Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-05
skin whole. too. He was brave one,

skin whole, too. He. was a brave one,
tell you'll
Frank and Amy had stepped nearer
and nearer during the telling of this
uttle incident, and now as the old sol.
der stopped. Amy said excitedly, ooh,
can't you tell us something more about
him. please? We would like SO much
to know something about one of the
soldiers buried here"
well, youngsters, where did you
come from? didn't know anyone was
near except my old comrade here.''
1--WE followed you from the gate,"
said Frank, for we thought you could
tell us a story about some brave sol
der"
Tell you a story? Well, guess
could do that, and good many of
them, too. No fellow could go through
struggle like that OF 81 to '65 and
not learn some stories, both sad ones
and funny ones.'
did you know this soldier?" asked
Amy, pointing to the mound of earth
near which they were standing.
Eyes, I knew him when he was not
as big as this little chap here" nod
ding to Frank, who did not altogether
like the idea Of being called "a little
chap" but since it was an old soldier
who spoke of him in this way he could
overlook the injury.
If you look closely at the headstone
you can see written there, though it is
getting pretty dim now, Killed at
Gettysburg" and the old soldier
turned toward Frank, while his eyes
grew moist at the thought of the
scenes Of that bloody battlefield.
Pray that you may be spared witness
ing such an awful sight as that battle.
Why, a man could have walked over
that field after the fighting was over
without once putting his foot on the
ground, SO thick were the killed and
wounded. Will, here" pointing to the
grave, was only drummer boy, but
the combined armies of the north and
south contained no better or Drawer
soldier.
Gettysburg lasted three days; at
first it seemed as If Lee and his army
would win the day, but on the third
day we put them to flight. can new
| er forget how that one terrible cannon
shot sounded as it broke that awful
stiffness that had settled over both
armies, after everything was ready for
the fight, and gave the signal for the
terrible struggle of that last day of
the battle And it was the last day of
any battle for many poor fellow, and
among them the drummer boy, Will
/ can see that boy yet as he saw the
glorious stars and stripes fall from
the grasp of the color-bearer, who was
killed instantly by an enemy's bullet
lsfie ran forward and seized the flag
just In time to keep it from being laid
in the dust and blood, and he waved II
as high as he could shouting to those
around him that it was still over them
and several poor fellows actually
smiled as they saw it.
But after time bullet struck our
boy. He tried to pay no attention to it,
but soon became so weak from loss OF
blood that he fell to the ground but
before he did SO he placed the flag in
the hands of a comrade, saying: Here,
Jack take Old Glory; / don't want to
drag it to the ground, and am going
Then he fell, but he lived some time
after that.
Il saw that he was in awful agony
and handed him a little water, the
last had. He put it to his parched
lips, but a groan near by made him
pause. There by his side lay Confed-
crate, wounded fatally, and, although
only an instant before they had been
on opposite sides-enemies-W
handed him the cup, saying family:
Here, you are worse off than l am
And If live to be thousand years old
/ can never forget the look in that
southerner's eyes as he took the cup.
He couldn't talk much, he was so far
gone, but his eyes spoke more graft.
tude than words could have done.
"Will lay there suffering for a
drink, and il you've never suffered for
water you don't know what it is. It's
harder than facing any bullet. / saw
he couldn't last much longer, and |
laid down my gun and raised his head
a little. He tried to ask which side
was winning, and then smiled and said
family: Tell father'-but what was
to tell was never finished. often wish
l could have told him that we won
that awful battle, but when he died it
looked pretty dark for us.
There, my children, you know the
story of that soldier now, and not a
Drawer one lies under any of these
white stones"
Silently Frank and Amy knelt down
and covered the grave with their aow-
ers, and then quietly stole away, leav-
ing the two soldiers alone with their
dead comrade.
There is one soldiers grave in that
cemetery that will never want for flow
ers on Decoration day, and the first
violets that open their blue eyes in the
spring will blossom there, and after
they have faded their leaves will keen
this one spot green all summer.-Chi.
cago Record-Herald.
THE ONLY CHILD.
I'm mothers only little cat!