Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-09-07

day, because OF those weeks or months
in the hospital. That gentle hand
which fell like a benediction upon
the aching brow, proved to us, the
hand of an angel, and we are not so
far away from God and Heaven to-
day, as we used to be, and all through
the the thrilling touch, and soft
spoken words Of one, who though
then and now, "A stranger to us, some
how got down under a fellows jack
ct, and made him ashamed of his
rough ways, and so we are better
men, cleaner men, to-day, because
that pure white soul touched us, and
virtue passed out from her life into
ours, and again we say, God bless
her. And again ! see "A wagon train,
yes, there are two, and they are
marked in words the boys learned to
recognize with shout of welcome.
SANITARY Commissioner and Chris
tian Commissioner" twin sisters, or
brothers as YOU will, of the Good Sa-
matrian family, and they always
managed to get along down on the
Jerico Road about the time when the
boys needed them most. Soups and
jellies, soft-tack and tea, just like
your mother made in Michigan, and
a real feather pillow, twice as soft as
knapsack, and bed-quilt with the
names of half the girls in some west
ern town written on the blocks of
patchwork, and the soups and jellies
and the soft-tack and tea disappeared,
and the sick lads began TO mend, see,
out under the trees they lie, their
heads cushioned on the soft pillows,
their couch draped with the light
patchwork, and they, the boys, dream
ing of the girls whose names were
written there, and wondering if that
Mary in Ithaca, or that Nellie in St.
Louis would 90 back on fellow, be-
cause he had but one arm now, to
hug her with. No, No! We didn't
believe it then, and we don't believe
it now. The girls always stood by
us, and their arms and their hearts
were open for us, "When Johnny
came marching home" And SO We
say again, with our hearts full, God
bless the Sanitary and the Christian
Commissioners. May the noble men
who managed and sustained them
have frst-clasS seat reserved IN
Heaven. And God bless the girls
who made the patchwork. They are
! old girls now, suspect, but then We
are old boys too, and that makes il
even, and here we are together to-
day, and little Nellies and Johnnies
and Marys will ask questions tonight
when we get home, and we'll tel
them again the story of 20 years ago
And now boys. once more. There
are frauds and humbugs and hypo
critics everywhere, but | suspect, OF
the whole, you and ! never met no
bier, kinder set of men, than on,
chaplains, and some of them coulC
ride in a charge and handle six
; shooter with the best Of YOU. Tha
Smith & Weston didn't lose anything
by being carried in the same poke
, with a Bible, and there were gooC
right hands among those chaplain'
which could bring a rebels body
down at twenty PAGES, and then point
/ his soul to Heaven, so faithfully thai
= the lad in gray, blessed in his heart
the Yankee preacher, who could sins
and shoot with equal will, who coulC
, help his country's foe out of thi
world with bullet, and into tn,
next with prayer, with equal fervo
, and hearty good will.
I recall old Chaplain Woodward
| an old man when was a boy, ano
, living yet, God bless him, among tn
: green hills Of Vermont.
The boys of the First Vernon
Cavalry tell of their first experience
under fire. They were crossing Chair
Bridge in Washington, and thei
colonel somehow didn't seem anxious
to lead the regiment. 1t was a criti
cal moment, but see! just at the pincl
on L dISOll W OOu W dlu NluIItu III
BIG black to the front, and half way
across the bridge before the boy
could gather themselves, hear him
, Come on, boys" and they came on
and the rebs had an errand farthe
down toward Richmond. ! can fan
cy the rebels talking over the Skin
mish that night, and asking one an
other, II say, Jim did You see tina
old chaplain on the big black horse
! stayed there till | saw the fire il
his eye and then ] made up my mln'
that my mother wanted me, and | Ii
out, right smart, for home" An,
then the good old man, when tn
fight he had helped to win, was over
would be around among the wounded
before the stretchers got there, an'
with a cheering word and a drinl
! from his cantecn, he fixed the boy
up, and got them off to the rear, anC
there he tended them as though the,
were his own children. Body an,
soul, every man in the regiment wa
dear to him, and one day the oil,