The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-04-16

b "a 4 Z q I R 3 ] A, y. PR !
i 81 all q soldiers duties, and to such
need not attempt the hopeless task OF
describing the young recruits feelings,
! as he turned over one 1ifeless body after
! another, fearing that the next might be
that of his beloved comrade.
At this time, the wild, uncultivated
tract of country known as the "Wilder-
ness was, for the most part, covered
(: by a dense growth of dwarfed trees,
shrubs and bushes, and was. moreover,
cut up by numerous ravines and gullies,
among which dead, dying and wounded
: men now lay in every conceivable posi-
ton, many of the latter having, in their
agony, crawled into cover SO thick that
it was exceedingly difficult to find, in
the prevailing darkness, those Of them
who had become unconscious, or were,
from any reason, unable to call out.
For more than an hour Fred pursued
his melancholy quest in vain and had
just said to one Of the party: II think
Leslie has surely been taken prisoner,
but that will be about as bad as death
to him. when he noticed dark clump
of ragged scrubwood few yards to
one side, and stepped over to search it as
mere matter of duty. Entering the
tangled mass of frayed and broken
bushes, he was for several seconds
lost to view, and then from out the
gloomy depths broke forth his wailing
cry: ooh, Herbert! Herbert! my dear
old Herbert!:' VI"
Sergeant Traynor hurried up, and,
kneeling by the side OF the young SOL
der, ran his hand under the blood
Stained tunic and felt of his heart.
s'Tut, tut he said cheerfully, ''the
boys all right. A pretty bad hole
through his shoulder, to be sure; but
he'll live to fight in many another bat
| tle-if Grant don't finish the war too
quick"
Being removed speedily as possible to
the field hospital, Herbert recovered
consciousness while the surgeon was
dressing his wound, and On recognizing
Fred, who sat holding his hand, he
asked: chow is it with, You, Fred?''
s'Not stratch, Herbert" replied his
chum, and the brave fellow sank back
| with sigh of deep content.
All that one loving friend could do for
another Fred Ainslie did for his old
schoolmate while they were together,
but this was for a few hours only.
Monentous events were daily occur
! ring: the fearful conflicts in the vicinity
OF Spottsylvania courthouse followed
close upon those of the Wilderness and
it was many months before the boys
again met. Through all the frightful
carnage of the next fortnight Private
Ainslie passed unscathed, and. having
now fully awakened to the Importance
of the cause for which he fought, bore
the fatigues and dangers of his position
without a 1nurnaur.
Il Il
The Eight was warm and sultry; the
doors and windowsof the great military
hospital at Fredericksburg stood wide
open, while within, fitting about with
noiseless steps, moved ever to and fro a.
little army of noble women, for the
most part members and employees OF
the Sanitary and Christian associations
and all alike actuated by a spirit Of
tender love and charity.
On one of the hundreds Ut small cots
lay fair-faced, beautiful youth,
mere boy in years, moaning restlessly
in the delirium of wound fever, and
over him bent, with gentle touch and
soothing words, a plying angel in the
shape of a slender, dark-haired girl
nurse, who looked no older than he.
The young lady had but lately joined
the devoted band, whose self-sacrifciny
heroism will be told in story and inn
mortalized in soul~inspirirg song SO
long as our country shall endure. and
to her had been assigned the care OF
this one patient only.
All unused to scenes of suffering, the
girls tears dropped fast as she laid the
cool, wet cloths upon the hoy's burning
forehead or held the refreshing draught
to his parched lips, while over and over
again she softly murmured: son, If he
could but tell me his name, SO that l