The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-11-09

brown except where CLEAN the golden
squash with its trailing vine of green.
Pecks of "pulled corn' breaks the
monotony, and tell of bounteous
harvest gathered in.
In the mid-distance hangs a haze;
not the hot glow of summer, but of
the esprit of the South Wind" for
the Indian Shawondasee signs and
fills the land with warm and delight.
full air. The midday sun wears veil
that the brilliancy of the trees may be
without a rival.
How peaceful and calm the scene.
From the modern new cottages in the
distance calmly comes forth the mis-
tress of the house to feed the chick
ems and the turkeys fatteuing for the
Thanksgiving dinner; or walking out
into the fields entices her well-filled
cow and leads her slowly home to
furnish the milk for the family. The
farmer, rising and bending over his
work in the fields, tells of work on the
farm going on with the easy pace of
the southern cline.
How different the scene during those
exciting days when the enemy were
upon them. From their homes, these
same people, in many cases, loaded
with all that they could carry, teams
saved with difficulty, filled with wo-
men and children, were hurrying in
terror and dismay into the city, but
with little hopes of safety there.
They looked back to behold their
beloved homes perhaps for the last
time, to see bayonets glistening from
windows and doorways, and the puffs
of smoke issuing everywhere but
where they were accustomed to seeing
it-from the chimneys.
The cattle and fowl no longer
housed and fatted for their own con-
sumption, but feeding the horde of
tired, hudgry soldiers all around them.
Can it be possible that over on my
right, from behind the shelter of those
trees so royalty arrayed as it in
memory of the blood shed there, that
Colonel Bidwell led the 3rd Brigade
from the cool shelter of the pine groves
Ford de Russey, out into that
open ravine, there to form with the
troops from Fort Stevens in the line
OF battle and at a preconcerted signal
made by a staff officer of the 18th N.
Y, the guns of Fort Stevens and
Fort Slocum opened fire upon the
strong points held by the enemy,
while these brave troops rushed on to
battle?
Can this be the parapet from which
shot and shell sprang on their errand
OF death; these crumbling banks of
yellow earth from which tall trees are
now sending down on my head a
peaceful pelting of autumn leaves that
seem to rustic with derisive laughter
as they fall around me, filling up the
rifie-pits at my feet once glittering
with bayonets?
In the ravine all is quiet today;
nothing is growing, nothing seems
to move or be possessed with life. A
little moisture glistens in the deepest
as though the earth wept
for that last charge.
Gin magnificent order and with
light step, they ran up the ascent.
the orchard, through the little
grove on the right. over the rail fence,
up to the road, making straight for
the first objective point, the frame
house in front, surprising and en-
gaging the enemy"
reached the,spot where the Gear
berry" or clay" house stood on an
eminence overlooking Fort Stevens.
1t was bristling with bayonets ON that
July day, but was soon reduced to
Just a little further back
from where the old house stood
stately mansion can now be seen
few of the same old trees,
which the old signal tree from
which the Confederates could look
down into the fort and almost count
the men on the Notification, still
proudly scars above all other trees
around it,, its great, gnarled, twisted
stand out dark and strong
against the sky, and the dignity and
grandeur of its commanding appear
ance, its vigor and its beauty seems
to defy battles or time to do it harm.
1t stands midway from the road, and
the picturesque little stream, toward
which, the hill on which the Lay
house stood, slopes gently in the rear;
while on the northern side, rocky
hillocks rise, forming a natural barri-
cade, behind which the enemy were
sheltered.
And along this little, twisting. wind
inc atroaun tho Cnufodorakoa roofod sor