Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-05-24

first inquiry in the morning and
throughout the day from the occupants
of the cots was: How is Houghton?
Will he pull through|
at happened that my injury necessi-
tated lying on my left side, and so,
eepara ted. as our cots were, by little
more than an arms length. | was priv
ileged to watch. to study. to pity and
to love this man. ON the night of
April there came serious crisis in
Houghtun's case through secondary
hemorrhage of an artery of the ampu-
tated limb. Surgeons and nurses
worked until daylight to assuage the
flowing lifeblcod All in the ward
were deeply interested, and there was
many sigh of relief from his com
panions when in the early morning
word went down the line of cots that
the artery had been taken up and there
was yet ground for hope.
President Is Announced.
about o'clock of the following
forenoon the door which | lay facing
opened, and from the surgeon in charge
came the command: Attention! The
president of the United States.' To
myself and probably to most of us
this was unexpected, for we had not
known that President Lincoln had been
visiting the army.
Raising my eyes to the doorway, l
had my first sight of the president, and
If was not an impressive one. His
clothes We're travel stained, i'll fitting
and very dusty; his hat was an i'm
menscly exaggerated type of the
stOvepipe variety, his neckwear was
awry. and his face showed pressing
need of the services Of a barber. IN
short, his whole appearance seemed to
justify the caricaturists of those days
in their worst cartoons.
"Unescorted. except by the surgeon,
the president, bowling his tall form to
enter the low doorway, stepped in.
turned Il step or two to the right and.
tenderly placing his hand on Hough-
tons forehead. stood for an instant
looking into his face; then, bending
down to the low cot as a mother would
to her child. he kissed Houghton's
white cheek.
an voice SO tender and so low that
only ny near proximity enabled me to
hear. he began to talk to him, telling
him how he had heard from DR.. Nc
Donald all the story of his bravery in
battle, bis heroic fight for life and
quiet cheerfulness in hospital and of
the sad happening of the night.
Poor HOughtOn could only reply
| with faint smiles and whispers that
were too low to reach my ears. but Mr.
Lincoln heard, and Il smile came to his
grave face Turning to the surgeon.
the president asked TO he shown the
majors wounds. especially the ampu-
tated limb, Or. Mcdonald tried to
dissuade him 10y saying the sight. es-
pecally after what had just taken
| place. would he too shocking, but the
president insisted. turned down the
| light coverings and took Il hasty look.
! Strengthening up. with a deep groan of
pain. and throwing up both his long
arms. he cried out, oh, this awful,
awful war; Then, bending again to
Houghton. with the tears cutting wide
| burrows down his dust stained cheeks
! and with great sobs shaking him,
he eXclaimed Poor boy, Poor boy!
You must live. You must. This time
the majors whispered answer, L in
tend to, sir, was Just audible. (And
here, let me say in parenthesis, he did
| live many long and useful years.
With a tender parting hand stroke and
a God bless you, my boy" the presi-
dent moved to the next cot in line and
to the next and soon down the right
and back on the left side of the ward,
with warm hand clasp and a simple,
kind, fatherly word for each one. Then
he passed out. But for us it was a diff
ferent place We had seen there the
soul of our chief. Washington Post