The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-05-26
THE BLUE UNIFORM.
The thunderstorm Of fierce, wild war
Has softly died away;
Upon the hills and valleys fair
Peace rules the livelong day.

was an orphan and had been apprenticed to
old Carnahan the day Lincoln was elected
and had pumped the bellows and swung
the sledge every day since Old Carnahan
was stern taskmaster and got out Of his
bound boy all the law would allow. We
used to pass the shop every time we drove
from our farm in the country, and there
was nothing in the county seat, the greatest
town we had ever seen, 80 notable as the
great shock of fiery red hair displayed by
Bill Bradley. He always stood at the door
of the shop as we passed at noontime and
nodded at us with the cheeriest sort of
smile. 1t was a thing to remember with
pride when a town boy honored us with
recognition.
Money was mighty scarce in our house
those days, Dimes were things to treasure
carefully, and dollars, when they came,
were something spoken of with bated
breath and hidden away-or paid out grudg-
ingly. And iron was in demand. The can
mons made those first years of the 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 cents and finally 21s cents a
pound, though they did make difference
whether you took it out in trade or de-
manded cash. ~
We boys in the country used to gather
up every bit of metal that would sell and
carefully save it till we had 100 pounds or
more and then take it to town and convert
it into the infrequent cash or the almost as
acceptable aud quite as costly groceries
One day when we took our plumber to
town we found the streets in strange com
motion.
They're listing soldiers" said 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 Brad
ley there before us. He was pumping the
bellows, and old man Carnahan was rating
him soundly for his absence. The red head
was a trifie higher, the blue eyes trife
wider, and the breath was quicker and
more charged with warning. Carnahan
should have known. But he didn't. He
grew more enraged till at word Of de-
Tense from the boy he lost his temper COM
pletely and in fit of evaporation struck
his apprentice.
The blow was not a severe one, and Bill
could not have suffered twinge of pain.
But his pride was hurt and that blow end
cd for him, as that larger, later blow ended
for 100000 of others, his season Of servi
tude.
"I'll quit you," he cried, trembling and
almost weeping with excitement and rage
"I'll list for a soldier"
We left the iron in pile on the shabby
floor and followed him with palpitating
hearts to the little lobby Of the postoffice
He was greeted with chorus Of shouts, as
WAS each new recruit, and touch of ridi-
Guile must have mingled with the hailing,
for it Strengthened him and stiffened him
and sent him to the captain with as firm
front rs ever was borne by novice.
If the men were changed by the DOMINIC
of blue, what transformation was this
wrought in our blacksmith boy2 He was
inches taller and fathoms deeper. He was
mani He stood about with the recruits,
his brow darkening little when Carnahan
approached, for he could not yet understand
the privilege of warrior But more than
any other man in uniform he was severed
from civil life. He was one of this wonder.
ful legion that was filing the world with
comment-and filling the homes with woe
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 twos
and tours and company front, the double
quick and the charge. And we heard the
fiedgling officers 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 to the depot and then wept, fear,
at the passionate goodbys There were
fathers and younger brothers and desolate
wives But the saddest of all were the
partings from mothers 1t was 30 piteous,
the hopelessness Of their despair, the utter
abandon of their tears.
And then after much shaking of hands
and waving of handkerchief the train
moved away, and the soldiers were off for
thea army. We saw load after load go by after
that and always looked eagerly for sight
Of some face we knew. But the drops which
we knew were swallowed and lost in sea
distinguishes sea, pray God, which never
may grow familiar
We read of the terrible battles that west
ern army fought; we read of their victories,
and the far too frequent defeats; we read
the list of killed and wounded and saw at
last in the longest column the name of Pri-
sate William Bradley. How far that name
removed him from us He was William now
mot common Bill; not Bill the black.
smiths bound boy. We wondered if there
was anything we could do for him, and in
the next box that went from our towr
mother sent underclothes and stockings tt
the youth, for there was no one near us by
blood or friendship who weathered that
winter in the south, and no one near Bill t.
remember him. And one day toward tn,
dawn of spring letter came from the hos
pital, written in the clumsy hand of tn,
orphan, acknowledging the receipt of tn,
clothes and thanking for them with tn,
clumsy, genuine feeling of one who seldom
speaks and never forgets favor. He wa
well again, he said, and would be returned
for duty in the morning They looked TO
another hard battle, for the enemy wa
massing, and this new general that had wol
in the past believed in sledge hammers AMI
decisive measures At the end of the lettel
was the sentence:
"Tha have mad me corprl."
God knows how proud he was of that
prouder of it than were the thousands VIII,
had other things to comfort them. Ant
God knows how near us he seemed to com
rs the weary months went by and the fight
ing began again. Once fix your mind on
man in the distance and man who stand
front face with danger night and day an,
never fiinches, and it is wonderful how com
pletely he will fill your sky. You imagin
MI manner of great things about him, drea.
all manner of terrible things, and end at las
by loving him &c. when that other battl
was fought by the general who believed il
sturdy blows, and when Vicksburg lai'
down her arms at the feet of victoriou
army, we read again in the terrible lists o
the killed and wounded the name of on
blacksmith boy. This time. too, it wa
among the wounded. in the longest column
but it bore prefix that surprised US