Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-12-19
A MODEL SOLDIER.
CONTINUED from Page Five).


particularly in his bearing and in his
willingness for duty and his scorn of
complaints. I found that his COM
pany officers felt the same way about
him and the same thing was true in
the new regiment into which we both
came.
He was taken to the hospital on the
31st of October, suffering from what
seemed a bad cold. He developed
pneumonia but we all thought that
he was going to throw it off. Forsome
ten days or more when he seemed at
his very worst [ went to the hospital
every day to see him and Martin Her
ron, another boy from the same old
company in the First Vermont, and
also in Lynn's company in the 1O3d.
Heron was taken sick the same day
and went to the hospital the same
day land died the same day and was
buried the same day. | did not write
for the simple reason that letters
take a very long time and | was in
expectation that before a letter could
reach you saying he was sick that he
would be well again, and it would
have caused you needless worry and
you would have been unable to get
| to him or do anything for him. He
slept most of the time and indeed had
| to be reused nearly every time |
went in and for that reason there
were many times when I went in and
found him sleeping and did not speak
to him. Heron was in a bed next to
him, which was pleasant for them
both. The last two times I was up
it seemed that they were both better
but as Lynn was pretty veal and
tried to talk when l went in l pur-
posely kept away for the last few
days but kept posted on his condi-
ton from the doctor and from one of
the officers of his company who went
up to see him a couple of times. The
last time I saw the doctor he had
said he was weak but that he thought
that the danger was over and that the
| hard thing was to get his strength
back for he had had so long a pull.
! But he was encouraged and he also
felt that his philosophical disposition
would be of help. Consequently when
after being absent from the hospital,
it is six miles or over from here, in
! the next town, because they were
| both doing SO well, indeed, the doctor
had moved Heron out from the small
ward into a bigger one, I went up to
the hospital Monday of this week I
was overwhelmed when learned that
at midnight Lynn had a turn for the
at 3 a. m, the Goth. [ had taken
some mail up for him twice recently
but the doctor had informed me that
he had better not try to read it as he
was not up to or equal to the task Of
reading letters and the last time I
had not even given them to him but
to the nurse.
At the same time I learned that
Heron, who had done so well, had a
sudden turn for the worse and was
thought to be dying. I saw him twice
that day and he asked for "Sandy"
[ told him that Sandy was better but
[ did not tell him what I meant by
better but he found out for himself
without being told for he joined him
late that afternoon. It was planned
at first to bury your son on Tuesday
afternoon but when Heron died it
was decided to have a double funeral
for them both the next day instead so
yesterday afternoon, the company led
by the captain, who rose from a sick
bed to do it, followed the band to the
hospital, where we all went by train,
and where [ read the 23d and Goth
Psalms and the last Chapter of Rev
elation. Then we followed their flag
draped caskets to the little military
cemetery on the outskirts of the town
and their comrades fired last salute
and the bugler of the company blew
taps, which means "sleep" for the
soldier, and their soldering was done
am not permitted to tell you the
name of the town where the cemetery
is but the government may do this
perhaps. But [ may say that it is
very beautiful one and already the
bodies of American as we'll as French
soldiers rest there. 1t was the most
beautiful and dignifed of any mill
tary funeral [ have ever seen and I
have seen more than I want
The bearers were all boys who had
known Lynn when he was in the
First Vermont, indeed, were members
of the old Company D. Ralph Mol
lea, Alphonse Aselin, Cecil trapped,
Oscar Griggs, Allen Moore, Albert
Danforth, Charles Patnaude And it
was a joy to me that could be there
for it was not as if we had all been
strangers.
Your son gave his life, my dear
Mrs. Hardy, as much for his country
as if he had fallen by German bullets /
and you may know that he was sur
rounded at the last by those who did
all they could for him. He had ex-
cellent care and again and again I
impressed on the doctor that there |
was nothing to be spared in his eff
forts to save the lives of these Yer
mont boys. And you have this COM
fort that he did not die in any pain
and that he did not lie out in the open |
slowly suffering from wounds and |
thirst and cold as SO many mothers
sons have and must have before this
awful war comes to an end.
L am conscious that what I have
told you must bring heaviness to
your mother heart, but I pray that |
God may comfort you with the COM
fort that He alone can bestow and
that you may be conscious that un-
derneath are the Everlasting Arms
and that He may make up to you for
the costly gift that you have laid up
on the altar Of Freedom.