The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-05-30

e I5TE1IH lT3FEET8 % 80 z q 7
"a great sob burst from Mr.
Owens heart. sAmen9' he said
solemnly, "Amenp7 y
s & To night, in the early twilight
Il shall see the cows all coming home
from pasture, Daisy, and Brindle
and Bet; old Billy, too, will neigh
from his stall, and precious little
Blossom stand waiting for me, but
shall never, never come God bless
you all! forgive your poor Bonnie 7
s. .sg. IA
Late that night the door opened
softly, and a little figure glided out
| and down the footpath that led to
the road by the mill She seemed
rather flying than walking, turning
her head neither to the right nor
the left; starting not as the full
moon stretched queer, fantastic
shapes all around her, looking only
now and then to heaven, and fold
ing her hands as if In prayer. ~,
Two hours later the same young
girl stood at the Mill Depot, watch
ing the coming of the night train,
and the conductor, as he reached
down to lift her in, wondered at the
sweet, tear stained face that was up
turned toward the dim lantern he
held in his hand. aa ~
A few questions and ready an
swers told him all, and no father
could have cared more tonderly for
his own child than he for our little
Blossom. rcu sa +
She was on her way to Washing-
ton to ask President Lincoln for her
brothers life. She had stolen away,
leaving only note to tell her faith
or where and why she had gone.
She had brought ,sBennie's letter
with her: no good, kind heart like
the Presidents, could refuse to be
melted by it.
The next morning they reached
New York, and the conductor found
suitable company for Blossom, and
hurried her on to Washington. Ev-
cry minute now might be year in
her brothers life.
And so in an incredibly short
time Blossom reached the capital,
and was hurried at once to the
White House. The President had
just seated himself to his mornings
task of overlooking and signing i'm
portant papers, when, without one
word of announcement, the door
softly opened, and Blossom, with
eyes Gowncast and folded hands,
stood before him. . @
Ai''F Well, my child" he said in his
pleasant, cherry tones, what. do
you want SO bright and early in the
morning.
3" Bennie's lifedi please, sirr' falt-
ed out Blossoms.
"Bennie? WHO'S Bennie?"
"My brother, sir, They are go
ing to shoot him for sleeping at his
post. .r ssr
60 yes; and Mr.. Lincoln ran his
eye over the papers before him; II
remember 1t was a fatal sleep,
You see, child, it was time of spec
ial danger. Thousands of lives
might have been lost for his culpa-
Bile negligence"
so my father said, . replied Bios
SOM, gravely g But poor Bonnie
was so tired, sir, and Jenny so
weak. He did the work of two, sir,
and it was Jemmy's night, not his;
but Jenny was too tired, and Ben
ME never thought. about himself
that he was too tired. as.ssa
ia" What is this you say, child /?
Come here: / don't understand; )"
and the kind man caught eagerly,
as ever, at what seemed to be a JUS
/ LITIGATION of an offepse.
Blossom went to him; he put his
+ hand tenderly on her shoulder, and
bshe turned up the pale, anxious face
! toward his, How tall he seemed
and he was President of the United
States, too! A dim thought of this
kind passed for a moment through
Blossoms mind, but she told her
story now simply and straightfor-
ward, and handed Mr., Lincoln Ben
MES letter to read. .aaf yf-,o
n He read it carefully; then taking
up his pen, wrote a few hasty lines
and rang his bell. 500 Is
Ia Blossom heard this order given
: "ftSend this. dispatch at once. -
The President then turned to the
girl and said, $50 home, my child,
G and tell that father of yours, VINO
could approve his country's sentence,
even when it took the life of child
like that, that Abraham LincoIn
thinks the life far too precious to be
I lost, Go back, or, wait till to-mor-
row, Bennie will need change after
he has so bravely faced death; he
shall 90 with you.
@ God bless you, sir, said Bios!
som; and who shall doubt that God
heard and registered that request ?
Two days after this interview, the
! Young soldier came to the White
House with his little sister. He
was called to the Presidents private
rooms and Mr. Lincoln said, "That
a soldier who could carry q sick
comrades baggage, and die for the
good act so uneomplainingly, was
worthy Of being saved. g
+ Then Bennie, and Blossom took
their way to their Green Mountain
home, and acrowd gathered at the
Mill Depot to welcome them back,
and farmer Ovens head lowered
above them all and as his hand
grasped that of his boy, Mr.. Allan
heard him say feryently, as the no.
lest blessing he could pronounce
upon his child, "Just and true are
lithy ways, thou King of saints r
That night Daisy, and Brindle,
and Bet. came lowing home from
pasture, for they heard well-known
voice calling them at the gate; and