Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-05-28
The HERDS Grave.


81 don't reckon as we could find It at
this late day, nehow."
Find what, Uncle Ted?"
Jimmy Dare's grave. Jimmy Dare.
the hero o. Shiloh-one o the heroes"
"Who was he? What did he do? Tell
me all about him"
why, la me! What's such lads as
you know about war and so on. Twas
in your fathers time-yes, In your grand
fathers, even.
You see, Jimmy an me were chums
from boyhood, an reckon bout the only
thing we ever did differ in was our
sweethearts; an when the war broke out
we was among the fust volunteers from
our section, jined the same company, and
marched days an days together. hungry
sometimes, but oftener tired an sleepy.
Oh, me, but war is dreadful Jimmy new
er got back to the old home nor TO his
lassie, Nettie Ray; and here am without
my good right arm--a sleeve empty, an a
crippled leg besides: la. la--but we fought
in glorious cause. an we come out vic
tors"
But Jimmy. Uncle Ted?'
Jimmy? Why, that's who I'm talk
in bout, Jimmy, you see, was a fair
haired boy, an as | often fancied sort
o. chicken-hearted. Shows what fool
was, that's all.
Jimmy, he an me kept together for
time, went foragin. and | must say he
could jist cook chicken or turkey beau
tiful; he'd white hands like a woman.
yes, an curls, yellow curls.
saFrha haftfa tthara no Fall tvas Chi.
loh; somehow we'd got separated, an in
the midst o. that fearful slaughter l
saw close TO me our colonel, a man we
all loved, who had a beautiful wife an
baby. as we all knew. One o the rehs
leaped forward and was jist goin' to lay
out our colonel, when up few his arm
an he fell dead from Jimmy's shot. Then
other Confederates sprang &c us, aud
we had lively time, and we all fought
like tigers. All, me. alb, me!''
"Was Jimmy killed then?'
Jimmy? Oh, fust thing | knew our
colonel was down, wounded in the breast.
as we found afterward. Jimmy bent over
him, lifted him in his armg-in his left
arm, for he still fought with his right
an he sung out TO me- gay an cheerful:
"'Cover me, Ted, the best you can.
I'm takin' the colonel to his wife an
baby
81 tried to save him. think they
fourd ort then the metle in my good
right arm; they'd ought, fur they shot 1t
away in less than ten minutes.
81 begun to back out after that. | felt
sort o. weak; an as l went | wondered
IL Jimmy got away with the colonel. |
had left the hottest o. the fray: there
was just then re-enforcements, an On
stumbled over dead an dying myself
most dead with pain an loss o. blood.
LAS | went on slowly like. | saw n
slender. boyish form, a head o yellow
curls, among which was a crimson mass.
an'-an' that was Jimmy"
"DeadT'
ooh. yes: killed by a ball. but couldn't
see the colonel nowhere. SO as / went
away, where my arm got little atten-
ion, l found that the colonel had been
assisted off the battlefis by his own
wife an servant, who. sure enough. was
lookin' fur him.
That's the story o. my boyhood's
chum: that's the reason old maid Miss
Ray never married, an | reckon you
don't wonder | wished we knew where
his grave was. 50 we could cover II over
with fiowersY
Il wish we could, Uncle Ted, but
with a tender smiler'the heroes are MOI
all dead. Seems to me we've got one in
our own family. ehF''
tut, tut; 1 only did my duty, that's
all. that's all: but Jimmy was a hero.
frfIa hiue ="