The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-05-29

federation of peace which was being
celebrated with flowers and flags, and
beating drums, in memory of the ST.
lent heroes who long have s!umbered
beneath. To the lonely grave on the
hillside, which Margie had adopted"
as she quantity expressed ii, they took
their way, laden with the flowers Arthur
had provided. While the children dis
tributed the floral tributes on the mar
row mound, Margie seated herself and
read aloud a poem she had cut from the
morning paper at the breakfast table.
1t was so appropriate that Arthur &C.
cused her of writing it. The last stanza
ran thus:
There's a grave on the hillside. Father,
Thy searching voice shall yet
Rouse up the sleeping soldier
For Thou dost not forget.
There's lonely grave on the hillside,
But. oh. before Thy throne
The humble shall be honored,
The unknown shall be knov,..i
Suddenly Arthur gave loud excla-
nation of Look there! That is he!"
They looked, expecting to see gen.
eral of the army in splendid regalia,
but they saw only little band of vet
Grams in their faded uniforms. led by
blind man who played melting mill
tary music upon fife.
Its my old blind man-Inever knew
that he had been q soldier. He never
told me-" Arthur said, bresthlessly.
"He looks like hero said his wife,
enthusiastically, and she did not take
her eyes from that noble and resigned
face until her husband had vsylaid
the old man and said 20 him:
so have found you and you cheat
ed me nicely, never telling me you were
once a soldier"
Il am a soldier-once q soldier al.
ways one" replied the blind man,
proudly, but sir, did not mean to de
ceive you-it is the fortune of war that
caused me to be poor and alone in my
old age"
Not alone" said Margie. laying her
hand gently on the faded sleeve, mot
while my husband and I live"
The old soldier started violently as
he heard her voice, He took off his
soldiers cap, stood erect, with one
hand raised to heaven.
"Who speaks" he cried, whose voice
is it? Margaret, my wife-oh, God, I
cannot see you!"
His weakness was pitiful - tears
streamed from his sightless eyes, but
his new friends soothed him, and at
last he consented to accompany them
home and, as Margie said, ''be adopted"
He was very grateful, and told them
his story, the husband and wife sitting
on either side of him and the children
at his feet.
II was a soldier in the Army of the
Potomac, and it was at the siege
of Petersburg, when accommodating
with field glass, that q splinter from
an exploding shell struck the glass
and shattered both my eyes. While
1 was in the hospital my wife and child
died, and for a long time-how long
l cannot tell was a wreck mentally
and physically. At this moment have
not relative on earth. When heard
your voice to-day"-he reached out
gropingly and clasped Margie's cling
ing hand-"it reminded me of her-my
wife!"
When Margie heard the name of her
adopted soldier-Darius Poole-she be
came thoughtful.
My father was soldier and that twas
his name. He died at the battle of
Petersburg. We may be related. I
never knew him, for 1 was only babe
when he went to the war, and on my
mothers death I was taken and reared
by strangers"
What regiment was he IMP" asked
the old man, eXcitedly.
THAT l do not know, but have pa
pers which belonged to my mother
all particulars. Gen. Har-
tranft was his division commander.
1 have tried to learn the particulars
of his death, but could only find his
name among the hospital dead ar
Here Arthur interfered, dreading the
shock of JOY it would occasion his wife
when she should first entertain the idea
so plausible to him-that the soldier
she had already adopted might be her
OWN father.
Nothing further was said that night,
but it was very happy household that
settled down to rest when it came time
for flights out"
And it was only yesterday that the
Lyman children were heard saying to
their companions:
1T has been Decoration day every
lay since grandfather came home from
he war!"