The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-09-12

the tramp of hurrying feet soino che
is calling for "tlie flag" Once I heard
$50 close the tide of battle swept TO my
prison--a sabcr spring from its scnb-
bard with an ahgry awcep. And all this
time co,ila only SEQ the golden SIM
shme-only the huttering leaves and the
playing shadows lengthening into The
waning dayi aud floating in at my win
dow came tho mellow whistle Of the
robin.
The cheers are fainter nov. ~ the
shadows grow lorgcr. The robins note
has cen3ei. Mellow, clear, and beauti-
fully impcrious as ever, the bugle calls
again. A pail of silence falls ,ipun the
clamor ard din or Tho battle. ! try the
door Of my prison. 1t yields to my
touch. Down stairway, with noise
less tread, | hasten. / step through a
cnrtained door, / stand on the field
where the waves of contention have
thundered and dashed. The level rays
Of The setting sun drift over the helpless
figures stretched about me Ike bless.
ing upon the dead.
AT my feet the overturned cannon lies.
There are its shattered wheels. Lying
across the brazcn muzzle. "his back to
the field and his feet to the foe" is
stretched mn artillery sergeant, still
grasping the broken sabcr in his nerve.
less hand. Here is n group Of infantry
soldiers; they will never standu upon their
feet again. Here is n trooper; headless
he lies under the horse that, with two
legs torn away. hns fallen upon him.
THE DEAD.
A little druumcr-hoy-how came such
child here whore the fierce maelstrom
Of war circlcd and eddied in fire ana car.
mage and fury Plies by his drum. /
bend above him, and in face and form
/ thcre is nothing human left. Red are
the stains about it, and the broken little
hand hangs stiff and rigid on tho edge
of the shattered drum. 1t is terrible.
Here, ghastly and horrible, lies head,
the blue cap with its scarlet and whito
pompon still resting iauntily over the
brow; but nowhere can | see the sol.
dicr's body. Here is saber bent and
twisted In hefury Of hand. to-hand COM
bat. | walk among the headless trunks,
arms and legs without bodies, crippled
horses lie prone on their sides, or stand
YEARLY, and with dumb patience, upon
three legs I tread carefully over and
around the broken, shattered bodies OF
the fallen men. Here is the flag, tat
tered and uniurlcd, just as it dropped
from the hands Of the sergeant; here an
epaulet, gIittering in crimson and gold
here is the gilded belt Of a General; here
marred, bent and dented, lies the bugl'
whose silver voice called into play thu
wreck and carnage. And here, away
off on the edge of the field, away where
lust the spray Of this angry sea OF strli'
could have reached, my foot almost falls
OH u child lying PROSTATE, half turned
on her face. The dainty feet peep ou
of a cloud of silk and lace; the tangled
hair Of gold. skcm Of sunshine, hal
hides the brow and cheek. Fhcrc is NJ
sign of life in the beautiful face. KILLED
by the terror and fear born of the battle
| bend to lift the little form, and the arm
upon which l thought the child wa
living is gone; a horrible gash rcachc
from the temple to the base of the brain
and the left eye is crushed in its socket
The child-the dear, sweet little CIR
' somebody's darling, fair sacrifice to tn
hideous Moloch of war. how could
"Robbie!," / hear the voice OF her Ii
| tie serene highness. "Robbie! come
1 now, and pick up your tops, dea
v You've left yomdolly and all your soldier
= scattered about over the floor, so thu
: papa can scarcely walk across the room
r And somebody has stepped on poor Ii
Q tie Bcssie's head. I'm afraid shell hay
to 90 TO the surgical institute"
t A pattcr of flying feet, and the blue
o eyed commander OF the troops, aged
1 comes charging int the room, and, +,
: solving himself intoan ambulance corp
q collects the dead and wounded with bot
II hands, scoops them into a big box, e
e amines the fracture in the woundt
g dolly's head for saw dust, and appea
u surprised to find the skull lined with
: hole.
y oPapap he cries "did you hear
'e battle zis appernoon :"
'r eyes, Major, | heard it."
n ave lighted awful" the Major say
le "an' I fell down on my drum aud brck
my cannon, but grampa will get l
anuzzer one" ."-RoBERr j. BURDETTE.