Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-10-06

light, Innocent OF care or lear, ana Ghcn
striving for .lhcir sake 10 still her sohs,
to dry her tears, he left her TO put tho
little ones TO bed, to clasp their folded
hands in hers as the wee, white gowned
gillies knclt at her side echoing-God
only knew with what piteous entreaty-
the litping prayer for his divine protec-
ton for the loved father, the devoted
husband, the gallant soldier who that
| very day had fought his last fight and
lay hfeless on the frozen sod.
Over the eastward bluffs. cold and
gray, the morning light had slowly crept
to the zenith. Over the sky was spread
ono limitless pail of cloud, chcerless and
repellent--a pail so dense that not one
friendly star had peeped, not one rift of
sunshine now could force its way. All
! below, bleak, frowning and sullsn, u
barc and blasted landscape; low hills
and ridges east and west low lying shall
| low and swale between, cherries, tree
| less, shrublcss. not even q Vel OF snow
TO hide its nakcdness, to lend one pity
ing touch to break the dull, dead monot-
ony Of its wintry dcsolaton; sweeps
and slopes rolling away unbroken to the
frowning horizon at the west, sterner,
harshcr lines among the bluffs across
the tOrtuous stream bed, between whose
ragged banks an icy, lonely and dismal
rivulct is curdling now, spreading out
into frozen shadows at the flats, moan
ing and complaining around its warped
and sudden bends, desolate as the sur
rounding desolation, deserted as the
Dead sea, its banks repellent even to
such sharers of Dakota solitudcs as She
coyote and the cottonwood. stunned Of
man or beast or trec-a stream Of silence
and gloom at the dawn of this December
day, and so cheerless is its every sur
rounding, SO appalling tho unnatural
hush, that ono would never dream of
life upon it's blasted banks.
Yet. listen, Unseen, but dominant
the sun has risen above the eastern hills,
and, az the light broadens even where il
cannot warm, there floats upon the all
from far away at the southwest, faint
and clear, cavalry trumpet CALL soft
ut first, thcn crcscendo, it ceases sud.
denly in shrill high note. 1t thrills
through and through a rare atmosphere
unruGled by the fleeing wing of har.
diest bird. Like the wistful call Of scat
tered quail it seems to say, "Where are
YOU" And prompt, eXpectant of GhC
coming Of faithful mate, listen again
FROM the dim rcccsses to the north
somewhere among these bare and dos
olate slopes, the answer rises, quick
ringing, even imperative, and the sigma
reads, This way"
Cropping through the bitter darkness
of the December night Il cavalry column
has sought and, just at the opening o
tins cherries December day, has fGun,
It's mate. Tho comrade battaiion5 o
the Twelfth are within hail.
"Forward!' rings the signal from IN
southwest Forward with them, thon
around that point at the low bluff to on
front, and il the Ehostly, gathcrin.
HIGHT tho scene is before us, tho tale /
almost told.
There, thcIlIy do;.irg the prairie IN,
covering the low ground, its Wigwam
smoke begrimed and dlngv, lies an IL
dian encampmcnt; but even in sucl
shelter as this the hostile horde ha
Jared far better than they who through
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