St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-23
THE OLD SEXTON. ,
EaS
Haunting Song Heard During the
Civil War by an Old Soldier.

Haunting Song Heard During the
Civil War by Hn Old Soldier.
''Once, in a captured city" said an
old soldier, II went to the theater.
1t was a small city, but a big thea
ter. Not just hall, but regular
theater, with a circular balcony and
boxes and scenery and footlights. 1t
was dimly lighted, but it had all the
fascination of the theater about it,
the fascination that every theater
has, bright or dim, filled or empty;
and this theater was doubly fasci-
mating to us because it was the first
one we had been in for years. There
wasn't a turn in the gallery, nor a
supporting pillar; not a curve in the
front of the boxes, nor a touch in the
drapery of them that did not fix
our attention; and not a gas Jet
flashing or Pickering above the line
of footlights that did not fill us with
the delight of the theater.
The house was slim, very slim.
We had seats in the balcony because
they were cheaper. From where we
own party, seventeen. No doubt
there were some in the orchestra
underneath the balcony thatWn didn't
see, but a count OF fifty would have
doubtless covered all there were in
the house. The town had been oc-
cupled about week. 1t was pretty
near the close of the war and the
D.fN1n TC,f
That would account for The alb
sence of the towuspeople, and as for
the troops, they had not been there
long enough to be settled, and the
war was still on, and perhaps the
men could not get out of camp, and
there may have been no recent pay
day, and very likely they didn't
have any money; but, whatever the
reason, there was scarcely anybody
there; our little bunch of half a doZ-
en- people made the only solid patch
! in the house.
The Show was variA;v, and most
of it was poor, but il was all deeply
interesting to US, aud some of it.
too, was very good. There was one
song in particular that struck us
all. An old man, with a long white
| beard and carrying spade, tottered
| slowly out from the wings and came
! down the stage ca Tyirg his spade
| ahead of him, as an old man might
carry cane, and using it as such.
| Coming down to the foOtlights, he
| sang in a deep bass voice q song
about a grave digger. For all I
| know the song is a famous one, but
[ had never heard it before, and L
have never heard it since. The sing
| er had sterling voice, and he sang
the song well indeed 1 can give
| you verse of it. Perhaps this verse
may be right, or it may be that as [
give it to you it is made up of lines
from various verses, but this is it,
as | remember it:
Near to the grave that was newly
made
Leaned the sexton old on his earth
worn spade.
A relic of by-gone days was he,
And his locks were white as the foam
ing sea,
And these words came from his lips SO
thin,
4 gather them in, gather them in
How well he did sing it. And we
! all sat silently to the end; and then
/ when he began to totter off we all
| cried for more. He came back, and
he sang it over again, three or four
| times, till we could reasonably call for
it no more.
Then the show. went on, and we
enjoyed it all and stayed to the end :;
| but the one thing that WE Ten1eD1 Iara6
and that has stuck to one of the party
at least ever since, was this, heard
amid strange surroundings and at a
time when death was very active:
Il gather them in, 1 gather them in"