Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-07-31

General, did Eric Paul find you?
He was hunting for you this forenoon"
The questioner and questioned sat in
front of large wall tent. Captain
Higbee Of the Twelfth Wisconsin had
put up on the broad lawn in front Of
his st. Paul home for the comfort and
pleasure Of such Of his regimental
comrades as were in attendance upon
the national encampment a few years
ago. The general had been colonel
of the Twelfth and the other was a
captain.
Eyes, we met" said General Bryant,
land he told me how he had gotten
along since I gave him a scolding
soon after we were mustered out"
DO you remember poor Eric's sad
experience during the warp
Name any of my old boys whose
war experience is not familiar to me.
suppose q father has greater inter
est in his sons than regimental CON-
mander has i'll the men he has for
years commanded in camp, on the
march and in battle, but it is not very
much greater"
Then the grizzled general with a
heart as tender as a mothers, and
whose love and regard for the men
who followed him for four years has
been so pronounced as to make him
almost an idol in the eyes Of those
men, told the story Of Erie Paul.
Eric had one experience that in my
judgment was as sad as that any
soldier boy ever passed through. After
having been a prisoner for nearly
year, part of the time at Anderson
vile and part at Salisbury, during
which time he made three unsuccess-
full efforts to escape, he reached our
lines and was sent home. He had
been through long siege Of sickness
in prison. That, with the poor fare
and scant care given, left him a mere
skeleton. His mind was somewhat
unbalanced, the result of sickness and
prison life. A ticket to the station
nearest to his home was bought and
he started on the long journey. 1t is
easy to imagine how precious the sight
VI LIS uSdI Olu uOlQo was 10 Lie cllldCI-
ated, weak, broken young fellow who
had never left it more than two days
at time until he became a volunteer
soldier at II years of age. His loving
mother was in that house. The
thought Of seeing her in a few mill
utes-of having her loving arms about
his neck, Of feeling her mother lips on
his shrunken and almost blOodless lips,
| nerved him to quicker steps. He
would surprise mother by knocking at
the door. The sweet, motherly face
was before him, but she stared at him
He partially walked and mainly fell
across the threshold and then pulled
himself into a chair. 1t finally dawn
ed upon the boy patriot that his
mother did not know him. 1t nearly
broke his heart Brushing away his
tears he moaned out:
Mother, don't you know me? Don't
you know your boy, Eric?'
Then that good Norwegian mother
gave the young man still more scrut-
inizing, a more searching glance. She
could see nothing that reminded her
of the son she had given to her adopt
ed country, and in a commanding tone
said: You are not my boy Eric; you
are trying to fool me; I will give you
some dinner and you must then move
on
"While Mrs Paul was getting dinner
she frequently looked at the stranger.
Several times Eric heard that best
friend on earth. his mother, say: He
is not my boy; he is not my boy Eric
made his case still worse by asking
about his father, who belonged to the
same company, Now l know still bet
ter that you are lot Eric, for my hus-
band died four months ago. The
food of tears from the half-crazed
wreck from Andersonville at the news
of his fathers death had no weight
with the widow and mother She re-
garded him as an imposter and told
him to eat and move OH.
Eric took a few mouthfuls Of food,
when his head fell to the table Mrs,
Paul became alarmed and sent for the
doctor. The patient was pronounced
dangerously sick man. He was given
a room and Mrs. Paul cared for him
In his delirium he repeated many
times, My mother don't know me.
Why?
1.-THE next day a letter from the
captain Of Eric's company told Mrs.
Paul that he had heard that her son
had reached the union lines and been
sent home. He wanted to know If
he had reached there and what condi-
ton he was in. That afternoon Eric
seemed better. He looked brighter;
medicine, proper food and humane care
were having their effect. His mind
was clearer.
"'Can you tell me something about
yourselfY asked the mother, now much
troubled, though not convinced by the
captains letter that she was enter
tanning her soldier SON