The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-04-24

more than an hour when l made out a
dark figure OF man comm through
the fields very slow like. Me an the
fellys with me watched sharp. Sudden
he stopped and sank down in heap
Then he picked himself up and came
staggerin' on. He couldn't hev ben
more AN fifty yards away when he
threw up his hands and pitched for'a'd
on his face. Me an mother feller run
out an picked him up an carried him
inter the fire. But ct wasn't no use !;
he was dead.
There wac a bullet wound in his
shoulder aud his clothes was soaked
with blood thet he'd ben drippin',
drippin as he walked tell he fell the
last time. 1 opened his coat and in his
pocket found letter, stamped and di-
rected apparent to his wife-thet was
all to tell who he was. SO l went
back to the line thinkin' no more of
ct an never noticin' thet thet mans
coat 'ud "a fit two of him.
'Mornln' come, and the firin' begin
over toward Getteespurg, an we could
see the smoke risin' agin an hear the
big guns roarin' tell the ground be-
meath our feet seemed to swing up an
down. j tell you uns thet was grand
sight. We was awful excited, fer ct
seemed like the first two days he'd gone
ag'in us, an more stragglers an the
wounded come limpin' back more an
more, all with bad news.
II was gittin' nervous, an thin kin
an thinkin' an wishin' / was where
the fun was. Then 1 conceded maybe
l wasn't 80 bad of, fer / might ben
killed, like the poor felly / seen the
night before. l remembered the let
ter an got ct out. 1 didn't tend ter
open ct, but final thot ct wouldn't be
safe ter go mailin' letters without
KNOWN jest what was in 'em, SO 1 read
ct. Et was wrote on piece of wrap
pin paper with pencil, an in an
awful bad hand-write. But when 1
got through it 1 sot plumb down an
cried like chill.
'Et wus from John Parker to his
wife Mary, livin' out in Western Penn
sylvany. He begins be mentionin'
how he was on the eve of big fight,
an tended ter do his duty, even if ct
come to fallin' at his post. Et was
hard, he sayd, but he know'd she'd
ruther hev no husban' an a coward.
He was allus thinkin' of her AN the
baby he'd never seen, but felt sat 'sfac-
ton in KNOWN they was we'll fixed.
"Et was sorrerful, he continyerd,
thet she was like ter be wildly SO
young, an he wasn't goin' ter be
mean about ct. He alters know'd,
he ssyd, how she'd he'd q hankerin'
after young Silas Quincy fore she
TUX him. If he fell he tho't she'd bet
ter merry t5ilas, when she'd recovered
from the 'fects of his goin'. He ended
up with lot of last goodbys and talk
about duty to his country.
81 set right down an wrote thet
poor woman a few lines, tellin' her
how found the letter in her dead
h husbands pocket. / was goin' ter
quit there, but decided ct would be
nice to add somethin' consolin' fer
the poor thing, 80 told how we found
him on the field of battle, face to the
enemy. an how his last words was for
her an the baby. Thet day we wo N
the fight, an the very first chance 1
mailed Mrs. Parker her husbands let
ter. Et seemed bout the plum
blamedest saddest thing ever he'd ter
do with"
'I've allus ben curious bout thet
wildly, too" the Chronic Loafer re-
marked.
The School Teacher cleared his
throat and began:
Now night her course began, and over heaven
Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed,
And silence on the odious din Of war;
Under her cloud
Don't begin no po'try Jest yit,
Teacher" said the veteran. "Wait
tell you hear the sekal of the story. l
never heard no more of Wildly Parker
tell last night. an then ct come most
sudden. Our retchment he'd reun-
ion this year on the field, you know,
an last Monday l went back to Get
teespurg for the first time sence was
honorable discharged.
"rhe boys was all there what's left
of EN- an we jest had a splendid
time visitin' the monyments an talk
in, over the days back in '63. There
was my old terminates. Sam James on
one leg, an Jim Luchenhach, who was
near tuck down before Petersburg be
the yeller ianders. There was the
Colonel, growed old an near blind,
an our Captain, an a hundred odd
others.
Last night we was lot of us set
tin in the hotel tellin' stories. Et
come my turn an / told about the
dead soldiers letter. They was big
felly in uniform leaning agin the
bar watchin' us quiet like, an when
begin he pricked up his ears a little,
an as got furder an furder he be-
gin ter get more an more Inter ested,
noticed. By an by seen him be-
comm red an Uneasy, an final, when
l finished, he walks crosst the room
ter where we was an stands there
starin' at me, never sayin' nothin'.
"a minute passed an then L sails:
We'll, oomrade, what's you uns starin'
so fer
"Sais he: 'Thet letter was fer
Mary Parker
A" True, sails ], surprised.
''Then he shakes his fist an yells
You fool, I've tended most every re-
union here sence the war hoTin' ter
meet the man that sent thet letter an
wrote thet foolishness bout findln'
A.