Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-12-26
THE OLD SOLDIERS NEW YEARS.

"Thank Godl'' said the car driver, earn
estly, as the great church bell three or
four blocks away, struck the midnight
hour on New Years eve.
what forS" asked the passenger who
stood muilled up on the front platform,
putting at "A short pipe. There had been
no conversation, and the drivers pious
ejaculation seemed to have startled him.
The driver looked around, doubtfully.
1t seemed as if he wanted to speak, and
yet hesitated to talk to a stranger The
other smoked onin silence.
at always makes me glad" said the
driver after n long pause, "when another
year goes by. | don't know but what I'd
fight as hard as the next man for my life If
/ had to. It's natural, suppose. Every
body hates the notion of dying when it
comes to the pinch; but after all it's
mighty comforting to know that you've
got one less year o this to go through"
Then he stopped, and the passenger wait
ed a little Finding the driver had stopped
he said between puts, Don't find it worth
WHILE ch2"
eyes, do" retorted the driver half an
grily. 81 don't rightly know how to ex-
plain it, but maybe you'll know what l
mean if you were in the army Did y
ever go through a big battle?"
The passenger nodded, and the driver
continued: "Well, then, praps you've felt
like you'd be glad when twas over. You
warn't afraid exactly, and you thought it
was worth while to keep on fghtin' under
orders, and you had no thought o. runnin',
but all the time you kept thinkin how
hard it was and how you hated to keep on.
And when you noticed how the sun was
goin' down in the afternoon you thought
/ ho
up in your old blanket, and lie down on
the ground and sleep and dream about the
folks at home"
Another nod and another pause
"Thin.s is a good deal like that with
me-" continued the driver, in voice that
was not exactly sad, and yet had no ring
of hope or gladness in it. "Im Il IRWIN
up and down this blessed old road thirteen
| hours day, and ma.iin' just enough
mO.-cy to keep tn old woman and me from
bein' hungry or cold. There don't seem to
be anything in it. does there? And yet it
Is worth while in one way. | amt exactly
religious. You wouldn't think | was TO
| hear me cuss sometimes, but learned in
tie army that nothin' gives Teller so
much satisfaction as helpin' somebody else
that's in trouble, and that's come to he a
! sort o religion with me. So | jog along
getting what satisfaction | can out of it
all, but desperate tired of the whole bust
ness.
and when look around and see other
men it's like the army again. The officers
get more pay and better rations and better
clothes, and some of 'em ride horseback,
instead o. carryin' a knapsack and gun:
but after all they're all dom about the
same work, and there's mighty few of em
! UnfllH bq miss bot
killed.
"Of course, there was a time when l
didn't feel that way. 'Tain't natural for a
young man to feel the same as an old fell
low like me, and ! was as spirited and
| lively as any o. the other boys. but I've
had my day.
II s'pose man feels different, too when
| he's got children of his own CROWN up
around him. Ne and tn old woman are
all there is left now, and we haint neither
of us goin to last much longer. I'd be
sorry to 90 and leave her if thought she'd
have much longer to wait before we'd be
all together again, but know she'd foler
me pretty soon if it come my time, and.
/ stranger, | have Il powerful lonGin' once in
a while to see my boy an girl again
don't think that's cOvarGice, is it, You
| know an old soldier would hate to he a
coward, no matter what mi sht come to
him. We've all got to stay under orders
as long as the commandments wants
us, an I'm willin 70 stay here and peg
away the best know as long As he says.
All the same, I'll be glad enough when
my time comes.
"As | said, it's the children, after al,
that makes all the difference If you've
ever had children of your own, stranger,
and known what it was to lose EN-
The driver looked around but all he
saw was his passenger jumping off the car.
DAVID \. CURTIS