The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-05-24
THE COLONEL'S STORY.
A War Incident That Taught Him
Lesson.


a man was with Solomon one day when
Azrael passed 10y he KING IL visible shape.
Frightened 10y tho look cast upon him by the
terrible stranger, he asked who he was; ana
upon So!omon's acquninJIng him that IL was
the angel of death: He seems TO want me
said he, wherefore order .he wind TO carry me
hence TO India Which. being Csue. the nnrel
said 10 Solomon: looked 50 earnestly at this
man out OF wonder, because was commanded
10 take his soul IN India and found him with
thee IN Palestine "A Legend from the Tai
mud.
In the latter part Of the summer Of
1868 | went up into Northern Ohio, re-
cruiting. | had heard of a town where
quite a number of young fellows were
ready to enlist and thought 1 might as
well have them as another. They came
docking in, as soon as the news that /
was in the place got out. Fine, stall
wart men, full of enthusiasm, longing
to lay down their lives for their coun-
try. Most of them were unmarried,
with no home ties 10 break, but among
them was a man named jackson, much
older than the others. He was mar
ried. had several children and owned
little farm not far from the center OF
the town
: Jackson" said I, as he presented
himself, you let this business alone.
There are plenty OF young fellows to
go to war, your place is with your
family" -
The mans face fell. evidently he
was bound 10 be soldier. go, that
will be all right" he said. 1--WE can't
go without jackson, anyway" said
one of the boys.
The neighbors are going TO have a
bee and get in his crops" said an
other. ---.-.T
There didn't seem much good in my
objecting. Jackson passed a good eX-
animation, and was speedily enrolled
in Company X, -th Ohio / confess
II worried me. 1 hated to take that
man away from his family, and l sup
pose l thought more about it than was
really worth my whiic-
Well, the day camo when l must
take the boys away. l had engaged
some wagons to carry them a few
miles across the country, to a point
where we would strike the railroad.
As we would pass by Jackson's place
on our way, we agreed TO take him up
from there. When we stopped for
him it was bright, beautiful morning
l remember, the children were hang
ing about the door, crying and taking
on like pack of looms. Mrs. jack
son chung to her husbands neck and
sobbed aloud, and when the babies
saw the wagons coming they caught
him by the legs and cried out that he
should not go. Some of the neighbors,
half a dozen women or so, who had
come to see the thing through, after
the manner of neighbors in the rural
districts, fell TO crying, too, and l can
tell you it was an uncommonly un-
pleasant place to be in
jackson made several attempts TO
get away, and each time the wife and
babies clung the closer and the crying
went on louder than ever. Suddenly
he made break, ran across the gar
den, lcaped over the fence and into the
nearest wagon and was off without a
final goodbye. The wife fell down, all
in heap, on the doorstep, the children
cried and shrieked, the friendly women
pressed up to sympathize and console
while the band struck up martial air
and the wagons moved on.
! dismounted and tied my morse.
Somehow / couldn't bear TO go on
without q word of comfort to that poor
woman. The children came crowding
around me to look at my uniform and
one little white-haired chap hit me
with his chubby fist, calling me "a bad
man TO take his paw of" -
The women had gotten Mrs. jackson
into the house and presently one of
them came TO the door and called
sharply to tho children to Come away
and leave the gentleman alone" Now
was my time. i stepped up and ac-
costing the woman asked if i could see
Mrs. Jackson for a moment. She
thought not" she said, sourly. Mrs.
jackson was in great trouble. She
would not feel like seeing strangers. -
} l urged it a little; said thought she
would feel better if she. were to see
me, so, finally, after much whispering
and consulting and running in and out,
they concluded that l might see Mrs.
jackson and / was ushered into her
presence She was IN her bedroom,