Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-05-27

CAPTAIN WILBUR RATHBoNE.


A true friend and brave soldier
This stone is raised by Co. G. til Regiment. -
Vol. l.. which he commanded
The grave ID been carefully tended. Its
rounded outlines and fresh. closely trimmed
sod made of it 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
softly up and planted his flag at its head
'Wilbur Rathbone was my sons closest
friend continued the old lady, in a soft,
, sweet voice They were babies together,
school-fellows, comrades and friends. The
home of each was as much the others as his
own They spent almost every hour of their
time together for twenty years. They grew
alike in looks and manners, though they were
totally unlike in character. Even their
names resembled each other. My boy was
called Willis He was rash, impetuous,
quick to anger and not easy to control
Wilbur wss 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 / fancy l can still hear the
piano speak under his fingers when 1 sit
silent and alone in my now childless and
almost empty house. And when the quiet of
evening comes l sometimes close my eyes,
blot out of my memory a quarter of a cen
tury and hear the notes from his violin float
over the 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 a
break in the wood "They are long
since dead, and lie here. by the side of
their SON They were not members of the
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 desolate.
But the boysl They were never separated
until few months before the war broke out
Ny son grew restless, and talked of going
out into the world and doing great things.
We held him here, his father and 1, 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 a word"
She rose, turned her face away, and stood
so long silent that 1 thought she meant to say
no more.
But she went on presently, STOPPING down
and picking up a 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 l could not
help him, and the other hugged his wrath in
silence at home
"Oh, the agony of those daysl One by one
they went by without bringing word from
my boy The 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-had fled his home like
thief in the night, and was wandering we
knew not where
"At last Wilbur came to me one day, bring
ing letter from Willis, which had been sent
within one to him He wrote humbly to me,
begging me to forgive his unceremonious de-
parture and assuring me again and again OK
his love- but said not a word of his father.
His heart was still full of anger toward him,
1 could see have that letter yet. have
read it thousand times 1t was the last line
l ever had from his hand
"He was in Georgia Why he went south l
do not yet understand Perhaps it was acci-
dent; perhaps it was destiny. Even then
there were rumors of war, and in a 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
We're forming and regiments waited to be or
dered toward the front Wilbur Rathbone
commanded company, and waited in camp
for an 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
tried to doubt that awful story. 1 would not
believe It'll could not That he 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 affliction to be
calmly borne. His father raw ed like a mad
man, and forbade us to speak of Willis in his
presence.
Il saw Wilbur march away with a heart
heavier than stone. Ifmy boy had only been
with him, it seemed to me l could have
laughed from joy. But now, these two
whose lives had been spent in brotherly COM
panionship were in arms against each other.
The roll Of the drums sounded in my ears
day after day and would not die out even
after every soldier had been sent on to the
south. l awoke night after night from
dreams Of battles in which l saw my 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, envied his mother her sorrow.