Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-07-29
THE BOUND BOY.

prenticed to old Carnahan the day
Lincoln was elected and had pumped
the bellows and swung the sledge
every day since. Old Carnahan was
a stern taskmaster and got out of his
bound boy all the law would allow.
Money was mighty scarce in our
house In those days. Dimes were
things to treasure carefully; and dol
lars when they came, were something
spoken OF with bated breath and hid
den away-or paid out grudgingly.
And iron was in demand. The can.
mons made those first years of tho war
called into requisition it seemed to me
all the fragments OF old cast iron there
was In the country. Blacksmiths
were paying first cent then two
cents and finally two and a half
cents pound; though they did make
a difference whether you took IL out
in trade or demanded cash.
| We boys in the country used to
gather up every DIT of metal that
would SELL and carefully save it till
we had hundred pounds or more, and
then take it to town and convert it
into the infrequent cash or the almost
as acceptable and quite as costly gro.
ceries.
One day when we took our plumber
to town we found the streets in
strange commotiou.
They're listing soldiers" said a
nervous voice In our ears and when we
turned We found Bill Bradley. wide
eyed. excited and reckless. We were
surprised for we knew it was time for
him to be at the forge and we knew
how strict was his employer in the
matter OF time.
We drove TO the blacksmith shop
with the fragments of iron and found
Bill Bradley there before us. He was
pumping the bellows and old man
Carnahan was rating him soundly for
his absence. The red head was a
trifc higher. the blue eyes trifle
wider and the breath was quicker and
more charged with warning. Carna-
han should have known. But ne
didn't He grew more enraged till at
a word OF defense from the boy he
lost his temper completely and IN fit
oil evaporation struck his apprentice
The blow was not severe one. and
Bill could not have suffered twinge
OF pain. But his pride was hurt and
that blow ended for him, as that
larger, later blow ended for four mil
lions of others. his season of servi-
tude.
III quit you he cried, trembling
and almost weeping with excitement
and rage. 'lll list for a soldier"
III the men were changed by the
donning of blue what transformation
was this wrought in our blacksmith
boy? He was inches taller and
fa,homs deeper He was q mani He
stood about with the recruits. his
brow darkening a little when Carna-
han approached. for he did not yet
understand the privilege of warrior
We came to town that Saturday
when the troops were mustered in,
and watched them drilling. We saw
our blacksmith boy. and wondered
how we ever had addressed him. he
was being so different from all he
had been before. We saw the march
by two' and fours and company front
the double.quick and the charge; and
we heard the Hedging officer swear
with strange oaths at the men they
were later to push into conflict. We
fancied Bill Bradley would not stand
much of that We saw them march
10 the depot and then wept | fear at
the passionate good Dyes. There
were fathers and younger brothers
and desolate wives; but the sa idest of
all were the partings from mothers
1t was SO piteous the hopelessness of
their despair the utter abandon of
their tears.
Wo read OF the terrible battles that
Western army fought; we read OF their
vi tories. and the far too frequent
defeats. We read the lists of killed
and wounded and saw at last in the
longest column the name of Private
William Bradley. How far that name
removed him from us He was William
now-not common Bill; not Bill. the
blacksmith's bound boy. We wondered
II there was anything we could do for
him. and in the next box that went
from our town mother sent under
clothes and sto kings to the youth;
Tor there was no one near us by blood
or friendship who weathered that
winter In the South, and no one near
Bill to remembe him. And one day
toward the dawn of spring letter
lame from the hospital. written in tho
clumsy hand of the orphan. acknow-
Lodging the receipt of the clothes and
thanking for them with the clumsy,
genuine feeling OF one who seldom
speaks and never forgets favor. lie
was well again, he said. and would
be returned for duty In the morning.
They looked for another hard battle.
Tor the enemy was massing. and this
new general that had won in the past
believed in sledge hammers and de-
cisive measures. At the end of the
letter was the sentence:
'Tha have mad me a corprl"
God knows how proud he was of
that -prouder OF 1t than were the
thousands who had other things to
comfort them. And God knows how
near us he seemed to como as the
weary months went by and the fight
ing began again. When Vicksbure
laid down her arms at the feet of a
victorious army, we read again in the
terrible lists OF the killed and
wounded the name of our blacksmith
boy. This. time too it was among
the wounded the longest column;
but 1t bore prefix tina tsurprised us