The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-01-01

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as the boy could not possibly live the
week out. That night I obtained leave
to remain at the hospital day or two.
When I went down next morning my
little friend was expecting me, and
when he saw me coming his face lighted.
"Good morning." said I; show did
you rest last night?"
I'm glad you've come early, ieuten-
ant. I've had tho strangest dream, and
is was splendid, too. 7 want to tell you
about it,"
His eyes were unnatural1y bright,
his cheeks flushed, and his whole face
aglow with pleasure at my coming and
excitement about his dream. 1 bathed
his face and hands, brushed the cluster
ing hair, and told him meanwhile that I
was going to take care of him for day
or two, and was amply paid for it by
his delight and grateful happiness.
"And now" said /, ::"let's hear that Won
derful dream"
"You see." he began, latter you left
me last night went right to sleep, and
thought was somewhere else, only
didn't know where it was, but I could
look up and see the stars in the sky.
It seemed to me there were never so
many before. And they kept twinkling
so thai I thought that something must
be the matter, and I found out some
way that they were all very angry be-
cause the moon had been coming up so
early the last few nights.
"Then, all of sudden, while was
thinking about the stars, there was my
old drum lying by my side. Where it
came from didn't know, and I didn't
care, either. Oh, but I was glad to see
it onoe moro!
II picked it up, slung the strap over
my neck, and began to play to see if it
was all right. It sounded just as it
used to, and there wasn't q single thing
broken or wrong about it, You can't
guess how good it seemed to be at it
again!
"Then I thought I'd see if could re-
member all the different calls. I be-
gan with tho Assembly, and could
play it just as we'll as ever could, and
I beat and beat and forgot everything
else, till I looked up a minute,-and
then, what d. you think?
"The sky was just as full as could be
Of shooting stars. I couldn't imagine
what it all meant; but watched the
stars, and l saw, pretty quick, that
they had heard the drum call and were
hurrying up from every direction, and
falling into line just like soldiers.
"The biggest stars were the generals,
the next biggest were the colonies, and
then came the lieutenant-colonels and
the majors, the captains and ieutenants
and the sergeants and the corporals;
and the littlest stars Of all were the priv
ates.
well, when I saw what they were
doing, kept right on at the Assembly,
until there was great army of stars
drawn up right across the sky. I didn't
know what they were going to do, but I
guessed they were getting ready to at
tack the moon, and drive it back out of
the sky.
"And so, when every star was in it's
place and the ranks all dressed, sound
ed the Advance and the army moved off
just like veterans. There wasn't a single
break in the line. When they had
marched up pretty near to where the
moon was intrenched, beat the Charge,
and the brave little stars rushed Ri ht
up into the face of the enemy.
"Then thought there was terrible
battle. But before long I began to see
first one poor, pale little star, and then
another, and another, fall back and
drop down, down, down through the
sky, until they we're lost out of sight,
and Thought, Oh, the poor fellows,
they must be the killed and the wound
ed and the missing.
"And all the while the moon didn't
give way at all. Pretty soon my poor
stars began to fall faster and faster,
until thousands and thousands went
dropping, falling down out of the sky.
"And I just couldn't stand it any
longer, for you see, was on the stars
side, so beat the Retreat as hard as I
could, and then the army began to fall
back. But there we're great gaps in
the line and hundreds of stragglers.
Every little while some poor star, that
had been wounded and couldn't keep up
any longer, would go sinking slowly
down out of sight.
20 lieutenant! How sorry felt for
them. And noticed that the night
had grown darker, and thought, that
is because so many bright stars were
killed in the fight, and because the
eyes of the rest are all full of tears for
their lost comrades and their defeat.
"Then they all looked so tired and
sleepy that I sounded Taps at once, and
the whole army put out their lights and
turned in and went to sleep right away.
"Pretty soon thought it was sunrise,
and jumped up and beat the Reveille,
and while [ was rattling away thought
part of Gen. Sherman's army came
marching by. There were the cavalry,
with thoir jangling sabres, and the ar
tillery, with their brass guns as bright
as gold, and then thousands and thous-
ands of infantry, with their muskets all
at right shift. And thought
there was one splendid drum corps.
The flies sounded out loud and shrill,
just as they used to, and the drums
there must have been twenty-five of
them, and the rat tat tat of the SHARES,
and the boom, boom of the big bass fel-
lows fairly set me crazy.
"Oh, I was wild to be marching along
with the rest! They were playing
When Johnny Comes Marching Home,'
and I struck right in with the old drum
and played my very best. I don't know
what it was happened then, but think
the drum must have got wings some
way, for it rose right up in the air, and
I with it, and we went up over the roofs
and chimneys, and the woods and the
hills; but all the while I could hear
that splendid drum corps playing
when Johnny Comes Marching Home,
though I couldn't see the troops any
more. So I kept on beating away for
dear life, for I was little frightened
at first when I saw how high up we
were.
"But soon the flies and the drums
began to sound fainter and fainter, and
at the very moment when I couldn't
hear them at all-only think of it! I
looked down and ripht there T1n1er rs