The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-14

Morgan with eager earnestness. ut won't
seem half so hard to leave her them
Maria looked at Annabel inquiringly,
and Annabel understood and nodded her
head the tears trimming over in her
bright eyes Both girls were keyed up to
the highest pitch, and they were ready to
do anything to make Mrs. Morgan's bur
den lighter. They had been brought up in
q strictly orthodox home, and to them it
seemed sacrilege to bury anybody without
all the rites Of the church.
They had never done more in the church
than to help with the singing. In their
faith women kept silence in the temple
and ordinarily they would have been Gov
cred with confusion had they been request
ed to do anything more, but in this crisis
they were ready for any sacrifice.
I'VE will sing" declared Maria simply.
And so the little procession filed over
the street and the open lots to the place
where the tiny grave had been made.
''There is hope in thine end, saith the
Lord, that Thy children shall come again
to their own border" recited the soldier
solemnly, as Will, who had carried the lit
tie white burden in his arms, set it down
on the brown earth. And then in meas
ured tones he began
II am the resurrection and the life"
From first to the last he repeated the
sacred words which have been said mil
lions Of times by the graveside. yet are al
ways full of tender comfort to the sor-
rowing.
Then Maria and Annabel sang. All,
how they sang the old familiar hymn, the
first one that came into Maria's mind, yet
like the words of Him who walked and
talked by Gallilee 1000 years ago, always
previously sweet to the believer, always
like healing balm to the wounded heart.
Just rs | am, without one pie" -
| the words f1oated out OH the sunbright air.
Nor ;.,'o for
she was all unused to this publicity. but
with Annabers sweet 'alto" to help her.
she forgot all but the strong, sustaining
sentiment Of the song. In pairs and threes.
| and then by DOZENS. blue-coated men had
| wandered UP to the little group, and I'M
the brief prayer and the reading.
Just as l am-and waiting not
| sang Maria and Annabel, and then two or
three strong voices took up the refrain
'"To rid my soul Of one dark blot
and then the volume of sound rose and
| rolled over the battlescarred plains of
Manassas, and the soft south wind car
| ried it over Bull Run Mountain. Men
were singing when Maria began the third
verse who had not thought of hymn for
four dreadful years. They were singing
and thinking OF the little church at home;
of mother, dead since they left home, per-
haps; of sweetheart, wife and sister; Of
| in the tender. Shepherds arms. In this
presence their hearts were softened, their
souls uplifted.
Father, in Thy hands We leave the
stainless soul of this little Child prayed
the soldier. '"Take her to Thy heart, and
of Thine own time, can go to be with her
child and husband. And may we so live
that when our summons comes, We may
go into Thy presence as fearlessly as this
white soul to-day gone from among u.s."
Then, quietly, they walked down the
going sobeRly to the train on the side
tracks, and the two girls to the little shack
! with the mother, whose Faith had upborne
her through all the trying scene, but who
was now weeping piteously.
They soothed her as only women can.
and then they gathered up their dishes,
and giving the mother and children a tear
full farewell, left them alone with their
| sorrow.
"Annabel, the suffering has not all been
ours" said Maria soberly as they left
the desolate home, and turned toward the
cars.
mo" replied Annabel softly.
The Adjutant, who had been making q
study of the operations OF the Army of the
Potomac, in anticipation of the journey,
took in the country as the train moved on,
and explained it to the boys, with the as
sistance of Ex-Johnny: :.
armies in," said the Adjutant, pointing
to the wide, clear stretch of gently -undu-
lating plains, bounded by the mountains"
Meade and Lee did some very fine MANI
vering over these plains In the SumHer
and Fall after Gettysburg, without much
severe fighting. One was afraid, and the
other "daresent," because both armies
had been reduced under the $4,000 mark.
Lees by sending Of Longstreet, and
Meade by the detachment Of the Eleventh
and Twelfth Corps out West. Meade was
afraid to risk battle and the loss Of
Washington, while Lees army hadn't re-
covered its wind after Gettysburg, and
was afraid Of losing Richmond.
Eyes: neither was going to fight unless
he could get q grapevine twist on the
other" explained Ex-Johnny. "And. both
ridoc worA MA vine Ear Aorh ofharsa kinr.