Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-06-19
mJlMMY rEAR-nRop.n
The Touching Little story OF Poor Bat
tIe-FIeld WaiE

| Otudito cavalry dIu at a boIlu IN TIC
road we had shelled them vigorously
with our light artillery. As we passed
this bend, still following the enemy, we
found four dead men, three or four dead
horses, and a boy about ten years old
sitting on stone, so white-faced and
scared that he could not speak a word.
We spoke kindly to him, and tried to
comfort him, and finally he began to
cry. When we asked for his name he
gave it as Jimmy" Jimmy what?'
He was crying SO that we could not make
it out Then some one suggested that
it must be Jimmy Tear-irop," and the
name at once became his.
The soldier of the civil war was a
curious being. While the heat of bat
tie was in his blood his heart would
grow soft at sight of poor rabbit fright
ened from cover by the awful din. We
had not a second look for the dead lying
there, but half a dozen troopers :angled
| as to who should be guardian of that boy.
He was Legitimate capture-one of the
spoils of war. As compromise he was
sent to the wagon-master for the time
being.
In time Jimmy Tear-Drop' told us
that his mother was dead. His father
lived on the road by which we had
| marched, and as Stuart fell back he took
his boy by The hand and fell back with
! the soldiers. In the confusion father
and son mad become separated, and they
were never to meet again. Our camp was
thirty miles away, and the boy went
there with us, and once within our lines
the father, even if alive, had little
chance to hear of him,
Every company of soldiers had its pet,
if not dog, or cat or goat, then some
thing else-even 'possum or raccoon.
1t was late in the fall when we captured
Jimmy Tear-Drop, and by spring he was
known to most all the men in the bril-
gade. He was quiet little chap, SEEM
ing to have great sorrow in his heart
and 1t was only when he heard us talk
ing about the end of the war, and how
he intended to find his father and bring
about a reunion, that he laughed and
seemed boy-like. The officers tried to
send him away, but we kept him hid
den and treasured him as if he had been
a gold nugget. Our tailor made him
clothes, and we foraged him a pair of
shoes, and when we got him rugged out
we all felt proud of him. don't think
Jimmy Tear-Drop learned any wicked
ness from us. We taught him to dance,
and he could sing song or two, but the
boys were careful of their hard words
when he was near. and no one would
teach him any thing about cards. On
the contrary, "Old Jack" our company
teamster, got some books and taught
him his A, b, Cs, and called us in to
hear him spell dog" and hen" and
hat and other easy words.
Well. the spring came, and one day
our whole army corps moved. Jimmy
went along with the wagon train, and at
a certain point on one of the highways |
the enemy made dash and cut off q |
portion of the train. We got it back |
after sharp fight, and when we came |
to look around we found about twenty |
dead and wounded men. If there had |
been nothing more we should have |
wheeled into line and jested over it. A
soldier takes his chances, you see. II
he wins he gets no credit. If he falls
there is always earth enough to hide his
body from sight.
We were getting ready to move on
when there was an excitement among
he wagons, and we pushed into the
rain to find odd jack bending over
something lying on a blanket on the
Trass. He was crying like a woman,
md some of our boys were brushing
ears from their eyes and others holly
owing vengeance. That something on
he blanket was our boy-our Jimmy
Tear-Drop. A stray bullet had whis-
led through the cover of the wagon and
nded his life as quickly as you could
low out the flame of a candle. And as
e lay there on his back, white-faced
nd dead and his eyes half closed, we
aw through our own tears great tear
n his cheek-a pearl glistening in the
Outhern sunshine which Streamed down
Trough the smoke yet hanging about
he tree-tops. Then in our sore hearts
re felt that we had rightly named him
immy Tear-Drop, and that the hand of
od was in it.-Detroit Free Press.