Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-04-04
me. VIII you do it2 You've got more
chances than I hayen

turned to Charley
do you know, boy, that we expect
scrimmage tomorrow"
Yes, Charley knew il, and he was glad
He got Sandy Green TO tell him owe,
again about the battles that had beer
fought before; lie listened, and was bright
and chirpv over the stories; and the old
man warmed with his subject, watched the
light in the boys eyes, and ended by pat
ing him on the back.
you'll do!'' he said. aAnd now give
Us a tune, for who knows-wel, give Us a
tune,
So Charley brought his fiddle, and SAT-
down on the side of his drum, and Sandy
laid his sprawling length on the ground,
his head on his hand Then q tune, light
and CAV. went forth from the little fiddle.
And the tune went on and or, ill the
stars blinked and grew brighter; and all
at once Sandy said:
Say, Charley. give us the song you
played last night
There was a slight pause-and then
quietly, plaintively, on the pleasant air,
came the old tune OF Home, Sweet
Home" softly and slowly played, filling
the air around, and touching with KIND
fingers the hearts Of the listeners. The
boys head dropped over his fiddle, as he
sat there, balanced on his drum, and
Sandy Green's hand was pressed hard
into his head And the tune went On and
on, and the stars sparIled, the crickets
chirped peacefully, when, all at once, q
bugle sounded a confused noise was borne
to them-Sandy was Gu his feet, Charley
drum was in his hand-and the enemy
was upon them!
Who can tell of the dread surprise, of
the terrible fight Of that night carried far
into the beautiful morning, when innocent
daisies were red and horrible to look at,
and the leaves of trees were blackened and
scorched hy powder? Who can tell Of the
wild, sInirched faces, turned sightlessly up
to the sky; the dead hands clutching the
grass: the torn and soiled clothing pierced
with little new hole, whence life had
tiuttered out? Long into the day it lasted
and there were DO more birds songs heard
The white streets Of the camp were gone
and confused mass Of men, some wounded,
and ali bitter, were there instead And
the fight had ended, the enemy had dis
appeared, and these men were-yictori-
Gus !
Throughout the fight they ali remem-
bered TO have heard the drum They re-
membered seeing young Charley hatless,
his little, boyish figure in the thiclest of
the fght-for there had been small order.
it could not be otherwise. And some of
them said he had been seen with musket
in his hand, loading and firing, brave and
soldierly.
And now there was silence Those
were not his drum-taps, and somebody else
sounded the roll-call, as these men stood up
to answer 10 their names.
There were many gaps in the roll
many men who would answer to but one
roll call more-the mighty Roll Of the
Last
And when Charley's name was called
there was no response, and many eyes
turned to other ewes in mute inquiry So
on the roll went; and at last Sandy Green's
name was called-no answer. Again it
was called, and then-then Sandy Green's
voice answered from far away, and they
saw him coming, iimping, up the hill,
Charley on his shoulders, white and wild.
The men cheered-yes, they did-they
cheered And Sandy stood in the midst
Of them, his leg wounded by bali. and
told how he had been found by Charley,
when a havonet was going to make an end
Of him. but that Charley had used his own
bayonet to dreadful purpose, and Sandy
had been saved.
But, strange to say, the boy had not
seemed to recognize him. Sandy had
taken him CT his shoulders, for the boy had
grown faint and white had called his
name, but blank look was all the reply he
received Charley's mind had stopped
There be was, looking at the men, smile
on his face, but an unmeaning look in his
blue eyes.
They looked AT him, they shook him by
the hand bu; he said nothing-he recog-
nizcd no one
The surgeon came, and shool, his head
Fright :" he said.
But Sandy Green cried. = It's lie beg
ging your pardon. The boy wasn't fright
ened.'
For all that il made small difference TO
Charley. Day after day, as this portion OF
the army made intrenchments where they
were, and prepared for winter quarters
for this point must be guarded Charley
loitered about the hospital, not sick, not
ailing, but with his mind clouded. One
Of the boys had hunted for his fiddle, but
only the fragments and the strings were
left, and these Sandy Green had taken
charge Of, as he lay in his cot for" said
he, the sight Of these things might make
the boy worse
The surgeons studied the case. II was
new to them; 4 fine opportunity for exper
iment-and experiment they did, and
made nothing Of it And still Charley
smiled, and went about seemingly happy,
knowing no one, speaking to TO ore, miss
ing nothing he had before known.
The men. when they met him, called |
out, HI, Charley" and he seemed to be
pleased at that-nothing more. Often |
hey would look at him, speak Of him, |
Tor you see they had all 50 liked him. |
And Sandy Green was grieved at heart,
though his manner was as gruff and rude |
as ever.
After awhile the surgeons came to a |
strange conclusion. They said that the |
life of Charley, from the first surprise on |
hat memorable evening, that night he |
had seen the fight, was blank. They said |
here was no bridge to connect the time ,
before, and the time after that terrible
experience. They cited vast authorities;
md confused themselves about them, and
% far confused Sandy Green, who was
lobbling about, that the rough man
ooked on Charley as though he were a
ghost.
One day Sandy Green, feeling in his
pocket, found the letter which Charley had
written to Aunt Teddy, and which had
ieyer been posted, and had been forgotten
'ver since. At sight Of it, he went for
'aper and pencil Immediately. That night
le told. the boys he had written to Char
ey's aunt, getting the directions from
'harley's unposted letter.
Aunt Teddy's coming to camp, boys"
aid some Of them, in faint remembrance of
heir old humor over Charley's relative
Sandy Green has written to her telling
Ter all about the boy"
Lo 10. \ few days after a tall appari-
ion-gaunt and grim, draped in gray