Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-05-11
The Captains Grave.

How long the day was, and how
silent the way. 1 had ridden miles
without human seeing being. Yet il
was fertile and populous mort hern
country | was passing through. Big,
roomy frame houses sat upon shaded
hilltops, fair fields answered the SUM- IS
warm glances with full crops and cool
groves dotted the landscape here and
there, under whose dropping branch
es the lazy kline stood painting.
entered bit Of cool damp wood,
and let my horse move at his LATEST
pace. / enjoyed the shade, but l felt
sense OF lonelidess and isolation the
moment | was within it, Some
woods are CHEEKY and refreshing,
however thick aud impenetrable.
This was moist, silent and gruesome
The sandy roadwas so damp that my
horses .eet made no sound, and that
added to the queer sense of solemni:y
l felt. passed down a long, gently
sloping hill into q still more gloomy
hollow. Under rude little bridge
struggling stream of surface water
slowly meandered with u melancho.
ly sound, seeking the far of sea-
The hill on the other side of the
bridge was sleeper than the one [
had just descended. The top stretch
ed out into broad table land, nearly
half o mile in length towards the
north, though it shelved of west of
the rond about twenty yards into q
diminutive valley. TO the right,
near the road, stood o disused, dilapi-
dated Quaker meeting house. When
l saw il, | instantly understood the
impressive loneliness Of the wood
No places are 30 full of mysteriously
sad influences as those wherein men
and women have dwelt or met and
then abandoned. The loueliest noun
tain side is not 30 lonesome as a des-
erted house, though it stands in sight
of CHEEKY homes. | am half afraid of
ghosts in such places-not weird aud
chilling shapes exactly, but ghosts
Of the hopes, joys, sorrows and sins
which were there born and there died
This rude old meeting house, un-
painted, decaying and grim as Fri.
native law made the gloomy wood
still more desolate An unfrequent.
ed road crossed another a few yards
north of it; trees sighed about it;
moss grew upon its rotten roof, and
wild grass and briars clambered about
it's sunken doorstep. 1t told mourn
ful story without the aid of words.
The plainly habited, honest people
who met beneath its roof in the past
bad vanished from the earth, and
their descendants were scattered or
departed from the faith of their faith
ers and belonged to the worlds peo-
pie. stopped to look at it held by a
sad fascination:
A shrill whistle interrupted my
reverie, and scattered the ghosts OF
the silent landscape. Turning to my
left l saw boy climbing bit of
shaky fence. The climbing was q
selfimposed task, and was evidently
INDUCED in for the sole purpose OF
adding interest to the occasion, what.
ever it was, since an unsteady gate
swung open but d few feet further on.
He wore an enormous straw hat,
gayly decorated with grasses and
leaves, and carried in one hand O big
basket, heaping full of flowers, old
fashioned flowers, old time roses,
May pinks, lilacs. blue bells, snow
balls. peonies and honeysuckles.
The other hand waved a brilliant
half grown flag, and on the end of the
basket a very small flag had been
clumsily sewed.
Altogether, this bright-eyed infant
had festal appearance in strong con-
trast to the gloom and silence of the
scene He whistled bar from the
"Star Spangled Banner" emphasiz
ing it by waving the flag energetical-
ly. He seated himself on the top
rail of the fence and eyed me with
some interest, though pretending not
to see me. His bare, brown feet
beat time to the measure of the tune
He struck up in q shrill treble:
/ am q patriot true, sir;
| Yes, am; yes, | am;
| A patriot firm and true, sir;
| Yes, am; yes, am,
| IL don't doubt it in the least" !
said attempting to be sociable; "in-
deed you look it every inch"
A grimace was his only answer.
Still it was friendly grimace. His
dignity would not permit him to
make my acquaintance too easily. /
must make all the advances.
Going to a picnic, are you not!'
I asked. believing that the best way
to open conversation with him
would be to take some interest in his
affairs, though detest that method
as applied to myself.
"No-a strew," he answered.
"a what?"
"a strew," he replied with little
annoyance in his voice, "a Decoration
day strew. Don't you know that this
ia the day to decorate soldiers graves
the 30th of May?"
II had forgotten it, | answered
humbly. 'But where are there any
soldiers graves! Not here, surely
He turned like bird on the olt
fence and pointed with flag into I
mass Of bramble
| mot therein