Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-04
"And i'm al. Tom. {"

"And in '61, Tom, then 1t was all us
women folks gathered together in an
old vacant store down on Main street,
to nix up clothes, and lint and band
ages Ellie and were making suit
ior You, and we went down with the
others to finish it and do what we
could to make up things for the rest
declare, I'll never forget the turn it gave
me. when old Mrs Tatun, after sewing
on y coat for awhile, laid 1t down on
her Knee and. looking around at the
rest OF us, said: i do declare. feel lust
like we was maxim the grave clothes for
ihem boys Well. you should have
seen those women folks! They flocked
up around her and scolded her, and
asked how she dared talk that way.
and she cried. and said she had two
boys in the army, and she wanted the
Yankees to be whipped just rs much as
anybody, but she couldn't help her feel
ings. tell you. Tom, it made me feel
awful queer. and Ellie. she went right
white in the face. hope I'll never get
such another turn" And Mrs. Cole
looked at her son with far away ex-
preston in her eyes.
Strange how things do turn OUT"
she continued. There was Jim loser,
who was SO awful fierce in them first
days, saying what he could do and what
he would do when he met the Yankees,
and laughing at little Eddie Tatum be-
cause he said he didn't care to have the
Yankees shooting at him if he could
help it. Jim loser, he allowed that he
could take his shotgun any morning
and whip a dozen of the best Yankees
that ever crossed Mason and Dixon's
line. Now, they do say when Jim went
to war, and when his company got to
where the fighting was, he dropped his
| gun and ran like a mountain cat, and
that was the last ever seen of him till
he showed up here last fall. And there
was little Eddie Tatum and Bud Tatum
too, in that same company, and they
never run an inch; and Bud told us
when he came home afterwards with
only one arm. that little Eddie fell by
his side, with three bullets in him, and
even then he wanted 10 get up and fight
some more, and when Bud knceled by
him. and lifted his head up, he looked
up in his face and smiled. and said BE
| good to ma. Bud, and tell her not to
cry; and tell her how / got the new
clothes she sent me yesterday, and how
nice they were; and tell her, Bud, that
every one OF the three big holes the
Yankees made in my new coat was in
the front. Bud; and now, Bud, leave me
they want you over there. Goodbye,
Bud. goodbye. And Bud kissed him
and put his canteen and his gun by his
side, and went into the fight again"
and here old Mrs. Cole paused to wipe
her eyes, while Tom swallowed heavily
once or twice. and two bright drops
rolled down little Elites cheeks upon
her work, where they sparkled like dia-
| monds.
''And Bud went into the fight, and
when he came again, with his shattered
arm to his brother, there he sat where
he'd propped him against an over
turned cannon. His gun was on his
knees, and to the edge of his coat he
had pinned Il piece of paper-a leaf
from the little Bible which lay open by
his side. its leaves hn''..--iiii.. s, :. me
t1eezc-and he'd written his name on
that leaf and little message to his
mother, and told who he was, and asked
that he might be brought home some-
time to be buried. Aud poor Bud, he
fell down across his feet. as he sat there,
dead, with smile on his fair young
face. The Life. Little Rock, DIRK.