Year: 1863

heart, from which the life.blood was slowly
oozng. sk.z


Not better than did yours, ,n'answered the
other with grim SMILE as he pointed to a
wound little higher up, larger and more
ragged-a deadly one.


And then the two men gazed at each again
in the dim light, for the moon had come over
the hills now, and stood among the stars like
pearl Of great price. As they lookeda soft
er feeling stole over the hearts of each toward
his fallen foes feeling of pity for the strong
manly life laid low, feeling of regret for that
inexorable necessity of war, which made each
man the slayer of the other; and at last one
| spoke


"There's some folks in the world that feel
worse, 'spose, because you have gone out
out of it ?"


A spasm of pain was on the bronzed ghast.
Iy features.


eyes" said the man, in thick tones
There's one woman with little boy and
girl, away up among the New Hampshire
mountains, that it'll very nigh kill to hear
of this" and then the man groaned out in
bitter anguish, ooh God have pity on my
wife and children -
And the other drew closer to him.
And away down in the cotton fields OF
Georgia there's a woman and Il little girl
whose hearts will break when they hear
what this day has done,' and then the cry
wrung itself sharply oft of his heart, "Oh
God have pity on them !"


And from that time on, the Northerner and
the Southerner ceased to be foes. The
thoughts of those distant homes on whom
the anguish was SO soon to fall, drew them
together in their last hour, and the two
men Hept like little children. And at last
the Norlherner spoke, talking more to him
self than anything else, and he did not know
that the other was listening greedily to every
word.


= She used to eome-my little girl-bless
her heart every night to meet me when |
come home from the fields; and she would
stand under the great plum tree that's just





light making yellow crown on her golden
curls, and the laugh dancing in her eyes
when she heard the click of the gate. see
her there now, and I'd take her in my arms
and she'd stick up her little red lips for
kiss; but my little g,rI VIII never watch un-
der the old plum tree by the we'll for her IA
ther again. | shall never hear the cry Of Joy
as she catches glimpse Of me at the gate
shall never see her little feet running over
the grass to spring into my arms again ?"


"And," said the Southerner, there's a
little brown-cyed, brown-haired girl that US
ed to watch in the cool afternoons for her
father when he rode in from his visit to the
plantatons-I can see her little face shining
out now from the roses that covered the pill
lars, and her shout OF joy as | bounded from
my horse and chasen the little flying feet and
the loud langh up add down the veranda.-
But my darling, your bright little face will
grow pale with watching among the roses for
your father, and you and he will never 60
laughing and rompjrg up the old yeranda
again -


And the Northerner drew near to the
Southerner, and the hot tears stood on his
cold checks, as he said:


MAY God have pity on our fathcrIess
children ~


"Amen! - said the Southerner, frvently.


And the Northerner spoke IN husky
whisper, for the eyes of the dying man were
CHASING fast.


owe have fought together like brave men.
We are going before our God in little while.
Let US forgive each other"


The Southerner tried to speak, but the
sound died away in gurge from his white
lips; but he took the hand of his fallen foe,
and his stiffened fingers enclosed tight over
1t, and his last look was one Of forgiveness
and peace. And when the next mornings
sun walked up the grey stairs of the dawn,
touched with pink, it looked down and saw
the tYo foes lying dead with their hands
casped in each others, by the stream which
Z an by the battlefield.


And the little girl with golden hair that
watched under the plum tree among the hills
of New Hampshire, and the little girl with
bright, brown hair, that waited by the roses
among the green plains Of Georgia, were IA
therless.


A Despotism to be Established.