Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-30
CAPTAIN WILBUR RATHBoyE,

tAfiAIS W
A true friend and brave soldier
This stone Is raised by Co. G. -th Regiment -
Vol l.. which he commanded.
The grave had been carefully tended Its
rounded outlines and fresh, closely trimmed
sod made of it a green island in a lake of dis
order and neglect. The pale old lady knelt
down and began to pick the flowers from the
basket and reverently lay them upon the
grave The boy, big-eyed and silent, came
ioftly up and planted his flag at its head
wilbur Rathbone was my sons closest
friend" con tinued the old lady, in a soft
sweet voice They were babies together.
schoolfellows, comrades and friends Til.
home of each was as much the others as his
own They spent almost every hour of their
tiEe together for twenty years. They grew
alike in looks and manners, though they were
totally unlike in character. Even their
names resembied each other. My boy was
called Willis He was rash, impetuous.
quick to anger and not easy to control
Wilbur was brave but gentle, given TO
quiet ways and of few words. He loved
music better than merrymaking, and dogs,
horses and birds better than the society Of
most persons l fancy | can still hear the
piano speak under his fingers when ] sit
silent and alone in my now childless and
almost empty house. And when the quiet Of
evening comes | sometimes close my eyes,
blot out of my memory n quarter of cen
fury, and hear the notes from his violin float
over tho hills. His mother and father, my
good neighbors, lived over there in the house
whose chimneys you can just see from
here" and she pointed through
break in the wood "They are long
since dead, and lie here by the side of
II
Society of Friends that met in this little
house, but their parents had been, and when
they died there was after all, no spot of
ground in which to bury them more sacred
than this, though it is so desolate-so very,
very desoiate.
But the boys, They were never separated
until few months before the war broke out
Nv son grew restless. and talked OF going
out into the world and doing great things
We held him here, his father and |, foolish
souls that we were, feeling that We could not
let him go; that to go once meant really to
go for ever. You know that when birds
once try their wings they never go back to
the nest. And we had only one other child,
one girl, our Katie. At last the pressure
upon his restless spirit rasped his ever quick
temper and he quarreled with his father,
left Us in the night without word.
She rose. turned her face away, and stood
SO long silent that thought she meant to say
no more.
But she went on presently, stopping down
and picking up n flower from the soldiers
grave Never before had trial like that
His father had been stern with him. know,
but he loved him, and l loved them both,
and now anger ragged in their hearts toward
each other. One was gone where | could not
help him, and the other Rugged his wrath in
silence at home.
''Oh, the agony of those DAYS, One by one
they went by without bringing a word from
my boy. Tho hours sat upon my heart like
mountains The disgrace of it almost killed
us. To think that our son-our only son,
whom we so loved-hai fed his home like
thief in the night, and was wandering, we
knew not where.
AT last Wilbur came to me one day, bring
ing n letter from Willis, which had been sent
within one to him. He wrote humblv to me.
begging me 10 forgive his unceremonious de-
parture and assuring me again and again Of
his love- but said not n word of his father.
His heart was still full of anger toward him,
could see. have that letter yet. have
read it a thousand times II was the last line
ever had from his hand
HE WIS in Georgia Why he went south
do not yet understand Perhaps it was acct
dent; perhaps il was destiny Even then
there were rumors OF war, and in short
time it burst upon the country in all its ter
ror and horror These quiet hills echoed the |
sounds Of the bugle and the drum from morn |
ing till night Down in the town companies |
were forming and regiments waited to lie or |
dered toward the front Wilbur Rathbone
commanded a company, and waited in camp |
for TN order TO depart Before he left the |
news came one day that our Willis had /
joined the Confederate army: that he was
captain of a company under Longstreet l
tried TO doubt that awful story l would not /
believe it'll could not That be had left us
IN anger was sorrow and disgrace enough; to /
know that he was in arms against his and /
our country was too great an affection ~ be /
calmly borne. His father raw ed ike mad
man. and forbade US to speak Of Willis in his
presence
i saw Wilbur march away with heart
heavier than stone. II nv boy hsd only been
with him, it seemed TO me ! could have \
laughed from JOY. But now, these two
whose lives had been spent in brotherly COM
were in arms against each other.
day after day and would not die out. even
after every soldier had been sent on 10 the
south i awoke night after nigh; from
dreams OF battles in which l saw nv Willis
wounded and dying. Sometimes called his
name IN my sleep and his fathers groans Of
anguish would wake me
when the body of Wilbur Rathbone was
sent home, l envied his mother her sorrow
He had died for his s,,.,nf-y-iiai for frrs, l
dom stood dry-eyed by his grave. loving
him as a son, and feeling that my own sor-
row was greater than death Nv daughter
died a few months later This affection we
bore unmurmuringiy; hut tha; other, that
sorrow. grieved Us Increasingly
AT last ], toe. grew stern and unrelenting
toward my son, 1 bsnished him from my
thoughts | drove his memory from my
heart, had no forgiveness for him And
50 the years went on-those awful years Of
The war when the whole country nsournsd
aud suffered At last i was over Peace
came and the country bound up its wounds