Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-06-04
he Veterans Story.
By Velma Caldwell Melville.

relics Her accompanying light laugh
grated harshly on my ear, for l hold
an old soldier, whether he wore the
blue or gray, in the highest reverence.
We had spent memorial day thus far
mingEng with the crowd in the usual
observance" and | had felt, as l al
ways do, the hollOwness of it all. The
speaker was gifted in oraeory but his
patriotism was rather of the head than
the heart and of necessity reached only
the head. Thee was a deal of mar
tial music, SO called, by youths not yet
born when the stern reality of war lent
fire and pathos to the simplest strains.
There were singing maidens and flower
girls by the score to whom memorial
day was simply a gala day. There
was a deal of hu7zaing and hand clap
ping by people VINO in their hearts cad
no tender thought for those whose mar
tyrdom made for them a free and un-
divided country.
And now my friend-a woman about
my own age, but one who has no grass
grown grave somewhere in the sunny
south, and no sweet memory of brave,
young soldier father to make sacred az
graves and all soldiers, living or dead,
bent upon her duty as hostess, pro-
posed the ride and visit before men
toned. We found the soldiers home,
three miles out of the town, long,
weather-beaten building, with low
porch running the length of the road
side. Three oaks stood like Sentinels
in front and under them were seats Of
every description from a rocking char
to an inverted pail. Back of the house
were the outbuildings and back Of
these a newly planted garden stretched
away to a pasture lot. Plowed fietls
came up on either side and across the
road was a timber lot.
1T is awful dreary out here in WIN
ter" said my friend. 81 was one oil
the committee sent out by the w. -.
t. u. the Saturday before easter, with
some little tokens, and / could not get
the dismal picture out of my mind for
a week There are about thirty OF the
old fellows here in all stages of decay
and not less than twenty of them were
huddled in this first room here-'the
office by courtesy-and one could not
see her neighbor for the tobacco smoke,
and the air was vile"
BY this time we were at the door.
Our ring was answered by an untidy
miss who said the inmates" were at
supper; would we walk In and wait.
We preferred chairs on the porch,
though it must be admitted we had
some difficulty in keeping our skirts
from contact with the "rills and pools
of amber" that decorated the floor.
1T was worse thar this in the office,
laughed my friend.
Presently they began 10 stream out
to my companions eyes a file Of
ridiculous, decrepit objects; to mine a
file of heroes, each scar an insignia Of
honor, each scanned and w~inkled face
the face of one who had been willing
ito lay down his life for his friend"
IF this were my father" was the
one thought in mind as | grasped each
horny hand. BY and by there hobbled
out one more broken, scanned and
SCARED than any of the others. A
smart CD young man, who seemed 70
be ar attache of the establishment,
came gripning behind him, initiating
his hating step and bowed position.
Evidently he expected us to be amused.
This here's Unclo Grant" explained
one of the main spokesman among the
soldiers. I'VE call him that cause he 5
alters quoten Grant nd braggen on
him Now I was with Sherman nd
Here another broke in, but | was in
tently watching the pale face under the
battered felt hat and as soon as
could. drew Uncle Grant into CONVEX
sation.
do you mln- telling me all aoout
yourser-. I queried.
He looked surprised but began
slowly: There amt much to tell
ma'am, least ways nothing that will in
terest you
But YOU were a soldier and | am i
soldiers daughter; anything from
your war experience will interest Inc. "
| WINGED a little even as l made the
latter part of the statement, for | had
no idea his experience was out of the
common, and I did not care for 4
lengthy dissertation. on Cen Grant Or
any other man; but I pitied the old
soldier, inasmuch as it was evident he
was the butt of ell the stale jokes go
ing.
Well" he began, cit will be pleas
ure for me to talk and I hope it won't
bore you too much to listen. | was
the only son of parents in fairly COM
Portable circumstances. Our home was
in a small village, and my boyhood
comes back to me now like the mem
Dry of pleasant dream. The first
cloud was caused by my going off to
school. 1t had been the ambition and
aim of my parents life to educate me.
1t was during my third year in college
that the war eally broke out and
from the first l was wild to enlist, and
yet | let company after company form
and march away without me because
every letter was q prayer for me to
stay on at school or else come home,
but not to enlist. The boys called me
every disgraceful name they could
think of, for, you see, they knew moth
ing of my reason,-just set me down
as coward. When | could endure it
no longer | went home, arriving in the
afternoon. That morning nv father
had enlisted and my mother was as
one from whom the life had gone out.
1t was not that she did not love her
country b1lt cha Ioyod bor :, !,