Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-05-22

mother. All last night, as lay amid
the dreadful sights around me, prayed
the prayer in all my pain, and only one.
| prayed that might look once more
upon your face, my sweetest mother,
once more hear Yourvoice. Iseemedt to
pray in vain, yet still prayed"
My poor, poor boy" she said; ga
curse upon the hand that has brought
you TO thisi'' and her tears at length
broke from her control.
To the amazement of all, there APP
peared 10 be something in this eXclama-
ton of his mother that stimulated the
diving youth to final effort of speech
and motion. He half raised himself
from his bed, and with that unaccount-
able energy which sometimes marks the
closing moments of life, he said:
"No, no! don't say that. Don't say
accurst. You know not the words you
are speaking. OH" he cried after a
moments pause, how shall l tell her
the horrible tale? How can | smite her
down with such blow, at such an
hour?" and he fell back exhausted upon
his pillow. The effort has been too
much for him, and for some moments
we doubted if the spirit had not fled. 1t
was only a passing weakness, however,
and before long he rallied again. Again
he spoke. but with q kind of dreamy
half consciousness, at one moment gaz-
ing into his mothers eyes, at another
seemingly forgetful Of her presence.
"Truly it was bloody field" he said.
al had been in several hard-fought
fights before, but they were all chill
dren's pastime compared with that OF
Yesterday. No sooner had we come in
sight of the enemy than the ringing
voice of the General was heard:
"sAt them, my boys, and do your
duty!'
"What happened after that, ! know
not. Know not, do L say? Oh, would
it were true that knew not! Begrimed
with dust, each man was confronted
with his own individual foe, and if there
be fighting among fiends, then surely
did our fighting resemble theirs. | was
myself wounded when fair-haired man
bore down upon me from the opposing
line, if line il could then be called, and
received his headlong onset with ter
rife bayonet thrust, and as he fell |
thought of Cain, and of that deed which
has made the name of Cain a name of
malediction forever. l know not why,
but l felt myself compelled TO halt in
the midst of the melee to kneel beside
that fair-haired man and look at him.
| turned him over, and looked upon his
face-his dear. dead face. All! mother,
it vast vast was my brother S face,
and my own arm had slain him!'
The scene at that moment it would
not be easy to describe. In an instant
the weeping mothers tears were dry
and her face became passionless as
marble. My own emotion, which
have already acknowledged, l took no
pains to conceal. Rough, hard-favored
soldiers standing by listened with bated
breath TO this more than tragic MARIA
tive, while big tear-drops welled
from their eyes unchecked and undis-
guised.
"Yes," he continued, soliloquizing,
"my own arm had slain him. Dear,
darling brother Fred, laid my face
upon his and it was cold-that face
which in our boyhood seemed but the
mirror of my own; ever near meat
home, at school, at meal, at play
which laughed when was glad, and
wept when was sorrowful. Oh, would
we both had died in those fresh bright
days of innocence. l kissed his pallid
lips; looked into his eyes, but in them
was no responsive glance. He was
dead. had slain him. The very
thought was burning madness in my
brain. l needed not the carnage around
me. l thought not of my own wounds.
l even knew not when my arm was
gone. Oh, the arm that had done such
deed deserved to perish. Forgive me,
o my brother, How gladly would
give my life to bring back thine again!
Stay, friends; do not shut out the
hlnssod Inrht ot I'M thu linhf L CON