Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-01-21
The Maid of Sparta.

The Maid of Sparta
o come to me when the Persian blood
And if if thy Ti scars car be upon thy breast.
1 will give my wedding word
o come to me when the battle shout
And % pnd the the lP eu1 od tn NTH OIL
And battle thy matted brow
Q come to me when the heart of the foe
And if thy shield be upon thy arm,
I will hear thee-I will hear
Come when thy bone and sinew ache
From the marches many and long
And will rest thee in my arms.
With a love both true and strong
Come to me when thy eyes are dim
And will unbind my s''s siiEen hair.
And wash them clear and bright
Or come to me. undaunted dead.
Borne hack from the front of the held
With the garIands on thy shield.
-Aloysius Coll, in Lippincotts Magazine
Southern Woman's "Reminiscences.
Writing in the Raleigh On CD
News and Courier Southern woman
tells of her experiences during the
war. Here is one of them:
AS we hurried on our way, two of
the girls bareheaded, we heard the
guns VI lie UdltlS Ol DdhSlo SAOOrN-
We heard them for hours; our men
were falling back on Vicksburg. the
sound veering in that direction. We
saw something of the grimness of
war when the wounded from the
North Georgia battle fields were
brought to Macon. Our father took
us down to meet the trains. We took
along rolls of bandages and lint. and
all the shirts that he could spare, and
food and pots of hot tea. Other wom-
en- were there with baskets of fruit
and food The wounded were laid in
long rows on each side of the railroad
track in the station house. They had
lain on the battle field two days and
during that time had had neither food
nor drink. The surgeons had dressed
their wounds on the field, but they
were now stiff and sore. They were
shot in every part of their bodies.
Under our fathers directions we
dressed many wounds. Two poor fell
lows were stone blind, both eyes shot
out
Zone man had been wounded in the
nose. 1t was swollen as big as his
fist. He said he had been shot in the
nose three times. Two lads. both
handsome, and looking like gentle
mems sons, had been shot through the
head, and were crying out in delirium,
both dying
One said. kiss me, mother"
touched the woman next him and
said:
why don't you kiss him?"
She answered, Il passed my hand
over his lips, and that seemed to sat
isfy him.
CHI no iynr
herself for not kissing that boy. l am
sure that 1 have never forgiven my
self for not pushing myself to his side
and kissing him. Not a groan or
cry escaped one of those wounded eX-
cept those who were delirious. But
they bitterly resented that Gen. John
ston had been removed from the chief
command. I'VE would have followed
Gen. Johnston anywhere, they said
Years after the war l spoke of this
to Gen. Johnston. and tears rushed to
the old warriors eyes.
We nursed the sick and wounded in
the hospitals, and were met with
tears and blessings. When they died
my little sisters went from house to
house begging flowers. We tried to
let no soldier go to his grave without
a flower, for we knew that he was
somebody's darling.
A dinner to Gen. Breckenridge and
a visit from Gen. Johnston were two
of our proud war memories Another
proud memory to me is that 1 walked
the deck of the Merrimac before she
went down to her magnificent fight in
Hampton roads, victory that in four
short hours sunk the Cumberland and
burned the Congress. and drove the
armored Monitor for refuge under the
guns of Fortress Monroe, fight that
revolutionized forever the construc-
ton of the navies of the world
The most astounding and unlocked
for news of my entire life was that
Gen. Lee had laid down his sword. |
simply did not believe one word of it,
1 believed TO the last, along with all
the other Southern women. that the
South was bound to succeed, to be-
Eeve anything else was traitCrous.
The "Abolition" Regiment.
Twonty-firSt Massachusetts