The Dawson journal., 1886-06-17
THE TWO BROTHERS.
Story of Love and War, with Some
Romantic Passages.

says veteran, of a singular story
which he sends to the Taunton
Gazette, as one of a series of war
"reminiscences he has been fur
nlshlng. 1t was the night after
the fighting at Gettysburg was
ended. This is the story in sub
stance:
Passing through the grove which
was at the back of our headquar-
ters, l came to an open space, at
one end of which was a little pond.
There seemed not a living Great
ure there, and [ was about to turn
toward the grove again when ]
heard q faint cry. I stopped and
tried to fix the locality, but could
see nothing, and passed on to the
woods. Another ard louder CIV
checked my movements, and this
time l determined to make O thor
ough search, for there was evi-
IDENTIFY some one there needing
help. Over at the further end of
the little pond l found two men,
a Confederate and one of our men,
lying on the ground together.
The Federal soldier was dead and
the Confederate was evidently dy-
ing. He asked me to lift him so
he could look in the face of the
dead soldier, and supposing this
the result of delirium, or, per-
haps feeling of gratitude for
some kind act of the Federal, and
realizing he had not long to re-
main, | did as [ was asked. The
dying soldier gazed on the placid
face of the dead for a moment,
and then falling back heavily into
my arms, called for q drink. l
gave him a drink of brandy from
a flask which | happened to have,
and he motioned me to sit beside
him on the grass. [ did So, and
then IN a few minutes he man
aged to tell me the strangest story
l had ever heard, and it was an
explanation of the desire to look
at the dead mans face.
THE TWO WERE BROTHERS.
Years before they had lived in
peace in a quiet New Hampshire
home, and the peace was only dis
turbed when the two fell in love
with the same girl. Both were
brave and manly enough to look
at the matter in sensible man
ner, so they decided to allow the
girl to decide. She took the one
whose dead body now lay near US,
and the other shortly after went
away from home. Within year
or two after the couple were mar
riod the husband started South on
a business trip, and on the pas
sage down his steamer was burn
ed. Many of the passengers and
crew were lost, but the boat
in which he was saved by the
crew Of merchant vessel bo nd
to Australia. The sufferings
which he was forced to undergo
during the time incidental to the
burning of the steamer SO affected
him that soon after being rescued
he was taken sick and had not full
ly recovered when the ship reach
ed Melbourne. While searching
for an opportunity to get back to
this country he was again taken
sick, and tle consequence was 1t
was quite awhile before he was
able to get away. Immediately
upon arriving he had written his
wife all the Gil cumstances. When
the news of the disaster reached
shore. the brother who had been
rejected learned that tie fortunate
one had been a passenger on the
steamer, and that there was no
prospect that the boat in which
| he was had been saved, he went
to his brothers wife and saw how
she bent under the cruel news
which had reached her ears. he
staid right there, and the conse-
quence was that when the letter
came from over the sea it fell Ill
the hands of the once rejected
suitor who had made up his mind
to marry the supposed widow be-
fore many months.
The letter hastened matters,and
nt the end of another month the