, 1897-04-21
HIS
she WROTE A LETTER FOR THE SICK
SOLDIER BOY TO HIS MOTHER.

She Also brought Him Flowers and Dainty
Thing to E.t-He Didn't Know Who
His Hospital Angel Was Untu HI Re-
turned Home and Saw the Letter.
81 have q letter you would like to
see. I guess, :" said Assemblyman James |
H. Agen of West Superior.
"With you?"
"No. 1t is too precious to carry
around in a grip or pocket"
"Who wrote it and what does it con-
tain?"
LET me tell you q story before an
swering your double question: In 1854,
while following Grant near Richmond,
and when we had come 30 close to it
that they could hear our muskets and
we their church bells, I was stricken
with a fever and sent to hospital. In
time they landed me, more dead than
alive, in one Of the great hospitals at
Washington. l was u very sick boy.
Boy is right. for that was all was
sweet 16, as u girl of that z would be.
For three weeks I had no ambition to
live.
Zone day, after I had passed the dan
ger point and was taking u little notice
of what was going N, a number of la
dies came through the hospital. They
had baskets containing delicacies and
bouquets Of beautiful flowers. One of
them stopped at each cot as they passed
along. A bunch of blossoms was hand
ed to each sick or wounded soldier, and
if he desired it a delicacy Of some kind
was also distributed. Every now and
then one of the women sat in a camp
chair and wrote a letter for the poor
fellow who hadn't the strength to write
himself.
II wanted nothing to eat or drink,
but those pretty posies held my atten-
ton. One of the ladies stopped at my
cot. I hadn't yet got my full growth,
and in my then emaciated, pale condi-
ton I must have looked like a child.
She seemed surprised as she looked at
me.
"'You poor child, what brought you
here?'
"'They gent me here from the Army
Of the Potomac
/ "'But you are not a SOLDIER
=, eyes, madam. I belong to a New
LULA ACSiuuChOh 4uo bu1RcOA uCIo Has
the record
"'Can I do something for you? Can
: You eat something or take a swallow Of
wine?'
"'I'm not hungry or thirsty.'
"'Can I write n letter for your
= "'Not today. I'm too weak
"'Then l will leave soma Of those
n flowers with you. President Lincoln
helped to Gull them. I will come again
in two o. three days. Keep up our
courage. You are going to get we'll.
You must get we'll"
o "She was the first woman who had
Q spoken to me since I reached the army.
g Looking at the sweet flowers which Mr..
h Lincoln had helped to GULL and think.
n ing Of the dear woman who had spoken
i. 80 kindly and hopefully had more effect
in Frightening my spirits than all else
that had occurred in the hospital.
l. "Three days later the same lady came
again and direct to my cot.
:o "'How is my little soldier hoy to-
,, day?' she asked in n way so moth, rly
ID that it reminded me Of my good mother
back in New York, the patriot mother
!, who had given her consent to my gong
u to the war after praying over the matter
% many times. The hospital angel-that
l. is what we learned to call those noble
le women-after giving me q taste of
J. chicken and jelly asked if I had a
- mother. She saw by the tears in my
eyes that I had.
"'Now we will write mother q let
ter
!. "Then she sat by my side and wrote
: the letter. I hadn't been able to write
j, for a month.
~ ".I have told your mother that I am
:, neal her soldier boy and have talked
= with him. What shall I tell her for
- you? That you are still too veal to
!, write yourself?'
- ".Please don't tell her that. It will
~ make her worry. Tell her I am fast set
:. ting well.'
1.-THE first day I got home my mother
;. asked me how l liked Mrs. Lincoln, the
presidents wife.
:, "'I never met Mrs. Lincoln. What
made you think I had?'
. "Then she took from q box closely
guarded in an old bureau q letter. 1t
>. read like this:
"DEAR Mrs. A0EN-I am sitting by the side
-. OF your soldier boy. He has been quite nick,
~ but is getting well. He tells mt to say to you
l. that no Is all right. With respect for the moth.
q er Of the young soldier,
"MRs. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
l. "That was the first I knew that it
g. was the presidents wife who had made
id me those two visits I begged my moth
II er to give me the letter. You can have
SO it when l am gone When she died, a
h box and an old letter folded in a silk
er handkerchief were among her gifts to
70 me.
+. "The box, kerchief and letter will
pass along the Agen line as mementos
Id too sacred for everyday display.-Chi
cago Times Herald.
he
ia Fl0unces.
MANY Of the elegant dress toileta of