Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-06-28
Cfmperaatr.
The Blue and the GRAY.

| ihc Diue anu Tie tray.
Laws, honey, 'taint on use rakin' M
oIu gr9dges. let bygones be bygones
'Iwouldn't bring him back eff ye was Ter
secede again; he was a right royal man
was Massa Robert, as bofe sides knew an )
1t don't matter now eff he had on the hlne
or the gray when he went ter glory: his
robes are all white now, whittier than no
ruler on earth can whiten EN-" coptin.
1ed the speaker with that readiness of
scripture quotation common to the relic.
| ious blacks. WIS
| Inc scene was the military cemetery of
a.. Beautiful for situation. il
overlooked peaceful river, and its tall
| oaks and chestnuts shaded loyinplv the
countless rows of green hllocks beneath
which slept, quietly now, The brother forms
once arrayed against each other in deadly
hostility. There were acres and acres ~
those uniform graves, the only difference
between them being that on one side of
broad path small white stones bore the
initials OF the sleeper, and upon the other
the black letters wee painted upon wood
alone. 0" "o0"
1t was by the side of one of these the old
coIored Nlaumee stood as she addressed
tue young lady whom she had sheltered
ana TO whom she had been as mother and
tather both ever since the fatal day when
the ball OF federal soldier left her and
her elder brother orphans, as the confis-
callon OF their property had already left
them penniless. The pair. In common
with multitudes of other groups on both
| sides of the dividing path, had finisbeI
decorating with floral wresths and crosses
a grave whose head board bore the initials
X. H., with the official rank of him who
nad borne them; and as they turned to
leave the cemetery preparatory to setting
out on their journey toward their SOUTH
ern home the girls eye caught the sight
OF olner initials across the dividing line
Wnlch sent the passionate southern blood
lying to her cheeks. clenched the little
white hand, and called forth a sudden
word oil eXecration upon those who had
destroyed the "lost cause" and so MANY
of those who had supported it.
Every year "Maumee." as the Young
people still called her, and her charce
performed this pious pilgrimage, and not
little toll, sef-lenial and contrivance did it
cost the faithful old soul. Until recently
bright, manly boy had accompanied
them, but the boy had grown into a man
now, and the descendant of the free, white
race had voluntarily sold himself into
worse slavery than Maumee's ancestors
had ever known.
Night after night saw the bows un-
steady steps leave tho dramshop; day
after day saw his brightness dim and his
character deteriorate, till both Msumee
and Grace felt, though they never con-
fessed 1t even to one another, that it
would have been better had he too lain
under the green burrows of A-cem.
etery beside the father whose name was
spoken with reverence, alike by friend
and foe.
1t was a tradition in the little house.
hold-whether with or without founda.
tion-that The gun which shot down
Grace and Max's father had been in the
hand of one Malcolm Bennett, of Wiscon-
sin, and the yearly prilgrimagc had come
to be not only an occasion for piously
remembering their own dead, but also for
heaping upon the grave of the supposed
murderer, which happened to be Just
across the path, such contumely as Law in
passionate thoughts and weak words.
Maumee had once Joined in these inyec
tives, but since she had, as she would
have said" 'sperienccd 'ligion," she always
sought to calm the excitement of her
charge in some such words as the above.
Ii was night when the travellers re lchcd
home, lard the lonely darkness of tho clean
little cottage struck a chill to both hearts
Maumee hustled about, li4 4hted fire, and
prepared such supper of fried chicken
anG corn cake as she alone knew how to
make, sighing, as she placed a third chair,
to think how probably useless was that
preparation 70 her great surprise.
however, Max walked in, greeted his
sister affectionately, gave her an old fash.
ioned hug, and ate his supper with rel
ish which told how much he had missed
her cookery. To her still further surprise
he did not 90 out again, but went of to
bed without further conversation. There
was plainly something upon his mind, but
as plainly he was not drunk, and both
Maumee and Grace looked on In astonish
ment
The same thing occurred the next night
and the next, which was Saturday, and
when on Sunday morning Max came
down ready dressed 10 accompany his
sister to church, thing that had not
happened for several years the old WON.
an could contain herself no longer,
whats come ober We, shore chile?
Has yer got through? Has yer done GOT
the blessin'?'
Not as you mean; though do hope to
be better boy to you, dear old Maumee.
and better brother to Grace. | mean 90
make home for you both. and you shan't
work your fingers to the bone for us, YOU
dear old soul, if God will help me to keep
q promise"
And then, as they walked across the
square to church, Max told his sister the
story. How there had come northern
speaker to C, woman
and how he, with some boon companions,
had gone TO the meeting to "hear the
virago rant and shriek;" how astonished
aud captivated he had been by the beaut-
full, sweet-voiced, womanly woman who,
with thrilling earnestness and unanswer-
able argument, had plead for total absti.
nence on the side of manliness, good
and Christianity; how amid
enthusiasm and tears, impossible to depict
a woman's Christian temperance union
had been organized among the fairest and
most cultured ladies of the city, the sccre-
.ary being certain little Yankee school
mistress" whom "the fellers" had been
wont to send to Coventry. How the latter
had found him out on subsequent occa-
sion, and succeeded in getting his name
rs sn honorary member of the new asso-
,iation, and how somehow:ho had signed
.he pledge, and promised tho fair girl who
offered it him, to seek strength to keep it
where only such strength was to be found.
Selected.
The recent great overflow of the
river seems not to have been
1nr rs