The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-07-17

VA10 ldHllSueQ. QOR6 OF war. lore 4
mon! More nlsnl And when the
men were torn and rent asunder, the
last, most heartrendingd demand came,
GIVE us your boys! Give us your
boys"
All, the war, the warl Not satisfi-
ed with the blood of men, the tender
forms of cherished boyhood-all-all
must go. Not content with the vel
low grain, tho tender stalk, while yet
IN the milk, must be cut down. The
flower OF the south was plucked and
trampled under the iron heel of re]ent-.
less war, and now the gauntnbloody
hand was extended to Gull the half
blown bud, the hope OF the land!
Four boys gone marching away to
Ole Tor q cause, the business OF which
the poor widow was unable to argue.
What did she care for the doctrine OF
states rights? How could the per-
petuation or abolition OF slavery az
feet her? Her four boys were gone
marching away, marching away. Not
with plumes waving and victorious
banners floating in the breeze. No, not
triumphant and flushed with hope
They had gone marching away into
the jaws Of grim death, to fill the
breach in the lines by the Potomac's
crimsoned flood. Marching away with
Hopping cloth hats and mixed gray
uniforms OF homespun, and ill-fSting
shoes OF red leather, your boys had
gone, marching away, marching away.
Eben was killed in the wilderness,
Riley died in prison, Hamp died of ex-
haustion and the hardships Of the
northern climate, while following Jeb.
Stuart in his wild rides over mountain
and valley.
All, you that are thrilled with STIR
ring emotions when you read how
that knightly commander, bearded
and booted, rode forward down into
battle with song on his lips
when the dew is on the blossom"
Little think We how many brave
boyish hearts swelled up into their
Threats at the thought of widowed
mothers among the barrens.
Mack. came home He was brought
on the cars to the nearest station,
and then hauled in cart to his home
IN the piney woods. Only the poor
shattered wreck of man came home,
and she had watched four stout lads
60 marching away.
II haint got but two now, an Mack,
poor Teller, Pm afeared he'll never see
the blackberry blossoms ag'in. He
was er'bly wounded at the start an
them hospitle muses. thest in a man.
ner made it wuss. Then here's Little
Dick, God SEN they won't want my
baby boy"
But they did. They wanted the
baby boy. The hungry war dogs
must snap and snarl over the weakly
frame of Little Dick, too.
How we'll / remember the weakly
looking lad! Five feet, scant at that,
slender and boyish. Two great hol-
low eyes set in g. pinched, pale face,
the unattractiveness of which was
heightened by a thin, scattered head
OF SUMS corched hair. A little whitish,
fuzzy down on cheek and chin, where
the beard should have appeared had
the surroundings given more encour-
agement. Colorless complexion, save
the sallow cast of sunburn, and few
blue veins up under the brim of his
Topped hat. The ill-ftting clothes
hung about his person, and the boys
said that he used to have to drag his
musket when out of breath on a long
march.
Poor Aunt Mimal She left the bed
side where the body of her emaciated
boy lay in inert and Indifferent pros
tration between life and death, the
manly tones of voice dwindled down
to a querrelous treble and the animat-
ed look changed to the vacant nerve.
less stare OF hopelessness. She left
this sorrowful scene to enfold in q
fond embrace the puny form of her
baby boy. Great tears chased one
another down the bosom Of the ill-ft-
ting jacket, and kisses rained on the
sun-burned cheek until the lips, parch-
ed with grief, were no longer able to
drop the holy dew of a mothers love
on the pale cheek Of her baby boy.
Betty wept, and prayed, and Rugged
Little Dick to her bosom that bosom
on which his baby locks had oft been
pilloWed.
Sheit was who first taught the baby
to walk, and then to talk. She had
said "Lony, now fur litter, Dick, .
and Dick had tried his spindle legs,
and found out the secret OF erect
locomotion. She had said, NANNY,
say nanny, fur litter, Little Dick,''
and Little Dick had croaked out
sort OF gurgle that was interpreted as
good English language by the fond
sister.
Goodbye, Little Dick. May God
keep my darling baby boy from HARM y
Goodbye Little Dick. Oh, my
precious little buddy! OH
Dick was gone. Two big tears plow-
ed each a furrow down the sunbrown-
ed cheek and hung trembling on the
fuzzy chin like rain drops on the
hairy calyx OF wild thistle. Dick
was gone. Marching in struggling
ranks with gray bearded men,
too old for service, and
other beardless bows too Young to
bear arms. The Estate Troops:
What a satire on the pomp and glory
ofwar, to call these weak kneed old
men, and these weak armed bows,
troops. But the hungry howl OF the
fierce dogs OF rcome sweeping across
the hills and valleys and echoes from
crag to crag in the mountains. #
Times were hard in Georgia. They
were desperate in the piney woods.