Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-06-24

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groan-a long moan of "Oh, motherl
Oh, motherl Oh, God Of my mother.
comfort hcrl'
Deborah sprang forward rs II struck,
then slowly turned and crept back,
STOPPING TO part the dense leaves.
There, where he had dragged himself,
lay boy-in blue. A man they called
him, no doubt, when he first put on tho
gay new uniform; but where his face
was unbackened IL was fair and beard
less, while tho powder-scorchcd hair
curled crisp and brown about the tom
pies. AS Deb tore apart the branches
he opened his eyes and saw her lean
ing over him-fine eyes, but growing
filmy.
"It most broke my heart to leave
you! Father gave you tome-when ho
died-but said-be man-this seemed
the way. II isn't the dying, motherl
it's you! Oh, mother! motherl moth
crl'
No holy word from Heaven, no ago.
nized cry from hell could have SO
stirred that woman's soul as the long
wall of love put into this, for her, word
of words. Had he begged for help she
might have spurned him like reptile;
,iau ne PIaycu: .h's Ieooi Doo HiighI
have tnu1'cu nm. DuV ene cry ol tne
poy VINO hnow Wl'e tne ln'gnty molhcr.
h io,o ~, was. sa, o,,'ioo a'i '"o ie''i' ou' Vi
ne. q. w uWLo Ponso' i,e WI 3. :. ., ~, u, =
asked, tenderly, her great hands softly
w y, r.hs III, o9'., ;. ,,u,
sor.5 Nv II wasmu'h ~, hon no .i mn
swe.ou' nN.ns ms os.s "a nc. .aoe' anu
Sns.I ~ i. nm, III L;,,, w ''
'or1..'hu S, 1 WilaI "'tuu III, nun, ,,,,.
a., no "'eu' SaII5 III
ny 1no p,oosss in Sno Po H. m In ,,;a;n'. u
tho far,;i;an vs,onss s,nn,, n,,;nt ,,oann
oo, ono ,.''l'a a ,,auo aoo % SUI, ;d Io.o v"Jo
,r mmS y" .'Gr, h;,, a,to5 SIIn I,;',',
Wnah WJn e..is WIZ p' s po''I WIN. %
,.,.i', 90 n ' 80, .,"o 81 ~, IL, ,,,nt '
i;, .9 s, w ;neso v;,.;. @ wv 80. ,u''
f .no ns D ias1 ~ or nsi,, tav, roa,
n,nar ,;ti, ~ 1o"u eeo % ,,trn q. Nv aIu ai..,i
% ast .md mtIh o,aoro., i to h;S d,I, vi mo Shy
sn,soa ,' th;s ,.",,o.h ,no,,nn ,,hnsa ,,o;ao
Lad ,omo S",9 ho aa,,d ,ot roonmn;,o nW. o'oo oo
h;ndI = 'oio 'o ooi' ''' '"' 10
..Iy;u ,.o,, Ia. ,,ro,o Xvo,,.
ho,,, r,n M Saoi, "J 'to to no. horo NV mo won ou
not, ,,,,i,tt,nod h;s noot omo,,;ra
1, Sc, ,l;1 Ln
daaes form from hpr clothing tben said.
!, y IN nn totnh n nort m, S1;t ,on whar
I-or soo ,n,,o you kan t,,st mn. I',,a
,,at SoY, - W
Sha star,od ~ oo hut turnod hofor.
sho ,,l,n"ed threu,,h tbe nnJarbrns1
"a Ella.
''"u :. WI. var. ronopn
8. IW;i, H. n,va,, a,d r,othor 20 i,
Ma IL >,
ti H. l;n, could NOT form, ,,oro words
| e. ...i. ~ ,,,r.;o,,l H.. ,,
tb;n, i wowas was in his hreast.nncIet % and H she
bnrrioJ away W ' ''' ''''
rho ~ i,,,, ;,o., l,rou, hotto,, than 20
ost r cnestions " He had nnt ont % old Id
H princde dI tha hle,cbed noS and sat boh.
nahL;n, Nth nld Tnrts tho biaonhad
doS. nsvertbeless at Deb's orders be
IoGi,od nv Tmrt and bron nabt forth a@,;n
Prince and an the cart He fnmbIed Over
10 harnass so ,onn tho oh n n,,SIed h;,,,
aside anJ did b;s worls for him sneediiv
Sho t,n,hled into tba cori thon nIJ ,an.s
straw yn % nondescrint @ ort;cles hastily 81
IecteJ that ~ave II n n,otter.of.conrso
iooI She ardareI Tom b;mseif 70 cot
in She hrongbt from the house n hssk
Of brandy and finally drove awav
tal,;nn off ,be naaro in q state of astn1'
;sbn,ent M wor5s could descr;he She
nhnso short ant hv q noar ond ,ot
frennentnJ lane to,y,rd Tho b;rhwaU
oloSa to tbo ,,Ioce wbare sba ieft 10
IInion soidier She found him al;vo
hut oI,,ost unconsc;ous rove hin, a I;t'
tle hrandv and With Ton,,s hain r,ot
hin, into ibe cart As sbe coyared lsin,
With tho rnhbisb he asked again. ..lViIi
,,a,, bain mo to herp itss a,r.u "a. IF
;nNHnr
"Yes,n she answered. pruffly. "Do
[ pear to be lyineP''
The task she had undertaken might
not be easv. but difficulties made Deb
defiant. it the first Jolt of the old cart
the Young man ceased to speak and
soon ceased to eroan. They met sew
eral people along the road, some known
to Deb; thew talked together of the
davis events, and Deb's own rhetoric
was variegated to correspond with their
profanity. She was not inconsistent:
She hated the North, and proclaimed
her hatred boldly; but she was a wom-
an, and the heart of one knows no
geography. The compass in it always
points where the love current is strong
est--east, west, north, or south, no
matter which way but all her secret
actions follow after. Deb was more a
mother than a Southerner might.
Tom at the end of the cart, his heels
dangling in the dust, or Tom limping
along on foot, he heard her parry all
questions as to her load, and wondered
what she could be plotting. Was she
going to wreak her vengeance in some
OF the dreadful ways he had heard her
hint at in the pastP Who knewP
1t was dark. and the rain was falling
briskly when they reached home.
Strong as Deborah was. she had hard
task, with all TOMS added strength,
to get her burden over the threshold.
''Lock the door," she ordered, look
ing herself for candle. When found
and lighted she knelt where its yellow
rays fell full in the soldiers face. The
old negro covered close beside her,
,vhila cha tnnly fh. hanJ oo ,h,roI,, :, =, i