Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-07-20

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NNRoI gust occasion that had
SEW$k not been repeated at least
a score of times
Ky You might tell them
~ about the time you ia MT
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.
was just out of Andersonville. and a
little shaky even on an ordinary Occa-
sion. and this was most extraordinary
occasion, being the day your grandma
graduated at Holyoke.
II first enlisted for three months, full
Of fight and sure of victory, and l lock-
ed so fine and tall in my blue uniform.
[ thought I'd go and say good-by to
DR.. Miller's daughter. l was only
common farmer, and she had another
beau, a student at Amherst, but l re-
membered once at a party, when she
had to choose Il partner, she selected
me instead of Jim: so | thought Id 20
and tell her | was off for Dixie In the
morning. l thought maybe she'd cry
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 l didn't say
long, for Jim was there.
Martha went with me out TO the
gate. l reached out my big. sunburns d
nand, and she took it in both her own
and held it quite a bit, and she said:
Bennie, I'm sorry you're going to the
war; you're too young man, and too
good man to stand up and be shot at.
Then Jim appeared on the scene. and
went away half cursing my hon, st
aand for being so big and so brown.
while Jim's was as white as lily with
a great flashing diamond on the small
est of his slender fingers.
Talk about standing up as a target
for bullets; that's nOthing-nothing at
all compared with lying down to s,arye
In a foul prison. AS the days passed
Into weeks and the weeks so lorg. into
months so much longer, that l lost all
count, how many and many time |
looked at my white, bOny hands and
wished they We're as big and as tanned
as they used to be, and when l would
nave prayed for an ending Of my mis-
cry, how well l remembered that Mar
tha had said l was too young to de,
and the way she had held my hand
still thrilled me, and kept me alive and
out of the clutch of old Giant Despair,
and l said over and over to myself a
thousand times. with grim determina-
ton, what DR.. Miller had so often re
peated: While there is life there Is
hope and at last | was exchanged and
discharged. Oh, how happy l was 10
be set free! l did not regain my free
dom with a sigh Ike the poor prlso er
Of Chillon, but with great joy that
buoyed me up for the long, weary jour
uey home, and enabled me to assist
others who were still weaker.
when at last the stage set me down
In the familiar village postoffice l was
30 weary and wasted no one seemed to
recognize me, but looked at me in a
plying way l could not understand,
and SO l did not speak to any one, but
staggered down the hill to the old farm
house, trying In vain TO scent the sup
per VI tue CiONt pluhS- ulu NOT hllOH
my precious mother had been dead al
most a year, but when l reached the
gate felt the change. 1t hung by one
hinge, and swayed and creakeG with a
dismal sound that seemed to me like
the groaning of ghost. 1t weakened
ME so that | had to rest while before
going down the long walk still lined by
ny mothers flower beds; but oh, how
neglected they looked. As 1 neared the
porch l saw a red calf tied to lilac
bush, one that my mother had herself
planted on the very day she was a
bride, and then l seemed to know that
she was gone. War kills women rs
well as men. She thought her only boy
was dead. and she had nothing to live
for-nothing but an empty home.
THAT was too good a house TO be
long unoccupied. and DR.. Miller had
rented 1t to needy family of foreign
ers. requesting that my room should BE-
left just as my mother had last ar
ranged Il.
oh, how had cheered myself with
a picture of that waiting tea tahlsi
But I didn't drop down into my accus-
toned place for even the table had
been moved into the little, overcrowdel
kitchen. and the robust woman W. o
did Ler best to serve me could not un
ocrstand my simple Language. but she
did comprehend my sorrow and weari-
ness and bitter disappointment. and
after I had taken a glass of MILK she
allowed me TO go right up 10 Tay Own
.afrs lHsa-
sscredIy familiar. How deliciously SOFT
ans clean the bed seemed, and ! cried
myself 20 sleep like a tired, hOmeSick
ltalry.
The frst thing heard IN the morn
fuc v-ss. uot ,he chiruIng Of the robins,
ss in -fl,- oIdeu time. bat the loud b WI
E1c az shat steer CALI under my win.
Cow. ] covered ray head with the h sd
trrs-.l-S. suE Was rlc poor. weak i,aAg
-..-- s-r.-r. M-hr- ap0ohe laler in the
.-s --.- Tr-. N.Ior u1a~ sstiuc by 1ig
r.---l- lla s,-7-5 me 5raSS. and ;ras
...... -. .-.ak kfa>r. We've The talS
-- a- aa- So s.e y.ssk5-c- vylS a.
a. .E >---.-~ ra.s ~r-l,lso I wasn't
.-r --.a o. 49, uhzt lsi
a...-- 30 '-eHr-
30 -.- -I sat ue- fathc- uas
rs r. -e th- rcrr atxt dsy q
..r .s. t.-..-.e,urr. rud - s,,,k me
H..r t tt MS a long drive
.t. .e frsl r sau and Easy. AID
...r. til ef fI,sh err. sat recovered
.r elite Ne nrrr = uite late O.
81 s.a.t.tisa snd forad TIE ehsacl