Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-13
A WAR THE PARTING.
BY One of the Boys Who Went.
We were going away.

~ ibiA NV nag WAC uhAltll ilGf uOMil
from brand new flag pole In brand
new wartime camp,
We were going away.
The unframed bpgler was blowing
taps and the crowds Of those who were
dear to us were leaving camp after a
farewell talk, 1.-THE lights were disappear
ing In the section tents and
shadowy forms were wandering
up and down the battery street.
The coon songs In the tent Of
the hungry sixth were dying, utah the
Queen of the West" was stopping in
the middle Of the second verse, at the
headquarters of the rocky fifth, Home,
Sweet Home" was melting into silence
In the tent OF the Intellectual Fourth,
away down in the valley the lights OF
the city We're twinkling and ilickering,
the mountains We're standing In black
shadowy masses TO the left and behind.
strangely beautiful In the moon light
tonight. The Jordan with its old swim
ming pools, where we had sported every
summer of our young lives was glim-
merlng across the long stretch of dark
ness below us. Ensign Peak, with its
big round head was looking kindly
across the foothills to our camp. The
sentries were calling the midnight hour
and the batterymen were going TO sleep.
We were going away.
The Utah sun was shining on the
Utah sego lilies, and the tents were
gone from our old camping ground. A
Sanpete recruit was stufiing a
sewing bag his mother had
given him, into the corner
of his bullying knapsack as the column
moved away. The red guldons were
nutterlng In the breeze and the bugle
was blowing trout step She was fut-
tering a handkerchief from a second
story window. Mrs Beatty was calling
TO her son from the side walk, and he
was marching with his eyes closed and
his knees shaking. The crowd was yell
ing and pushing its nearest members
into the files of marching men. Bells
old time chum was forcing a quart-bot-
tie into his knapsack. Dear old Bob,
the playmate Of all my summers, was
taking IL all in from the top of tele-
graph pole. Stubbie's business partner
was trying to hand him a big nickel
plated revolver, telling him TO kill one
for me" with IT, Mrs. Jonetwas stand
ing In her window singing Rally
Rosnd the Flag, and throwing oranges
into the passing line. The kid brother
with a strangely drawn face was look
ing on from q locust tree limb. Wo-
men! women everywhere! Brave wo-
men. cool women, weeping women, car
rying loads of food and crying God
bless you"
We were going away.
The military train was whistliag
loudly In its impotence to be or. The
whole city seemed 20 be gathered at the
depot and each of its people seemed TO
be trying to get farewell handshake
with each Of It's soldiers. over in the
crowd by the station she was passing,
her face red with tears. Up near the
engine We're the hosts of university
flags, and four soldiers lowered above
the throng as they were borne towards
the cars on the shoulders of their class
mates.
Rah, rar, rah,
Rah, rah, rah,
Utah.
Numbered through the throng. Just
behind them the High school was load
ing its three boys upon the cars. Uncle
Ezra was crying "Shoot one for me,
boys" and Aunt Martha was coming
through the jam with her parting gift
of cakes and home made pies. The
chums who played marbles together ten
years ago. received their grammar
school diplomas five years ago,
stood up together to receive their
High school diplomas one year ago
were soemnly shaking hands with the
first of their members to leave the
crowd. The little girl who lived next
door was standing on her tip toes.
reaching up a flag and asking, Please
would you sign you name on it. Big
Brother, who you had fought with once
a month ever since you could remem-
Der, was bringing his crowd OF friends
down the aisle in search of your seat.
The Sunday school class was together
in the midst of the rush, waving
handkerchiefs and flags and yelling
with the rest. The country volunteers
were cursing and wishing that the
train would start for they were strang-
ers 10 the throng, and were tired out.
We were going away.
The car wheels were singing a jolly
song as they clicked over the rails.
John Cottam's home with the clay side
walk in front, where we had always
PLAYED marbles, was swimming past.
iIre's store. which had gathered in all
our kidhood day nickels, flashed before
the window an instant and was
gone. Crooked Horn Bess, that
i had tended and MIXED for
wears. was chewing her cud
in the pasture. waiting for some one
else 10 drive her home. Becks Hot
sprlng Lake. where We had gathered
mud-hen and duck and cow-bird eggs
All tho 81 1mers OF our youth. was
flashing on the horizon. The old swim
ming pool in the Jordan peeped out for
n moment between the popiars. Pat
rick's watermelon patch Of tender
memories. flashed before the window,
a picture OF green growth. and disap-
peared. The ladies who were prominent
in Utah affairs were coming through
The cars saying a last God bless
you" 20 each OF us.
We were going away.
The little station Of Pennington was
behind us. and on its platform the last
az all the faces we had ever known In
,he world were looking at us as We
sned away. Big Bill was crying like IA
haby The fellows were opening their
boxes and finding that they consisted
Of crackers and cheese and bee, and
ME and beer, and cake and beer, ana
cyrus Noble and beer. One gang was
singing drunkenly
Hail. hail, the gangs all here.
What the hell do We care
What the hell do We care
What the hell do we care now"
Salt Lake City and the valley OF the
Great Salt Lake were getting farther
away. Ii was now only green spot
on a grey horizon with the great Tenn
Die spires standing out above II.
We were going away.
The spires and the green were fad
ing into nothingness, and all the world
was a tearstained mist around us. BE.
hind us was all we had ever seen Of
IA and before us was the vast sage
brushe sea that divided the outer world
from our little Utah valley. The car
wheels we're singing melancholy song
as they clicked over the rails.
We were going away.