River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-05-25

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and, if the report were indeed true, TO
bring Wilford's remains home To be
buried in the town GEM terry. All Elm
wood, too, seemed to feel desire that
/ this should be done, and it was there
fore as a delegate from the town that
DIR. Wheaton went on his sad mission.
He had no difficulty in obtaining pos
session of the body. for kilograms had
at once been sent ordering il embalmed
to await the doctors arrival While
there the doctor heard from officers and
comrades much of Wiifords history
while in the service, and he had the sat
isfaction of talking with two soldiers
who We're near by when MILFORD was
killed lie received a full account of
the affair, and had no doubt that he had
been given ormsby's body, though it
had been an explosion that killed him
and he had been badly mutilated. Get
/ ting all the evidence he thought neces-
sary he started for home and MILFORD
/ Ormsby's remains were laid at rest and
] the town erected a marble slab over the
grave.
/ Ii was Margie Wheaton who estab-
| hshed Memorial day in Elmwood. and
on certain day each year some effort
was made to decorate the graves of the
1 soldier dead. for there were many bur-
led there besides MILFORD Ormsby. This
/ grave was Margie's especial care, and
she robbed her flower beds, richly laden
as they were, for this purpose.
The years passed and Margie became
more and more sedate and womanly.
/ All the girlishness was gone, though
/ the beauty of face and form still re-
manned. The practice of decorating the
graves of soldiers had become general,
and May so was established as Decora-
ton day and was made national holt
day. The first of these events was to
be great one in Elmwood. 1t was a
greater one for Margie than she had i'm
/ agined.
The act of decorating the graves was
! finished and Margie had taken a seat by
| WilfOrd's grave and was nursing her
old thoughts. How wildly the last
words she had spoken to the man whose
remains were there inferred came to her
now. A shadow was cast on the mar
BILE slab and caused her to start To her
| feet. stranger stood there bearded
and handsome and with familiar look
about the face.
! well, Margie. You are keeping your
| promise, are you?" said he.
''Who are you? Is it, can it be VIII
ford Ormsby?" cried Margie.
Yes, Margie, | am MILFORD, and I
thought never to be here or see you
again, but God only knows how glad l
am / have come"
There was little need for Margie to
! tell how bitterly she had repented Of
! her hasty, careless words. Seated be-
side his grave-as she thought-en-
gagged as she had been, was enough for
/ MILFORD, whose heart had never ceased
| to hunger for her love. Everything
was talked over hurriedly and explana-
tions made. MILFORD could hardly tell
how he had escaped. He had been
blown some distance and stunned
When consciousness returned he found
| himself again in the hands of the
enemy. but his imprisonment did not
| last long. The war was at an end and
| he was discharged, but he had no desire
/ 10 get home. He wandered out west,
| but had little heart TO work, even for
| a living. One day he heard from Elm
wood and Learned the property he had
left there had grown to be very valu-
able and he felt it a duty to go and
settle up his affairs in that regard. lie
| had only arrived on Decoration day and
| had followed the people to the ceme-
terry. He had watched Margie, whom
! he knew at once, and when alone he
approached her. He saw the name on
/ the slab, and sad as it was he could not
help smiling. knowing that some error
had been made. He spoke of all the
/ flowers she must have wasted in years
past.
Wasted MILFORD, wasted?" said
Margie: mo indeed; it was soldiers
grave, anyway" J. J. FULLER.