Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-09-06
UNCLE BEN'S LETTER.

Bill uullet, who lives ON a small
farm in Lake county, Yves showing mo
a number Of Indian relics priced by him
because they had been in the family so
long.
"what have You in thcre?' I asked,
pointing to a faded blue plush case orig
innlly intended, 1 fanciod, for a set Of
silver teaspoons. Before answering my
question Bill opened the box and held
IL so that 1 could look into it, and but
for a following envelope it was empty.
30 took up the envelope, touching it
with exceeding care, and handed it to
me.
"What Of it," I asked after reading
Fhe namo and nddress-"Mrs. Mary
Hullett, Antioch. Lake county. Ills"
you notice, " said he, that II has
never been opened"
Yes" / answered, land what is
this postmark written with a pen?
Why, it is Gettysburg. isn't it,"
"Yes. That's where tho letter was
mailed, addressed to my mother, and, rs
you see, no one has broken the seal.
"Why that's strange. Tell me about
it."
In order to get the history OF q relic
/ had to feel, or rather pretend that l
felt, a great interest in IL. Bill took
the letter and put it away. and after q
time told Inc the following bit Of fami-
" history:
you see, my mother thought moro
Of her brother, my Uncle Ben, than she
did Of almost anybody in the world.
While quito young She married in the
cast, and size and father, together with
my Unclo Ben, came on to this state. /
don't recolleot much about my father,
for he died not long after 1 was born,
but from what have always understood
the marriage was not a happy one.
Well, Uncle Ben finished paying for
the farm and had tho deed made over
to mother.
"Imerely mention these small details
to show how much the brother and tho
sister wero attached to each other. Well,
when tho war broke out-and l recol-
leot it we'll, for l was a smart chunk of
a boy-Uncle Ben swore that it was his
duty to go. My mother was a very pa
triotic woman, but with tho selhshness
of a woman's affection she could not
sec why she should be called upon to
give up her only brother. But Uncle
Ben declared that every woman should
not only be called upon to give up her
brother, but her son, her husband, her
life, il needs be. He was so devoted to
the Union, so strong in his denuncia-
ton of all people who were luliewarm,
that when the time came he was elected
captain of q company. And so off he
marched, leaving my mother in the
deepest grief. Alright she would awake
mo with her sobs, and many a time when
/ heard no sound would I put my hand
on her pillow to find it wet with her
tears. OF course tho violence of her
grief did not last, for pride and the
love of country babe her be brave, but
whenever we received news that a bat
tie had been fought she would lock hCt-
self in her room and there wait to hear
that her brother was dead.
''Thus it went on until his death was
mentioned in the dispatches. He was
killed Mt Gettysburg, and two days later
there came a letter from him. My moth
er knew that it had been written just
before he went into battle-probably the
very last thing he did was to seal it
and she declared that the seal must new
er DO broken. / remember that some of
the neighbors argued with her hat she
ought to see what the letter had to say,
but she said not, it must forever re-
main sealed. So she never did open it,
and when she came to die she told me to
keep it just as she had kept it and to
leave 1t to my favorite child, with the
Same instructions that she had given
me. My mother was of excellent stock,
and / have thought that this prompted
her sometimes to say that the crest Of
her descendants might be an unopened
letter. She always said this laughingly,
but / have noticed hat it is in a spirit
OF fun that we sometimes show q
pride. Well, as you see, l have never
opened the letter, and / never intend
to. I'm going to leave it to my son An
drew"
Bill and / went fishing that after
noon, as we did nearly every Saturday
during tho summer, and all the time
we were casting / was itching to know
what was in that letter. OF course l
knew that it contained simply a few
lines telling his sister that a battle was
on, and that he trusted in God and the
right. But 1 wanted to sec the lines. l
could fancy the shape Of the sprawling
characters. written with a pencil by the
light Of a candle held by a bayonet
stuck into the ground.
"Bill," said !, lyon would have
found me among tho neighbors urging
your mother to open that letter.
but not if You had seen that not to
open il was q sen iiment with her.
"Well / don't know about that
Probably not.
The next time 1 went out into the
country to fish with Bill / found him
in rather a detected state. The drought
had continued so long that he knew
that the crops must DO a failure, and
summer boarders had not come in num-
bers sufficient to insure an offset for
tho damage. Bill said he didn't care to
fish. 'n / were to hang the biggest
bass in the lake, il is a question whether
I'd haVo courage enough to mil him