Year: 1869

by their wounds and exposure to the sun,
and up and down the long ghasty lines ot
white beds the great cry was for water; II
took q large pitcher of ice.water and a
tumbler, aud started on the round of my
ward, as eager to give as the poor fellows
were 20 receive. The ice ratified and ruug
in the pitcher in most inviting way, and
many heavy eyes opened at the sound, and
many hot hand was stretched out, when
all at once, on one OF the tive iaTthest beds
OF the ward, saw man start up, with
his face flaming with fever and his eyes
cleaning, "a he almost screamed ont
Water give me water, for Gods sake =
Then, madam, l coull see no other
face in all the ward, forit was he : r


al made a few steps toward him, and
saw he knew me ms well as knew him,
for he fell back on his pillow, and Just
| turned his face toworl the wall Then
the devil tiehtened his grip on me, till it
seemed he had me fast and sure and be
seemed to whisper into my car Rattle
the ice in the pitcher and aggravate him
Go up and down, giving water to all the
Others, and not drop to him' r1
7 "Then S0RIethSag else whispered q little
nearer, though not in such sharp, hiss
ing way conscience, l suppose it was ;
good Methodists might call it the Holy
| Spirit other religious people might say
| it was the spirit of my mother; and per
| haps would all mean about the same thing
anyhow, it seemed to say Now, my
boy, is your chance to return good for
evil. Go to him, give him to drink first of
all ? And that something walked me right
up to his bedside, made me slide my hand
under his shoulder and raise him up, and
put the tumbler to his lips. How he
drank l never can forget-in long, deep
draughts, almost a tumblerful at a swal-
low, looking at me 50 wistfully all the
time. When he was satisfied, he fell back,
and again turned his face to the wall,
without a word. But somehow 1 knew
that fellows heart was touched, as nc
chaplain's sermon or tract had ever touch
ed it.


81 asked the surgeon TO let me have the
sole care of this patient, and he consent.
| ed, though he said the man had bad gun
| shot wound in the knee, and would have
to submit TO an amputauOu, ii he could
stand it; and if not, would probably
make me great deal of trouble while he
| lasted. f


"Well, 1 took charge of him-I had to
! do it, somehow-but be kept up the same
silence with me for several days; then,
one morning, just as / was leaving his
| bedside, he caught hold of my coat and
pulled me back. l bent down to ask him
what he wanted, and he said, in a hoarse
whisper You remember that cantecn
business in the Shenandoah Valley
Yes; but it don't matter now, old fellow,
| answered.


Z" But it does matter he said. Il don't
know what made me so surly that day,
only that an upstart young lieutenant from
our town had Just been swearing atme for
struggling; and l wasn't to blame, for l
was sick. / came down with the fever the
next day. AS for what l said to you |
| was ashamed of it before you got out of
sight; and, to tell the truth, I've been
looking for you these two years, just to
tell you so. But when l met you here,
where | was crying, almost dying, for
water, it seemed so like the carrying out
of your curse, was almost afraid of YOU


81 tell you what, madam, it gave me
strange feelings to think of him looking
for me, to make up, and looking for him,
to be reyenged, all this time; and it was
such a little sin, after all. I'm not
ashamed to confess that the tears came
into my eyes as l said: Now, Eastman
! Chat was his name he was a Maine man),
don't fret about thatlittle matter any more





low than | all along


"But he had taken it to heart, and was
too weak to throw it of. 1t was so
mean he said, so unsoldier-like and bear
ish; and | was so good to forgive it, he
insisted.


81 stood by him while his leg was am
putated; and when, after time, the sur
geon said even that couldn't save him
that he was sinking, found that the man
was like brother to me. He took the
hard news that he must die, Just as the
war was almost ended, like the brave fel.
low he was. He dictated q last letter tC
his sister, the only relative he had gave
me some directions about sending some
keepsakes to her, and then asked for the
chaplain. This was good, sensible, elder
ly man, and he talked in about the right
style, think, and made us all feel quite
comfortable in the belief that in TIN
Fathers house there must be mansion
for the poor soldier, who had so otter
camped out in snow and rain and tha
for him who had given his all for hi!
country, some great good must be in store


"At last, the poor fellow said to thu
chaplain Isn't there something in the
Bible about giving cup of cold water ?
Ahl madam, | ca 1T tell you how tina
hurt me. 90 Eastman' = said |, don't
don't! But he only smiled as the chap
lain repeated the verse. Then he turned
to me and said You didn't think wha
you were doing for yourself when yol
gave me that glass of ice-water the othe
day, did you, old fellowS Can pass fo
one of the little ones though, with my
six-feet-two? Then he went on talking
about being little, and the kingdom o
heaven, till we almost feared his minC
was wandering; but perhaps it was onl!
finding its way home. 9 do feel strange
ly childish tonight he said. Il feel lik,
saying the prayer-verse my mother laugh
me when she used to put me to bed TWEEN
ty-fiye years ago. If you'll excuse me, II
say it, all to myself before l go TO sleep


So he bade us good night, turned owe
on his pillow, and softly shut his eyes hi
lips moved a little while, and then, indeed
he went to sleep.-Hearth and Home