Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-06
A LETTER FROM MOTHER.
Never to Be Finished by the One WI
 Received If.

Received It.
 It lacks n quarter of an hour of mid night as the relief guard goes tramping down through the woods to relieve posts Q, 10 and Il along the crock. Those have been danger posts'' for the last three nights. The enemy's pickets are scarcely a hundred rods away, and guerrillas and bushwhackers have been skulking on the narrow strip of neutral ground between. The relief is halted, the countersign taken and posts Q and 10 relieved. Post No. II is taken by beardless boy, who was fol lowing the blow on his fathers farm only four months ago. The sergeant looks at him in a doubtful way and then out into the darkness beyond. Then he turns and whispers:
 "Watchl Listenl Fire if you suspect that any one is creeping upon you. Above all, don't fall asleep. To be found asleep on post in tho face of the enemy means court martial and deathr'
 The recruit knew that it was "danger post" and for the first 10 minutes after being left alone his heart beat faster and his breath came with an effort as he pecred into the darkness and listened. Then the babblc of the brook at his feet began to reassure him and bring back his nerve. Tho waters of n stream flowing over rocks and pebbles and tapping At the banks give out soothing and peaceful sounds. You can imagine they arc voices; that you hear songs and words and merry laughter. There is no hint of war and its horrors, of fierce faced men creeping over tho earth like Indians to stab in the darkness.
 Somewhere out there in the forest is q raccoon moving about. Now and then he charters, us if pleased at some discovery. The recruit laughs as he hears the chatter. That sound Is a familiar one to him. on to the right ho hears n hop, hop, hop on tho dead leaves. It is rabbit moving about, perhaps disturbed from her sleep by the tramp of the relief guard half an hour ago. Now and then n firefly comes sailing along in its cratic way. and in the branches of the very tree against which he leans n slceplcss squirrel Is changing its quarters and crying Chit! chit!" at being disturbed at such an hour.
 It Is peace in the camp, peace in the forest, peace along the banks of the bab- bling brook. Tomorrow 10, 900 men may grapple in thesc woods and the waters oi the crock run rcd with their blood, but tonight all men sleep and dream of home all but the pickcts, who must stand and count tho minutes of darkness away. The recruit had received letter from home that evening. He had read 1t twice over at his campfire, but he goes over the words and lines again in his mind. It is tho handwriting of tho dear old mother-a cramped hand, word wrongly spelled hero and thcrc, and the ink none of the best, but letter to be carried about and rercad for days and days.
 Let's src?" muses the soldier as he sit: down to rest his tired limbs. Father i: cutting tho corn helped to plant-whcat all thrashcd-hay n good crop-Uncl, William was over and staid two days Lola + sister Nell is"-
 What is it? The soldier had caught him self nodding No, it couldn't bel Ho wa. wide awake He had passed n single min ute in revCric, in a waking dream of homo -nothing moro. He rcmembered the ser geant's warning. No fear of his going tC sleep after such n caution as that. Il wasn't forbidden to sit down and lear against trcc. He could listen and watch as well as If standing up.
 Let's see? Sister Nell has passed OK animation as n teachcr-the Taylors have sold their farm and arc going west-th, Henderson boys talk of Cnlisting-light ming struck the big elm tree across tn, road and nearly scared us to dcath''- anG so on and so forth. It was mothers letter tu her hoy far away, and she tried to men tiOn everything; that might be of intcrcs to him In his minds eye the soldier haG picture uf tho dear old farm-the build ings-thc orchEr,!-thc cider miil-thc- And he slept. Sleep stole upon him lik' | shadow. The rnccudn chattcrcd in shrill voice. as if sounding an alarm, bu the picket on post No. II heard no sound | The rabbit ca,nv hopping through thu brush tu tho crv,E and drank of its waters but no movement alarmed it. \ quartc of an hour went by. Then the bushwhaCkr who had been creeping ncarrr and nearer pauSins every foot or two to locate tn, picket, made him out through the gloom | There was no sound to be heard 10 fec away-no dcathcry musket shot. A , o'clock the relief guard came again | There was no challcngc-no one to bc re | lievcd. There was corpse at the foot O | tho tree, and when the sergeant had flashCt | the light of his lantern upon 1t he kuraet | and said:
 "He was asleep on his post in tho fac' | of tho enemy, but there will be no repor no court mnrtial!' NJ. QUAD.