River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-05-27

you please, he can use cannon, old,
rusty, rheumatic and broken, just as
well. ! may be an old bore, but can
do as useful things as many people who
look more gracious and less grim. Never
Judge an old veterans heart by his
rusty exterior and Gme-worn marks
OF wind. weather or war. Rough oys-
ter shells hide more pearls than the
smootheyt shells glistening on tropic
beaches do.
We'll. they secured a permit from
Uncle Sam to remove me, and here !
am, the observed of all observers, a
properly certified relic of the war.
like il, too. though I sometimes sigh
moodily for the sheltered ravine and its
wildwood roses. Somehow these care
fully groomed roses in the park have
never seemed as free and fragrant.
They are too prim and precise, like spin
sters on parade. And as for the lau-
rels of praise? What are they to the
| laurels which rubbed their pink cheeks
/ lovingly against me in the shaded ra-
vine, under the canopy of vines? But
| they make much of me here, installed
me with music and speeches, garland
me with flowers on Memorial days, laud
me TO the skies. Lovers lean against me
| in the summer evenings, and whisper
their dearest condolences, relying upon
nv discretion, and old soldiers pat me
lovingly, and they tell of stirring scenes
in which / and my kind played star
parts and made the welkin ring. Near
me stands the soldiers monument, and
nearer still the tall staff from which
floats the glorious star spangled banner
for which 1 fought and fell.
II saw my young folks (haye not
the right to call them mine?) wed and
made one. They paused to greet me
on their way to the church near by, and
| saw through the open door the dear
little bride with canopies of flags and
flowers above her shapely head. end
sunbeams colored gayly by stained
glass windows crossing her golden hair
in tinted benediction. She stopped 70
pat me lovingly as she leaned on her
noble husbands arm returning home
ward, and l verify believe they look
upon me as a sort of cast-iron shrine,
for they often come TO see me and ex-
change condolences, talking to me as
to friend of the family whom they con-
slider quite one of themselves.
Zone day, about year after the we'd
ding, Inez brought pudgy, small,
rather shapeless copy of herself to see
me, introduced us and bespoke lasting
rows of fidelity between the young
patriot and myself. He is about six
wears old now, comes to see He, hand in
hand with a smaller sister, and they
both sit in my lap and take liberties
with me unrebuked. He once filed me
with firecrackers on the Fourth of July
aud set them off. 1t took ME several
days to overlook that prank, for the
crackers were imported Chinamer. and
/ did not like their weak, sputtcring
travesty of real explosions. On the
whole, however, we get along very well.
lie cannot pull my hair, as he does his
fathers, nor poke his prying young fin
gers into my eyes. As to my mouth,
that is toothless, and banks only at
enemies of my country and flag.
Near by, visible across a corner of
the park lawn, is their home. On the
wall is a framed picture, the portrait
of the two dead soldiers. one in blue
and one in gray. Over it are crossed
peacefully the swords they wore, in
token of lasting peace as well as lasting
remembrance, and draped above il a
silken flag, the beautiful flag OF our
country. its stars bright. its bars typic-
al of the red blood shed for its sake.
Very lovingly il droops over the por-
traits, and its folds seem TO cling as
caressingly about the man in gray as
about the man in blue. In that home
there is love and respect for the soldiers
of north and south. Peace, blessed
peace, reigns supreme.
This is tn eve of Memorial day.
am garlanded with flowers and have
been honored as a brave veteran should