The National tribune., 1894-04-05
THE sUWANEE RIVER,
By Kate Bro,oHIee Sherwood.

"Way down upon the Suwanee River,
Far, far away,
There's where my heart j. turning ever,
There's where the old folks stay"
So thew sang in the old homestead on the hill,
those fresh young voices which for hours had
been ringing out the songs OF Burns and the
Scottish Border, and then beginning with
"OId Kentucky Home" and Nellie was {
Tadv.v were closing their evenings merry
making with that plaintive plantation melody
which has since gone singing round the Worid
Yes and not only round the world, but which
followed the camps of tens of thousands o.
American soldier boys TO sing them into heart
and hone with the Weakened memories of the
old homes and the friends and the merrymak'
ings IN the glad days before the war.
Yes and which crept into the hospital wards
where the mothers boy lay pining for the
green meadows aud the old well and the voices
so far away that were but troubled whisper;
now.
Thev were all there-father and mother,
sisters and brothers; and the dear grand
father, leaning on his cane and smiling softly,
and the grandmother, with her knitting fallen
into her lap and stroking the glossy head oil
her Youngest grandchild as he sat at her knee
And the young people from the neighbor'
hood were in. aud the laugh ran lightly and
the boys aud girls who met each day IN the III
tie school house across the gully looked frank .
happy.
Then came the time to 90 home, and brothers
and sisters went all together, struggling along
in broken lines and singing still as the limo.
cent hearts in the great. kindly country VIII
sing But when they came TO where the roads
crossed Jim left his sister to walk IL an OPP
posite direction with Nell and Nells brother
turned the other way with Jim's sister.
So it was that when the two boys had each
walked two miles out OF his way to take care
of the others sister, they met at the crossroads
returning. And there they talked over their
plans for the coming Springtime, for they were
going West together as brothers to Kansas, and
their sisters were going with them.
By-and-by the Springtime came around, and
there were great preparations for their going.
They were, indeed, leaving their old home
steads, Jim and Joe, but Nell and Mary were
not going with them.
And again they all gathered in the old home
stead on the hili and they tried TO sing the old
songs, but the songs got no farther than their
Threats.
And they all sat down very silently while
Jim's father read the news of coming sorrow,
and the dear old grandfather bent low over his
cane and the grandmother had her arm round
her eldest grandson now. as he sat on the arm
Of her chair, as if she never would let him go.
In the dim lamplight the mother bent over
her needle, making over blankets into under
wear for her boy, and the grown girls were
grouped around her. trying to sew and listen at
the same time And when the parting hour came
there were no glad shouts as the young folks
walked, two and two TO the crossroads, and
there was no sly laughter when Jim went of
with Joe's sister and Joe went the other way
with Jim's. They were soldiers now, these
merry boys, and in the eyes of their families
and friends they were men grown and heroes
already of camp and battle.
The battle Of Chickamauga was over, and in
the rude field hospital lay Jim and joe aud
Joe, who had lost only an arm, was waiting on
Jim, whose leg WAS gone. And as Jim tossed
and moaned, so great was his fever aud distress,
it was ever and again to family murmer, in
Tythmic melody, though his rich bass voice was
but as thread now:
There's where my heart is turning ever,
There's where the old folks stay"
Al last Jlm's father had come, and Jim and
Joe went home again. But Jim was very pale
and still, as he lay with crossed hands on his
soldiers couch; and over him was laid the flag
that Nell had sewn with her own fingers, and
every star was stitched with a tear and a sigh.
And Joe, with his fragment of an arm in a
sling, walked with Jim's father at the head Of
the little squad that bore Jim TO the ambulance
that was to take them all to the station. Aud
IS they passed the Generals quarters they
heard a sweet voice softly singing:
There's where my heart is turning ever
There's where the old folks stay"
Many, many years has the grass been grow
ing over Jims grave in the little Enclosure on
the village green; and JOe's boys and girls
plant flowers there, and every Memorial Day a
ssd-faced woman comes from the city and places
on the grave 3 wreath of immortelles.
And when the sad-faced lady sits beside her
sisters children in the fashionable opera house,
while the prims donna sings
There's where my heart is turning ever,
There's where the old folks stay"
they look up at her in wonder; for how can
they know she is thinking Of Jim, and the old
homestead on the hill.