The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-06-04

down his life in order to convince them.
Here is case where to live and face
his duty requires a higher degree OF
courage than to die. But he faces it
like man and remains where the
higher duty commands him. His com
rades - brave patriotic, loyal-hearted
fellOws-march away-some of them
disappointed, some of them suspicious
of him, and some Of them feeling that
he is pursuing the right course: while
he is frequently haunted with the
thought of the suspicious, but remains
Il man, endures it all and swerves not.
However, he arranges as fast as pos
sible for the comfort of his aged mother
or for that of his wife, awaiting anX-
iOusly for the time when he may leave
her without fear Of consequences the
time when she will be able to say to
him-go, | can now spare you. That
time comes, he enlistS and asks to be
enrolled IN the same company with his
former comrades. This is granted and
he soon joins them. There is a salts.
fled expression in his countenance that
is born Of the feeling that he's silencing
those suspicious, and yet there is ever
a feeling OF anxiety for the fond ones
at home who need him 50 much. This
makes him grave and thoughtful, but a
better soldier, more faithful soldier,
a more conscientious soldier, more
trustworthy soldier can not be found
in all the regiment. He rs modest and
retiring, but performs his whole duty
under all circumstances When on
duty on those cold disagreeable nights
when the enemy is near and the army
is fraught with danger he divides his
thoughts as he PAGES to and fro, be-
tween home and the loved ones on the
one hand, and the cautious perform
ance of duty on the other. When he is
in the ditch awaiting the approach of
the opposing foe, and some of his COM
rades are testing over the situation, he
is the same serious thoughtful person
ever on the alert, and sometimes won
dering why such bloody warfare can
not be abolished. When on the long
days march and some of his footsore
comrades are tagging by the wayside,
he is soothed and comforted by the
thought that he is now performing his
whole duty, that he is faithfully serv-
ing his country, that he is no longer
an object Of suspicion and when he
falls in the thickest of the fight and
listens to the bullets as they whistle by
and over him and his life blood is
ebbing away and he can no longer feel
any assurance that he can ever recover
his thoughts again recur to home and
he forgets the din of battle and holds
sweet converse with his wife or mother
and tells her how he has tried to per-
form his duty to his country and while
he can never more help her he trusts
that she will always find some con-
ISOLATION in the precious memory of his
having died on the field of battle faith
full to the end
But it is not to end thus, in his semi
conscious reverie he is picked up and
born away to temporary hospital; the
! flow of blood is staunced, his thirst is
quenched, his wounds are dressed and
he is made as comfortable as crcum-
stances will allow. His fevered and
anxious thoughts are now with the
dependent ones, are now upon his own
condition, the seriousness of his wound
how long he IS doomed to remain in the
hospital and how long before ne shall
| ioin his surviving comrades in the
struggle: are now upon the dead, how
many and who of his friends have
crossed the silent river of death and
have done with battle.
But by and by he is pronounced out of
of danger, soon he can walk and is
given short furlough home but we
must not intrude upon that sacred
visit. 1t is certainly short enough,
and ere long it has passed and he re-
turns to his old command and con-
tinues to the end ever the faithful
soldier ever to be depended upon in
any emergency.
1t was this type of soldier that made
it possible for Meade to hold his
position at Gettysburg when those
49, 900 Southern veterans under Lee
marched up Cemetery Ridge on that
fatal third day.
1t was this type of soldier that made
it possible for Thomas to stand