Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-06-26
NO. rs.

or screeches, ahd finally burst over near the
road. Mrs. Cages turned pale.
'Come down into the cellar with me, all
of you" she said and they obeyed with
alaority After she bad quieted Eliza, the
negro servant, who was alternately praying
to ''de good Lord" and TO "Missus Cages" to
save her, she said
"Charley, you must run up Mr.. Persons
| just an fast rs you can, and ask him to 90
around to the fort and have the firing stop
ped. And you remain at Mr. Persons until
/ send for you Don't come back. You are
not afraid to go, are your
mo, mamma, Tm not afraid" answered
| the brave little fellow as he clasped his
mothers hand little tighter.
81 knew you would not be and now as
soon as the next shell comes l want you to
| 60" When il came she kissed him, and
said, ''NOw, my brave boy, run !"
She would gladly have gone herself, but
she thought 1t better to remain that she
might be with the other two children in case
the house should be struck and burned. 1t
| cost her a struggle to send her son forth on
such perilous errand, and her face WAS very
| pale az she kissed him. Away sped Charley
through the garden, gancing with wonder at
the great furTows the shells had ploughed,
climbed the fence and started to run with all
his might toward Mr.. Persons house, which
was half a mile distant. He had scarcely
| left the garden fence, however, when anoth-
er shell came tearing through the shrubbery
he had just passed and burst close to the
| house. The mothers heart stood still for an
instant-and there was cause for it. One of
| the flying fragments struck poor Charley, and
he fell to the ground with a cry of ooh,
mamma I" Down in the cellar the mother
heard the cry Of her wounded boy, aud in
| moment she was kneeling by his side. 1t
WAS a sad sight for a mother to look upon.
The cruel piece of iron with its ragged edges
had stripped a great piece Of flesh from the
back Of his ankle upward, completely sever
ing the cord and laying bare the bone. He
was lying upon his face, aud the blood was
already staining the green grass where he
had fallen. Speaking words of encourage
ment, she removed his shoe and the fragment
of stocking and hastily bound up the wound
| with strips torn from her clothing In this way
she stanched the flow Of blood aud quieted
his fears, though she could not alleviate his
pain.
Now, Charley, must go up to Mr. Pier
sons myself, for a shell may strike the house,
and then Mary and Robby will be burned.
I'll put you behind that tree, and you will
not be in much danger"
"But you'll run, mamma, won't you z" and
the tears trickled down Charley's cheeks,
though he tried very hard to keep them back.
The tree WAS large chestnut, and its gene
rous trunk afforded pretty ample protection
against the shells, two Of which had struck
near by while Mrs. Cages was binding up the
wound. Arriving at Mr. Persons, she de-
spatched him in great haste TO the fort, while
she, with swift feet, returned TO Charley.
Becky and Berty Pierson, aged seventeen and
eighteen, with true girlish heroism, returned
with her notwithstanding the bursting shells.
On their way they passed several negroes
sheltered behind stumps and stones and Mrs
Cages vainly begged them to follow her and
assist in the removal of the wounded boy.
They found Charley behind the tree. and he
said, 'Oh, mamma, I'm 80 glad you've come
back" He could not walk at all, and was very
weak from pain and loss of blood; 80 his
mother and the two girls carried him in their
arms as best they could Down the hill, half
blinded by the smoke and stunned by the aw-
full explosions, slowly moved the strange pro-
cession. They waded the little stream in the
hollow, stopping moment TO bsthe Charley 8
face and hands, and carried their burden up
the hill TO Mr.. Persons house.
By this time Mr. Pierson had reached the
fort, and the firing ceased. The other chill
dren we're sent for, and in few moments the
regimental surgeon and hospital steward came
galloping down TO express their sorrow at
what had happened and to render assistance.
The surgeons prOffered services were most
gladly accepted. When he was ready to ex
anime the wound the mother said:
Nov, Charley, it will hurt you to have
the wound dressed but it must be- done, and
you must try and bear it. 1t will soon be
over"
'Tll try" said Charley, "if you'll be sure.
mamma, and not let my leg be cut off"
She pressed him to her heart, and assured
him with loving words that there was no oc
casion for so serious an operation.
Nsr AfV.rr kn
"Why, Charley, IL don't believe 1 car
sing now, she faltered.
'You must, mamma-you must Pleas
sing to me just as you always 10, and I'll keel
awful still, and he reached up and put his
arms pleadingy around her neck. There wa
silence in the room as the little sufferer per
sisted in his strange request. Then the moth
er closed her eyes and tried TO sing. At frs
! her voice was tremulous but by mighty eff
, fort she expelled from her mind every though
save love for her suffering child and she wa
soon able to sing to him almost as softly ant
: sveetly as if in her own quiet home. Tn
r boys arms gradually relaxed, and he lay bacl
: again quietly upon the blood stained bed, hi
3 head resting half upon his pillow aud hal
t upon his mothers lap His eyes we're closed
= and his psllid face had lost something of tn
5 roundness that marked it in the morning. Tn
3 mother bent over him with one of his hand
|
BERTHE Pierson, tanning Chsrley's face.
t the foot stood the surgeon and the steward
!. Clustered around the room were half doze
-; neighbors, looking on with sympathetic, awe
4 stricken faces.
Y When the mother began to softly sing th
]. song she knew he loved, there was a solem
+ hush in the room, and every eye was file
8 with tears. Even the rough old surgeon q
y he cut away the blood stained bandages wa
q N.. 4 a
l. his sleeve across his eyes a number of times
J and the steward was hardly able to distir
# guish his Instruments. Under the soothin
It influence of his mothers voice the boy ALLOW
d ed the wound to be dressed and the cru
q stitches to be taken. Later in the day he fe
Is asleep and awoke considerably refreshed
Is He was accomplishing through it all, and tt
10 fortitude with which he bore his suffering 81
cited the admiration of all.
It In the cool of the evening Charley was tai
IS en- home in an ambulance sent for that pu
>, pose from the fort. The officers did ever!
n thing in their power to atone for the suffe
Is ing they had 30 carelessly though unintel
D. tionally caused. The surgeon and his assis
z ants attended him most faithfully until
sr was well, and il was proposed to secure Il
N his mother a pension but Mrs. Cages d
3, clined saying that she was too thankful tn
It her boy was alive 10 think of asking aid fro
Q. the government. Onhrley WAS soon hDle
z, walk with the aid Of crutches, but could nj
4 dispense with their use for many months.
Mrs. Cages, now an aged woman, loves
le tell of those perilous times. One of h.
lp daughters, a lady of rare qualities, fills one
ls the highest positions allowed to her sex in Il
Is government departments at Washington. 81
n, has in her little cabinet at home the very pie
es of shell which did such cruel work that da
N 1t is rusty. and when picked up was bloc
stained. Charley is florist, and brings /
IT, flowers regularly to one of the Washingt'
markets. He limPs little, and will alwa
m have cause TO remember the summer mornil
b, when the New York regiment in Fort Smi
." bombaTded his mothers house.-R. y. n
H. 6uRe.
Id -
Two Historic Timepieces.
a (From brakes Travellers Maga Eine.l