Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-06-13
A TEST OF
LOVE
On the Coming Home of a
Soldier
BY NATHAN PELHAM

We NoN YOU 50 luHlN stories ABOUT
the war that can't think OF any more
unless invent one, and that couldn't
do But | can tell YOU one about what
happened when | came home FROM the
war, How would you like to hear
that%"
Very much. Go on"
The children ranged themselves
around the old man. boy OF seven
! climbing on one knee. girl of six ON
the other, Veteran us he was. thrrc
was nothing of grim viSagcd war
| about him His white locks made up
In length what they lacked in thick
ness. His eyes bcamed kindly ON his
/ grandchildren, and an arm cnCircled
the waist OF the boy and the girl sit
| ting on his kuce A lass ot sixteen
| stood behind him, one arm resting on
| his shoulder Altogether the group
! made pretty picture OF ago aud
| youth
The first thing | have to do in tell
| ing the story is to make you under
! stand how different we old fellows
/ were when we were lighting the Con
/ ithNlNtCS itblh W bNN VIZ alN N'NNt
| was lust sixteen when | enlisted, |
was under age-that is. they didn't
! take boys for soldiers unless they
were eighteen years old-nnd | ap
! piled ut several recruiting stations
before they would let me In had
to do II all secretly, for my mother
was drcadng that | would he OF for
| the war. and when finally was ne.
cepted she didn't know anything about
It, | went home and waited till after
supper, when she was sitting by the
globe lamp daruing my stocking; then
| | blurtcd out:
Mother. I've enlisted.
ut broke her all up for awhile. Then
she went to work to get me ready I"
go for soldier fixing up good deal
more OF clothes than | could stun In
knapsack, stepped out to see girl
who lived across the street Wen call
| her Bess,"
Have you forgotten her name
grampyT"
Not exactly. But since I've started
to call her Bess wen let II go at that.
Ress and were great chums. and
knew she'd he interested In hearing
about my going to the war. She
praised me very highly for my patri
otism. and all that, but noticed some
thing glstening in her eye. and that
was quite revelation to me"
"You mean" said the girl standing
behind the chair. that you knew she
| loved you"
THAT'S about It, But she had lot
of stun in her and didn't like to show
how she felt about my going to the
war. She realized what | was doing
better than | did Many a boy who
went of full OF enthusiasm, as l did.
never came back. can see certain
ones now whose bones are there yet.
There was Charlie Mason. | saw him
us we pushed by him sitting on the
ground. his back braced against tree.
shot through the lungs, struggling for
breath. the blood pouring But this
won't do for children. III get on with
| my story. AS was saying. Bess IN
| derstood that the chances were I'd new
er come back. and when our regiment
did return Mt the end OF the war more
than half the men who had served In
It had been killed or died of wounds
or disease.
"Bess was really jolly girl, and all
through that long, dreadful war she
kept up my spirits by her letters.
There wasn't one of them but had
something funny In 1t. and these parts
| used to read to the boys to make
them laugh and cheer them up too.
Persons who make merry under din
culties are treasures. 80 different from
those dismal creatures who make ev.
cry one about them feel dismal too.
II said this was to be story about
coming home from the war. and 40 II
IS What I've been telling you Is sim
| ply to make you understand what fol
lows tell you that was happy day
| wheinwe boys heard we were ordered
| home to the town where we had been
| organized to be mustered out OF the
| service"
whats mustered out. granny"
Outstanding. going from soldering
back to being n citizen. had several
chums in my company with whom |
was very thick and we were talking
over getting home and seeing all the
folks. and | was the happlest one Of
the lot, thinking how glad mother
would be to get me back again after
having escaped all the pcrils | had
been through and
/ "Wouldn't Bess be glad to see you
4 toof'
H "Oh. yes I'm coming to Bess. and
there's where the point Of my stor,
I hangs We boys were talking about
one Of our company who was going
back with one eye shot out, which
i spoiled all his good looks. 10 girl to
whom he was engaged to be married
! We wondered II his girl would love
him ms much with one eye as with two
Then some one suggested that was
mighty lucky TO 20 back TO my girl
with whole body and | said. II
I had lost both arms and both legs Bess