The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-12-20
THE OLD SOLDIERS STORY.


you would like to hear how got the bull
let carry about with me, and this, mod
estly touching the cross upon his breast.
We all assented, and he at once stood
brow, in soldier fashion, and commenced:
.'It was Christmas Eve, and it was
Christmas weather, and we did our best to
make ourselves comfortable. But we
couldn't do much, for we were in the
trenches before Sebastopol, and of course
everything was according. But wherever
you may be, you are bound 10 welcome
Christmas, and we did our best, little as
that was. We naturally got talking about
absent friends; the folks at home mothers
and fathers, sweethearts and wives. as the
case might be-wishing them a happy
Christmas. and drinking their healths in
the grog that the officers had kindly given
us.
"We tried our best to be cheerful, and
keep away dismal thoughts in quiet
way, for we had to be careful, of course.
But somehow we didn't get on very WE'LL
III lllob OnC VI uo obOQDCu bulhluS, anu
thea another, until every one was still. II
doesn't help to make you merry to think
of those you love, when you can't help
feeling pretty nigh sure that you may
never live to see them again. At such
ii mes there's so many things to keep
crowding into your mind that you wish
you hadn't done, ladies and gentlemen,
and it makes you Almost wild to think that
you may never be able to say you are sorry
for having done them
$50 when Bill Simmons all of sudden
set off blubbering, because he didn't run
back to kiss his old mother again when
she called after him at the cottage door, in
case his pretty cousin Kate should see the
tears in his eyes, and fancy he was chicken
hearted about going to the war, we knew
that we had got on the wrong track, and
and should never arrive at jollity that way
We bad taken the wrong turn. and instead
of helping each other to find the right road
again, we got more aud more dismal.
First one and then another of us SET off
grumbling about the plight we were in,
or talking about some peoples good luck,
in being able to sit by roaring fire crack
ing their jokes with their wives and sweet
hearts beside EN-, enjoying Christmas;
while here were we poor fellows, cold and
miserable, and not able to call our lives
our own from one hour to another And
the worst of it was, they mightnt be giving
even SO much as thought to us, in their
happiness Like as not we were as good
as forgotten already by them as was near
est and dearest to us; poor, desolate chaps,
as we were
s'It was Bill Simmons who said that, and
it seemed all the worse coming from him,
for if ever there was man who deserved
to be favorite among his comrades, it was
him. One and all liked him, and it means
something, ladies and gentlemen, when a
lot of rough fellows take to man as we
took to Bill Simmons.
$50 when he who had always Joking
word and CHEEKY laugh for everybody,
and had never before been known to give
in at the worst of times began to lose
heart, and talk about friends forgetting,
and all that, the rest of US soon followed
suit. | don't like to repeat all we said,
but every one of US had lost some of his
belief in the friends at home, and needn't
tell this company that we were none the
better for that, nor the pleasanter with
each other, neither. Somehow. loo, we
all felt out of temper with Bill Simmons
You see, it would have been something to
hold by if we could emily have gone on
believing in him; for nothing helps like
seeing another's faith when your own is
slipping away. We gave him many sharp
word, and one or Two rough shoVes, for
failing us just when we wanted him most.
In fact, it wouldn't be easy to find more
thoroughly ill-condilioned, cantankerous
set Of men than we were with each other
at that moment. When we could think of
nothing else to find fault with, we fell to
jeering at each others ugly mugs, as we
called them, though some there were not
so bad looking either. At last we got
tired of that, and were silent again; though,
to speak for myself. we were in none the
better mood FOR being quieter.
'fThat was what we bad got to, ladies
and gentlemen, and think you'll agree
with me that we couldn't have been in a
much worse plight, in body or mind. l
can't answer for the rest; but as the night
wore on, the deep stiffness around me
began to have q soothing effect upon MY
mind, and | fell 10 thinking of the old
mother at home, picturing to myself the
little cottage she kept so neat and clean,
and wondering what she was doing.
think il must have been about twelve
o'clock, when a faint, distant sound
seemed to break through the silence; and,
listening intently, presently seemed to
hear the bells in the old church tower, in
our village, ringing a merry Christmas
peal There was even the cracked one
knew SO we'll. adding its best with the
rest; and old Dan'l Rolf a-coming up bit
too slow for Seth Manders. / had so far
forgot everything else as to have it on the
tip of my tongue to call out: Fetch him
up. Dan'l fetch him up, old man when
something happened--somethipg it even
now almost takes away my breath to think
epI
ut isn't easy to make 1t clear In Wouds
but, all of sudden, begun to feel as if
something strange and awful was going TO
happen in the darkness around me. l tried
10 whisper the alarm to my comrades; but
the words seemed to freeze upon my lips,
and neither of EN- uttered sound, though
I felt as though / would have given the
world to hear one Of their voices at that
moment. And it wasn't EXACTLY fright
felt, neither; not the fright towards feel,
anyhow. | knew that there wasn't one
there as wouldn't have been ready for the
enemy. if we had found ourselves sur
rounded just then. But this that was
happening was very different from any
thing had eyer known before. 1t seemed
as though the trench was full OF people
and yet you knew that they we're there
more by your thoughts than anything else.
But presently one, who I seemed to know
was very different from my comrades, was
pressing gently up closer and closer to mel
while | was neither able to move nor
speak, feeling as though had got 10 let
whoever it was do what they wanted to
me, whether | liked it or not.
"You may think what Pm going to tell |
you was dream, ladies and gentlemen,
and if you can believe it any better that
way, there's no objection, of course. Well
there was this something or somebody |
comm closer and closer and The nearer it
came the more strange did feel. If you
can imagine being stupefed, and Devil
dered and awe-struck, and at the same
time soothed aud comforted, it was some
thing like that. Then. just as was trying I
to say in my heart, Our Father, az used
4 o1,a -ofl