The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-30

order for our movement was read at headquarters. Of all the officers think I was the only one whose de parture was not blessed with tears of mother, sister or sweetheart My fa- ther, now old and feeble, came to see me, and his eyes became wet as he beheld me for the first time in my uni form and folded me in his arms. My mother had long been dead-in fact, I could scarcely remember her at all. Before saying goodby to my father gave him letter and made him prom tse that should anything happen to me he would send it to the address on the envelope.
 He looked at me sadly for moment and said:
 Does she live in the south, Howard. and is that why you have stayed away so long?"
 I told him yes and turned away my head that he might not see what it had cost me to speak of her. He laid his hand gently on my shoulder and said. I've Palmers have never been lucky there, my son." and I thought under stood many little things in his life and knew then why he never had anything but what was kind to say of that south ern country when he heard it under discussion I grasped his hand and held it for moment.
 May God protect you and bring you safe to me again." was all he said and left me.
 Our regiment was only ordered to Camp Meade, but 1t was start The days there were dreary ones. and shall never forget the shout our boys put up when the order which turned our face to Camp Thomas, at Chicka- mauga. was read to them. It set our blood on fire, and cannot repress my feelings of state pride even now when recall the happy faces of those Bay State fellows as they prepared to shoulder their muskets and start for the south. A ma jority of the regiment wanted to be brigaded with other regi- ments from Massachusetts. but with wisdom and foresight the chief execu- tive commanded that the troops from the north should be brigaded with those from the south and west. It was a wise policy that threw the men from Michigan. with those from Texas, and those from California with those from Maine and Vermont, and the men from Massachusetts with the honest fellows from Georgia. The spirit of friendship which had been growing for over thirty years was to be cemented by an alliance against a common ene- my. This was how we found ourselves in the same brigade with a Georgia regiment and with another from Ken lucky.
 We mingled with one another from the first on friendly terms; we shared one another's rations and nursed one another's sick I met every Georgian with an outstretched hand,r for I felt somehow that they had claims on me which the others did not possess. The individual was lost in that great, crowded camp, and those with whom talked of the Turpins did not seem to know them. But was destined to hear news of my friends much sooner than L1thought.
 had been sent to division headquar- ters one day with a message from my colonel As I stepped under the avn ing of the tent saw an officer in a majors uniform sitting at a ta ble read ing some reports The face was par tially in shadow, but saw at once that 1t was Bud
 How much he knew did not know. was eager to learn. He saw me be- fore spoke. and, not waiting. as had l done. r.. leaped from the table. scat tering the contents over the floor. and rushed to me with arms outstretched. l Impulsively he threw one arm around
 my neck and with, the other grasped my hand He saw how deep my feel ing was and did not speak at once. Bud" asked finally. ''how are all ! at the P1nes2" It was the question | ~Saics was most natural to my lips, i Sor I had been nungering. yet dread 1 ing, to hear news of them.
 About the same. Nothing ever changes there." he said.
 ''Your father and mother?" asked.
 ~Both are well. thank God!'
 ~And Miss Ellen:" ventured.
 For a moment his face clouded
 when he told me she was not like i what she used to be. Then suddenly,
 as if some idea had shot across his
 mind for the first time, he dropped my
 hand and, looking me squarely in the
 face, said:
 'She has never been the same since
 you were there" He seemed suddenly
 to stifren with dignity as he added