The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-03-05
miscellaneous.
CATCH-STEP KENNEDY.
BY LOUIS j. BROOKS.

Broad and clumsy of make, gone at sole
and heel, road-worn and trave-stalned. Yes
they are curious memenloes. Many a fast
dious hand mi lit shrink from contact Will
the coarse leather; scarce an eye but woul d
turn from their upcOuth contour to dwell with
doubly enhanced appreciation on these rarel
productions of art-picture. brtc a. 6rdc and
like treasures-gathered with NY own hand
from many foreign lands. acknowledge Il
deep and abiding love of the beautiful. Were
| to see homely W, ed growing amid rare
hot house blooms, | would question why
even us you are doing but memory can
Irvine cross with tluwers-even touch with
pathetic beauty the turf covering that
clothes Il lowly grave; aud when my gaze
falls, as it often does, on those worn and lat.
tered shoes, see again, as in II vision, the
flinty road outslretchiTg MS far rs the sun.
blinded eye can re Ich, feel again the dreary
burden grown too heavy, by far, Tor the ach-
ing back and-But wait.
You never knew Abel Kennedy? Few did.
To the officers he was simplya private in the
ranks His fellow soldiers recognized him
by his six feet ofstawar manhood, and crack
ed many joke at his expense; but to little
Sergeant Grimm he was Il source OF continual
trouble and annoyance.
"Calch step, Kennedy the choleric little
man would shout, shooting keen glance,
from beneath his bushy orowe far down the
line. POUNDS Catch step, Kennedy! !" as
the great feet went laundering along in a
vain endeavor to keep time to the regulation
right, left right, lett !" of the march, for We
were nearly all newcomers In the AID Volun-
tcers, and the rules of war were, as yet, but
little known to us. Both our hearts and feet
seemed naturally to heat time to the insprit.
ing drum but Abel alone was pOwerless TO
shorten his gigantic stride and, spite of the
drum, tie command issued so often from The
sergeants angry lips and was carried down
the ranks, that his fellows dubbed him, in
good-natured derision, Catch step Kennedy"
was only lad of nineteen, slim of build,
with the down of manhood scarce formed on
my upper lip, and it was not long before !
became II favorite with the boys. lmpetuous
by nature, and easily rouscd | listened eager
ly to the tales of war, and lOnged ardently
for the hour to come when |, too, might stand
face to face with the foe, as the batle-scarred
heroes had done, and prove myself by my
own deeds, a man.
1t came but too soon-a day of carnage and
ruin and when darkness had fallen over field
and roadway, hiding the dead, up,urned faces
of the slain, stoleaway from my noisy com.
panions, out from the canvas walls, whose
coseness seemed to stifle me, and, hiding my
face from the starlight, cried as had never
cried in chldhood and my tears were for
the youth that had fled from me forever amid
that days smoke and thunder of battle, and
the dear ones far away, who would know my
old self no more.
"Humesick, youngster?"
| started at the words. Peering through
the gloom saw a tall, angular figure, and
L., ,l. 10 nnl .J,, 4
by my side. Ills blunt question brought the
angry blood to my face, and a strenuous de-
NAL TO my lips.
Don't lie, boy" he retorted, not unkindly,
laying his hand on my shoulder. shook il
off impaliently and as | did SO caught the
white CLEAN of Il bandage.
you are wounded ?" / cried, my resent
ment dying hasty death.
"Only Il scratch" he exclaimed, Indifferent
ly, stretching his right hand aloft but,
stopping and drawing II long, hard breath, II
would rather it had been the other member"
"Why?' INTERCEPTED, thoughtlessly, my
tone gaining added respect as glanced at the
strong shoulders looming broadly in the dusk
"lf you fight through many battles, my lad,
and bullet disables the arm that should al
ways he foremost in life's fray you will know.
Away back in a New England village, in a
low white farmhouse, there is a little girl
waiting for tidings of me- crying her pretty
eyes red for fear | am lying out yonder with
the slain but she will wait in vain for line
1t will be a many day before can form a
word with these shattered MUSCLES"
why" | began, Indignantly, "any OF the
boys will"
May" he interrupted grimly, "that is just
the point. They will not. am only plain
fellow, fresh from the pillow ; but clod as they
think me, my sisters name shall never be
banded about by their lips. have often lis
tened to their speeches at mess and wonder.
ed if theirs were called manhood"
But they are only thoughtless," ventured
cxtenuatingly, wincing at the scornfu
words of the man that had so often Joined
in ridiculing 81 thought you called her a
little girlw
And so she is" he replied, simply "She
was eighteen the day marched with my
company"
Would you" l stammered, knew moi
why, "would you-allow me to-"
"Ah, lad, would, and thank you kindly
You have sisters of your own at home,
| opine, and mother as well, perhaps" hi
added, wstfully. Afterwards | discovered
that his own lay asleep in the cemetery o
that same little New England village that b,
had before mentioned.
So it came to pass that l wrote, aided by
the anything but romantic light of II smoky
lantern, words Of love aud good cheer tt
one on whose face my eyes had never rested
and embroidered by my companions conf
dence added II little message ofmy own il
postscript at the bottom. Every Third OF
fourth day brought letters from dear ones ant
read their contents eagerly, yet wonderet
with vague disappointment that no reply
came to my strange missve.
One morning, when the camp was rousing