Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1898-07-22

~ You might tell them
~ about the time you faint
ed dead away suggested grandma
with her tender. pensive smile. as she
bent caressingly over his latest name
sake fast asleep In her arms.
Yielding to the clamOrous entreaties
of more than dozen young voices, the
veteran slowly proceeded: You see,
l was Just out Of AndersOnville. and
little shaky even on an ordinary occa-
sion. and this was most extraordinary
occasion, being the day your grandma
graduated at Holyoke.
Il first enlisted for three months, full
Of fight and sure Of victory, and l look
ed so fine and tall in my blue uniform.
l thought Id go and say good-by to
DR.. Miller's daughter. was only a
common farmer, and she had another
beau, a student at Amherst, but l re-
membered once at a party, when she
had to choose a partner, she selected
me instead of Jim; so l thought Id go
and tell her | was off for Dixie in the
morning. thought maybe she'd cry a
little as my mother did, or say some
thing fine about my laying down my
precious life for the dear old flag; but
she didn't say much and didn't stay
long, for Jim was there.
Martha went with me out to the
gate. reached out my big. sunburned
hand. and she took 1t in both her own
and held it quite bit. and she said
Bonnie. I'm sorry you're going to the
war; you're too young a man, and to.
good man to stand up and be shot at.
Then Jim appeared on the scene. and
went away half cursing my honest
hand for being so big and SO brown
while Jim's was as white as lily will
a great flashing diamond on the small
est Of his slender fingers.
Talk about standing up as a large
for bullets; that's nOthing-nothing a
all compared with lying down to starv
II foul prison. AS the days passed
into weeks and the weeks so long, int
months SO much longer, that lost al
count. how many and many a time
looked ut my white, bony hands an,
: wished they We're as big and as tanne
, az they used to be. and when | wOul
have prayed for an ending Of my mis-
J cry. how well l remembered that MAJ
> tina had said l was too young to d..
+; and the way she had held my han
; still thrilled me. and kept me alive an
I out Of the clutch Of old Giant Despair
J and l said over and over to myself
thousand times. with grim determin,
] ton, what DR.. Miller had so often +,
!. peated: While there Is life there
. hope. and at last l was exchanged an
. discharged. Oh. how happy l was
{ he set free! did not regain my fire.
. dom with a sigh like the poor priso !,
}. Of Chillon. but with a great joy tn.
d buoyed me up for the long. weary jou
i ney home. and enabled me to asst
. others who were still weaker.
when Mt last the stage set me dow
( in the familiar village postoffice | ",
2 30 weary and wasted no one seemed
. recognize me. but looked at me in
plying way l could not understan
and SC l did not speak to any one. b
staggered down the hill to the old farl
house. trying in vain to scent the SUI
= per or the Glove pinks. did not kno
= my precious mother had been dead ,
- most a year, but when l reached L
gate felt the change. 1t hung by O
: hinge, and swayed and creaked with
= dismal sound that seemed to me Ii
h the grOaning Of ghost. 1t weaken
me SO that had to rest a while befo
= going down the long walk still lined
" my mothers flower beds: but oh, he
" neglected they looked! As l neared I
porch l saw red calf tied to a III
:. bush, one that my mother had hers
planted on the very day she was
l. bride. and then I seemed to know II
- she was gone. War kills women
~ we'll as men. She thought her only b
e: was dead. and she had nothing to Il
0' for-nothing but an empty home.
THAT was too good a house to
long unOccupied, and DR.. Miller h
rented 1t to needy family of forei,
J. ers. requesting that my room should
~ left just as my mother had last
ranged 1t.
"A 'Oh! how had cheered myself W
picture Of that waiting tea tai
But l didn't drop down into my acc
toned place. for even the table l
ia been moved into the little, overcrowt
N. kitchen, and the robust woman v
n did her best to serve me could not