Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1888 — THE POETRY OF WAR. [ARTICLE]

THE POETRY OF WAR.

BY DORCAS ALTHEA MARX.

It w«8 at Franklin that Charley Sherwood and I were separated for the first time—and for the last time. We had grown up together, sat on the same form in the country school, belonged to the same class in the Sunday-school, went to the academy together, entered college at the ) same time, enlisted the same night, were sworn in with our hands clasped, and for two years had slept under the same blanket and shared each other’s letters and confidences. I thought of it aflthat afternoon as we put up our head-log. It was something entirely new to us to fight behind breastworks, as all our campaigns had been in the open field. It promised to be a stern fight, and that was why we put up the head-log. The boys grumbled a little when this extra precaution was ordered, but Maj. Sterne was inflexible. He knew, whnt we did not then, that the enemy outnumbered us six to one, and that Franklin was the key to Nashville and possibly all north of it. “I say, Tom,” said Charley as we rested a little after finishing our* defensive works, “how does that field opt there remind you of the ball ground back of old number 6?" I smiled sickly at the ghastly Remembrance, though the field did have the old ball-ground look to it. “It will be worse than “mtish-pot’ in a few minutes,” continued Charley. “Don’t you see them choosing up and getting their side in order? We’ll have to play it mighty fine to get out. I take its” *“My eyes are not as good as yours, Charley, you know,” I replied. “You must never forget that I am a little nearsighted.” This sobered him, and he pressed my hand for a reply. It was an open secret with the mess that in times of peculiar danger, when good sight was essential Charley always maneuvered to get himaelf appointed to take my place on picket Why not? We were as Orestes and Plyades. I thought of these things afterward. I have neve forgotton a single detail of Hitvmoon ■a experience I never will. ' — It was after the sixth charge and repulse that we were separated. Our captain was on staff duty, the first lieutenant on sick-leave, and poor Stahley, who was in command, was carried to the rear with a bullet in bis brain. Then Charley had to go the head and I to the foot' of the company. ; The boys gave a cheer when Charley gave his first order. It was a little cheer, tinged-with sadness for the dead lieutenant. Everybody loved Charley, with his blue eyes, sunny curls, and gentle ways. He was a good boy as weil as a good soldier, and even in the army there is some premium on goodness. The next charge was not long delayed. It was terrific charge. It was plucky. The enemy came on with a sweep that was admirable. We felt like cheering him for his gallantry, and probably would if we could have afforded it. As it was, our business was to kill as much of him as we could, and we addressed ourselves to the task with dispatch. We poured volley after volley into him as he came at us; but on the columns came. I could hear Charley’s voice occasionally above the din of battle, and I knew he was all right It gave me ease. Somehow, I could not get my thoughts off him that afternoon. — ——

When the columns were within thirty yards of our works they staggered; but they did not go back. A breath of air from the distant hills blew over the field at that moment, lifting the smoke. We could look into each others’ eyes distinctly. We measured each others’ strength, and then the artillery smoke behind them and us rolled down. It was the supreme moment just before the falling of the curtain. I saw much in that moment They were a magnificent body of men. I never looked on a grander sight. Behind and before them the ground was as thickly strewn with dead bodies as sheaves of oats in a Pennsylvania harvest field. We spoke of this afterward. They were Confederate dead. It was a beautiful sight to us who had done the

strewing. It must have been gruesome enough to them. Directly in front of me was a young fellow with a gold hand ondiis shoulders. Somehow the smurch of battle had missed him and his face was clean, his unifortai bright. I could see,his eyes sparkling with the enthusiasm of-battle. They were blue eyes, I knew, and reminded me x>f Charley's. He seemed about 22—just Charley’s age. The shoulder bands indicated that he had wealth an influence behind him to wear such decorations at that age. - He looked directly into my eyes as I raised my musket an<l at. him. There was no fear there, only a sort of dumb, beseeching look such as one sees in the eyes es the fawn. I could not do it" There was a mother somewhere in the sunny souuth that must not be robbed of her boy; not by me at least. There was a sister that would wait, dryeyed and sad, for a brother that would never return. A sweetheart, who would short line. “Fire low and keep cool.” I lowered my musket to the fifth button on his gray coat. It was a neatfitting coat, and quite new. I run my eyes along the buttons as I lowered the range. I could not disfigure that sweat face.

After the repulse T went , out to see him. There was a straight builet-hole just above the fifth .button. He was quite dead. There were seven other musket balls in his body. Possibly mine was not. the first. The serenity of the young face was marred by some one less scrupulous than I. A minify ball had entered the forehead and plowed a groove straight back through the jet curls. Another had .penetrated the left cheek and left a.mafk on the ear. Oh, yes, he was quite dead! Therq would be darkness in some tender hear:s when the report of this battle was, sent south ward a darkness that nothing could brighten. There would be sadness in sojne homes that time could never dispel. It was sad to think about. But it was the fortune of glorious war! After that last volley the smoke settled down thickly upon us. We saw through a glass, darkly. The next breeze that came revealed the enemy almost at our works. I was behind the line a pace, and near the head of the company, opening a fresh cartridge box. I heard Charleyjshout: “Bayonets; infantry guard and repulse attack.” Aha; this was war, indeed! No more trusting to powder and lead! It was at them with cold steel! I dropped the cartridges, grasped my musset, and rushed up to the works. I did not go to my place, but came up by Charley’s side. At the moment I reached the right place two gray-coats jumped on the works directly in front of us. They were big, burly fellows Texans, I think —and not over six feet from us. They were not savage-looking at all. On the contrary, they looked very kindly at us, straight into our eyes, as they brought their guns to their shoulders. They were going to kill us! They could not possibly miss us, as our heads would be more than three feet from the muzzles of their guns. My gun was empty; it had a bullet in the 11111 zzle, but T had not time to ram it down. They picked their men and fired. I felt a sharp sting on the my right ear, a sharp breath of air, and the Windingnf that eye. t staggered back and dropped my gun. My hand went to the ground to stay the fall. It touched another gun, which I instinctively grasped. I thrust it against the breast of one of the men -and pulled the trigger. To my surprise—afterward, not then—the gun was loaded. I did not wait to see the effect, but struck at he ojher man with the bayonet. He was too far away. I trust at him twice , before 1 realized that his eyes pleaded for mercy but he was-game'to the last. He stood his ground, though he saw murder in my eyes. I had the advantage ot position for bayonet exercise,and he saw it. How his eyes did plead with me! Would I spare him? Aye, would I, were it ten times war and glory more excellent! Ah, what is this? I felt, rather than saw, a vacancy at my elbow. He had made it He must die. I placed the butt of the musket in my right hand and thrust out the steel with the full stretch of my arm. It was fine. I never saw a grander stroke. The point entered his bosom just below the fifth button again and I saw the point protrude beyond his shoulders tinged to a beautiful scarlet. His head dropped forward on his breast and his body fell backward. I released my hold on the gun and allowed it to be drawn backward with him. 4 picked Charley up in my arms and carried him bsfck a dozen yards. His eyes were open and fixed on my face; but their light was dim and growing dimmer. “Can 1 do Charley?” There was no voice; the eyes said: “No.” « I tool out my pen-knife, cut his belt, and opened his blouse. He gave a full, breath as the pressure of the dress and trappings was removed, and there was something that suggested a smile of relief. That was all. I laid him down’ on the ground, gently and tenderly. Then I stepped into his place at the head of the company. 'lt was war, and there was no time to think of the dead. We must kill the living; There was no cheer when I gave my first order. For the second time that

afternoon had that place been made vacant. Even soldiers cannot always cheer' over a dead body. When the battle was over I carried Charley over the hill and laid him in a grave we scooped out. That was the end. There was a single drop of blood on hia breast where the fatal bullet had entered. He had bled inwardly." As I carried him over the hill that drop came off on the sleeve of my b’ouse. Three years later I told a brokenhearted woman„in the north about that drop of blood and showed her where it had lain. It was a coarse weather-‘and-war-stained coat. But when I showed the spot the woman stooped down and kissed it. She was Charley’s mother.

How to Save the Eyesight. Next to sunlight the incandescent light® gives the best illumination for reading, and all motions of the injurious effect on the eyes of the electric light are erroneous. The vast majority of people who wear glasses can see well without them: They use them to avoid a constant strain of the eyes. The act of fopalization is a muscular one and raisesup nervous energy. The oversighted eye, in which the focus comes behind the retina, has to perform this muscular act continually. The results are headaches* irritability, and nausea. The only remedy in such cases is to wear glasses. The near-sighted child should wear spectacles, because they are the best preventive against increase of nearsightedness, and also because he looses a great part of his education in not being able to see more than a few reet away. For the eyes in a healthy state there is but one safe wash—pure cold water. When the eyelids are inflamed the nest lotion is a weak solution of a3.lt and and water. Never apply poultices to the eyes or use “eye-water” without the advice of a physician. At the first symptoms of near-sighted-neus spectacles should be worn. There is a great deal of popular prejudice against spectacles, but there are two good reasons why they should be worn, and only two—one is that we r can see better, and the other that the strain" on the eyes may be relieved. - In reading the book or paper should be held at a distance of from ten to fifteen inches from the eyes. The reader’s position should be such that the light may fall on the book and not on the eyes. The light itself should be sufficient. Nothing is so injurous to the eyes as poor light reading.

Honeyßeesas Pets. A young grammar school lad [in the Sixteenth Ward sends the New York Telegram the following account of a colony of honey bees in an up-toWn tenement. He says: “I was surprised to find a colony of bees on top of a tall tenement in East Harlem, near 112th street, the other day. The hives stood in a kitchen, by an open window, and, strangely enough, they were allowed to go all ever the house-at their will. They are the pete of an intelligent Italian factory man, who said (translated into English): “I am very fond of bees, and have kept ggrgrarwafflig of theui ever since-F came here. They are the most intelligent pets I ever had.’ ’ “But don’t they sting?” asked the reporter, as a quart of the insects prepared to settle about his head. “Oh, no; they love us all, and will never sting unless compelled to do so in sel f -defehse, when we accidentally sit on them. “Their worst habit is stealing. They watch their chance to get into the pantry and steal sugar and sweetmeats. On several occasions the sugar bowl has been left uncovered, and long enough for the bees to carry off its contents.” “Do they make much honey?” “Yes, indeed they do. The hive is nearly full all the time. We give it a wide berth, as we only keep the bees for pets; thus, their confidence in us remains unshaken, and they love us and grow tame. You can’t fool a honey bee. It understands its business better than most men, and will investigate all wrongs done to its household with nearly as much logic as the average lawyer uses in a criminal case. When its presents its little bill back accounts are are soon settled. “They swarm every summer, but take care to give as little trouble as possible. They Sways light on the bed or bureau (never on the stove), and when they settle in a bunch I put the m, with my bare hands, into another hive. When we have more bees than we care for I give ’em away.) I formerly lived in New Jersey, where I kept forty or fifty swarms. - )- “They are great travelers, and sometimes go many miles for honey. Their principle routes are to the city parks, to Staten Island and the buckwheat fields of Long Island and New Jersey.” One of the boys of the household, who has, no doubt, carefully investigated the bees, said the hive was “overflowing” with honey. The Itallian bees are loved, by every member of the family except a big, old cat, who once intruded upon the insects with disastrous results. Since then the cat gives them a wide berth and wears a sour face when they swarm.