Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-04-22


to his horses he set out to find his
young master, and made his way I'M
challenged through the Federal lines.
1t was scarcely more than dark
when he tapped on Alice's door.
Missy he said with q tremble in his
honest voice, missy, l'se done foun'
Marse Dck'-'an we've better go
home wild him. and he led the way
to the wagon where Dick lay, very
quiet and white and still.
Alice did not speak, she could not
for the sObs that choked her, and as
they rode homeward the old man said
softly. II slip thro de lines an l walk
up an down de rows of tents l0okin'
for my boy Tom what run off an
went to de war, an by an by seen
him settin' in tent do, an shO's you
bawn, honey. de pore, sick s6jer what
he was anussin' DIES lax dey warn't no
talk of de war, nor freedom, nor nuth-
in, an dey was boys at home, was
Marse Dick ! | jes drapped down en-
my knees an said 81 bless Cord for
dat" Then after pause he added /:
"Tom say he found Marse Dick whar
de fightin' was thickes' an de dead
piled highest round de cannOn-him
an de sorrel filly both shot in de bres'.
An Tom took him up an carried him
to his tent an nussed him like | tole
you, an he slip him thro' de lines so
we might carry him home to ole
marster."
they carried Dick home, and just as
they drove up to the door one of the
roam fillies dropped dead, as if she
knew that the hand that had guided
her so often to victory was loosening
its grasp on all earthly things. To
wards the last he rallied for moment,
and his voice rang out with its old
tone of encouragement, STEADY, men,
steady" and then with faint sigh he
fell back dead. Alice dropped down
beside him with one long sob, but the
Colonel took him in his arms, as he
had done when he was little child,
and cried out in the passion of agony
that is as old as human love and its
bereavement, my son, my son, would
to God [ had died for thee !"
After Dicks death it seemed quite
natural that Phil should join the
army. No one said now that the
south had no need of boys to defend
her. and so the lads filled up the de
pleted ranks of the regiments, and of
fered up their brave child hearts On
the altar of their county.
There was no roll of drum or glitte
of military preparation to entice now.
Phil knew he went to desperate con-
tlict, to face hunger, sickness, proba
bly, death, but he could not refuse 10
serve his country in her hour of need
and not be forever dishonored in his
own sight.
They said afterwards that he was
like an inspiration in the camp. era
ven hearts gathered new courage from
his dauntless spirit, dull faces light
ened at his approach, and at the last,
in one of the great battles of the war,
his sunny head was Ikea bright BAN
ner towards which they Struggled in
the fight. 1t was a terrible struggle,
where they counted the loss by thou
sands on either side. At one edge of
the battle field was little knoll where
the enemy had planted battery
manned by negro troops, and towards
this vantage ground the Southern
troops struggled. Three times they
were repulsed with fearful loss, and at
last the broken ranks wavered and
would have retreated except that a
gallant figure leaped on the Captains
riderless horse and, waving a flag
about his head cheered them on to
victory. But in the very moment of
victory the shining figure with its
golden curls was lost, and as the tide
of battle swept onward it lay very
white and still on the top of the re-
doubt.
Farther and farther the battle rolled,
night came, and the dew of evening
brought returning consciousness to
! Phil as 1t did to many other on that
field. At length he became aware that
some one near him stirred. Did some
one call his name? "Marse Phil 1t
was TOm-Tom with a hole in his
breast. They, the white master and
! black slave, had fallen almost together,
each fighting and dying for the right
as he saw it.
A great wave of JOY swept across the
lads face, and he crawled painfully to.
wards the negro. "Tom," he answered
family, and then after a long pause,
''let me hold your hand, Tom, it will
seem like home, and it is growing very
dark" There was a silence between
! them, whether of minutes or hours
| they were too near eternity to note.
AT last the lad stirred softly; his mind
was wandering over old scenes.
'Tom," he said family, 1--WE have been
lost in the dark, but the day is break
ing over yonder."
LEAD de way, little marster an /
will follow" responded the faithful
voice as it had answered a thousand
times before, and then the silence of
death fell between them. When the
new day came they lay thus, hand in
hand, no longer lost in the darkness of
veXed questions, but in the light of
perfect knowledge. They had gone
up before the God of battles and white
and black were justified.
In the ample leisure of his green
old age the Colonel reads in the pa
pers the accounts of the wonderful
recuperation and prosperity of the
New South but he shakes his old,
gray head, "Ah," he says, ether will
never be any more times like the old
times when | had my boys"
Good Habit.