ZOE - gOou pIPe III
like the YANKEES had over on the other side o
the hill here So I've been tninkin' all oay
1 how could come across and get some for m.
poor boys" 1>,.z{... S.
She looked so sweet and innocent, and he
great lustrous eyes had so pleading an ex
preston as she spoke that many rougl
| Erimy face worked strangely in response t,
: the thrilling of the cord Of common brother
hood, WI ch this baby's hand had touched. 8
Come here" said the last speaker, I,
grizzled Kentucky giant, with paw like
bear; "hold out that big apron of yoursp'
She lifted the corners of 9 little dark Gallo,
apron she wore, which was about the size q
An ordinary pocket handkerchief, and ap