Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-28


into Union soldier or not; it's hard enough 10
reconstruct q live southerner, but when it
comes to q dead one don't know exactly how
| to take hold"
.'It's difficult thing to settle down alongside
Of your Judgment. Russell, replied the hitherto
silent man. whether to decorate Albert or
not. I've been tryin' to appoint yes or mo-
| as answer to that ere question ever since we
came in here. These boys we have been plant
| in signals on will be just covered with flowers
| tomorrow. an they desarve it, too. Why do
| they desarve it? Because they fit on the right
| sidel-an' here's this fellow, right in here with
| them who fit right ag' in em-maybe killed some
| Of 'em-an' the question arises. he'd he ought to
have flowers or thorns? l have heard some
say, is he entitled to any place in this grave
yard at alp ~
swell. Barker" rejoined the other, ''it's
more than a days hard work for the head an
heart to decide what any one deserves after
he's dead. suppose God Almighty is the only
one that ought to consider himself competent
| to do that; an this mans dead"
Eyes. s'pose he is" replied the other.
That is. the body department of him; but l
amt so sure concerning the remainder.
well, the remainder of him is a good ways
off, probably. anyhow. Barker" replied his
companion, drily. Far enough away so we
needn't have any bother with it,"
1--we been a thinkin about that, too, re-
piled Barker. There's a few people believes
that when man dies without havin' done up
HIS lie 10 his satls1lctlOn OF OIe else s.
he gets back here. some way. an spies around
to try il he can't III it up different"
Ghosts inquired Russell. with laugh in
his tone As this sonorous mOnosvllable was
pronounced the little girl forgot about the doll,
raised small shapely head and opened her
eyes WIDE and as round the third letter OF
the word. Already a mention Of the weird
race of disembodied spirits had power to thrill
her.
.'Yes, ghosts" replied Barker. 81 didn't use
to believe in EN-. an amt dead sure that do
now. It's one of these things almost everybody
believes in a little things fellow can have
confidence in some OF the time, and then az in
he can't. / amt sure whether believe in EN-
today or not: but did several times durin' the
war.
lone night. lyin' in nv tent in Virginny,
arter hard days work. marchin'-marchin-
marchin'--I was inst in that queer place where
thinkin' stops and dreamin begins. when spied
man who stood right up over me as plain as can
see you now, an palmer too; for my eyes don't
get any stronger as / grow old. That was my
brother that l never agreed with very well, an
hadn't met for some years, and can't really say
that wanted to. Hello. Jim. he SAYS, in his
queer f-hand way; Il stopped in a minute to
apologize for never agreeing with you, and to
make an explanation why We never understood
each other, why we couldn't hook our ideas and
feelings together, but I've found out that it
wasn't either of our faults. 1t won't be piled
up agin either Of our doors; it II all come out
right before long; it was the mistake Of some
of our forefathers. generations ago. It'll all be
explained when see each other again, and we
shall be as good friends Us we ought TO bel
can't stop but minute nOw-good-bye.' Sam
died that same evenin in Buells army hun
dreds of miles away"
Just kind of half think and half dream"
objected Russell.
well. maybe it was: but it's kind Of half
dream don't have every night in the week.
IL m IN amy raf 70 hals yad
in ghosts for a month or two after that Then,
for year or more, it seemed to me it was all
nonsense az in. But just the war was over,
an we a goin' to start for home the mex day,
an l was as happy as any time in my whole
life-about midnight l woke almost up, an my
little boy, that 5 posed was to home, safe and
well, ne come an put his arms round my
neck"
This part of the story was not finished. There
was Il miniature grave in one corner of the
cemetery that concluded the faltering speech.
Russell quietly placed flag at the head of the
boys tomb before he left the inclosure.
AN then it's run along from that time to
this" continued Barker. The little girl was
now walking hand in hand with him. her head
down. She knew that the little dead boy in the
grave. shorter even than she was had been her
Uncle Freddie" She had dreamed a great
deal by that tiny little mound. thinking how
nice it would have been had he lived. to have a
baby uncle" forgetting that he would have
grown by this time much larger than she.
Its run along from that time to this con-
tinued the old man. thOughtfully. But last
night was comm along. III the furder edge of
the ,evenin past the graveyard; was sort of
old-man tired. an maybe a little sleepy: /
leaned up ag in one Of the fence posts an fell
to considerin abont the different folks had
known that he'd ain one here to dwell at last
just as you was thinkin' little while ago. l
cant believe got asleep, an l don't jedge it
cud have been a dream. 1t seemed to me that
Albert Sutherl md rose straight up from behind
an old wide gravestOne. an cud see him well as
any one could be made out in the night. Then it
appeared il he spoke, an says: Jimmy.
is that you!' He used to call me Jimmy
even when he was a little boy, and liked it,
from him.
Il didn't seem able to get up any answer;
couldn't say a word; nothin' pertainin' to me
would move. exceptin NV hair. and that was
tryin to get away by creepin up forge the top
of my head All the reserdue Of me just hung
onto that gate post, an stared. But the ghost
went right on u talkin'-or 70 it appeared to
me. Jimmy, it said, 1 can't STAY away. l
had to come back, even for ever so little time
I'm now in hell Jimmy, actually in hell. l
can't bear to think that my father an mother
il both down on me so becauge / fought on
the other side. What could do. old friend?
My wife all southern: her relatives. that
had been kind an true an honorable to me
from the minute / first got there a poor
yankee schoolmaster- they was all southerners:
the air was full Of it and had to breathe
The south seemed to me q country within a
country: and if it stepped out. wasn't 1
still in my own adopted land?
to any of except an adopted one? All our
ancestors came from other parls of the world
: nj SOL enlisted-in the confederate armv
! n then down came a letter I. ON nv dear old
, a lkee fa,her-I had ALWAYS loved him. to say
nothing of my sweet mother'-here the ghost
/ I,.sI. III