Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1875 — A HERO. [ARTICLE]

A HERO.

The young soldier having said farewell to the tearful group in the doorway of his father’s house walked with a firm and elastic tread to the station where he was to take the southward-bound train and speed to the battle-field. And he, you will naturally infer, is our hero; but lest there should be any mistake upon this point, FTiasten to inform you that though he was and is a hero, lie is not the hero of this tale. That is our hero trotting along by his side—only a dog, but with as faithful a heart in his bosom as any soldier who enlisted at.his country’s call; while, for singleness of purpose, the dog might take precedence of all. For him there was no thought of fame, adventure or compensation; his one "motive was devotion to his master. I do not know to what breed he belonged, nor does it matter. On his own merits let him stand or fall, and not on those of his ancestors. In size he was medium: that is, he would have been small for a Newfoundland,, and large for a poodle. His skin was variegated, or, as I should say, were I describing a piece of calico or mouueline de laine, it had a white ground with polka spots. His face bore the imprint of honesty and goodnature, and his eye looked into yours with a dauntlessness which gave assurance that he had never been caught robbing your larder or worrying your cat. The young man’s name was Karl Beck; the name of the dog was Trump, As Karl stepped on board the cars he was greeted by half a dozen young men of his oWn age, all in the army blue, and -all as merry and smiling as £f they were

about to set out on.fi Fourth of July excursion, instead of going forth to hardship, danger, and perhaps death. “Hollo, a new recruit!” cried one, gayly, with a mock military salute to Trump. ‘hk'ou ought to have shut him up !** said anotne'r. “I don’t believe yon can send him back.” ——-‘ -■ “He isn’t going back,” said Karl, quietly. “What! you’re not going to take him with you?” “Just that,” said Karl. “Do you expect Uncle Sam will find him rations?” “He can share mine, and forage for the rest,” said Karl. “ Suppose we adopt him as child of the regiment?” “Agreed,” chimed in all; and Trump’s position being thus, satisfactorily settled it was never afterward questioned. Indeed, during the three months of camp life which followed, he helped to beguile many a tedious hour for the young’volunteers, and fared sumptuously every day, with very little expense to the Government. He made no intimacies with the strange dogs who hovered about the outskirts of the camp, nor did he drive them away so long as they kept to their own limits; but if one ventured to put his head inside the barracks he forced him to a hasty and ignominious retreat. And this was the rule he adopted with all tramps and hangers-on whatever. At first the Captain of Karl’s company objected to Trump’s appearance at drill, and ordered him confined in his quarters on pain of death, but accidentally discoveiiug one day that he could go through all the exercises quite as well as his young master could he countermanded the cruel order, and henceforth Trump marched forth at the beat of drum with all the steadiness and sobriety of a veteran soldier. ’ But the time came when the idle monotony of camp life was to be exchanged for actual combat. The summons had come —“To the front!” The last thing Karl did before he marched away was to commit Trump to the care of a farmer w’ho lived near the barracks. “Be kind to him. I shall pay for him when I come back; or, if I never come, I think father will send for him.” And Karl turned quickly away, lest the man should see the tear in his eye and mistake the cause. It was the night after the battle. Faint and wounded, with only the dead around him, Karl lay upon the ground, his life-blood ebbing slowly away. Just so he had been lying since four o’clock in the afternoon, when he fell unnoticed, like a 'single leaf that falls in the forest in autumn. * Then he was in the midst of the din of battle, but it had graduaUy retreated, and now he heard no sound but the sigh ing of the wind and the cry of the nightbird. “They’re all asleep at home, little dreaming where I am,” so his thoughts ran; “they’ll read it all to-morrow ‘ Karl Beck, missing.’ No, not that. I hope semebody will find me, and let them know I died honorably. “Hark! a footstep! Can it be that help is coming, or is it some poor fellow, wounded like myself, trying to crawl away from this dreadful place? “ Comrade, are you there?” His voice was weak and faltering, but it elicited a most unexpected response. It was the bark of a dog, and it sent a thrill through Karl’s frame. “ Trump! Trump!” he called, anxiously, raising himself on his elbow’, but falling back exhausted with the effort. Again that short, familiar bark, and the faithful Trump came bounding over wreck and carnage to his master’s side. After a few moments spent in, mutual caresses Trump bounded away as quickly as he had come, leaving his master more desolate than before. “Oh, Trump! Trump! have you left me to die alone?” he murmured. No, Trump has done nothing of the kind, as was evident when he returned shortly, accompanied by several members of the Sanitary Commission, who were doing their good works in another part of the field and who had sense enough to comprehend and give heed to the dog’s appeal for help. They lifted Karl gently to a litter and bore him to the rude hospital improvised for the occasion. “Hiswound is not dangerous, but he would have bled to death before morning if you had not found him,” said the surgeon. ° ■ r „„..

And Karl knew that he was indebted to Trump for his lite. No sooner was Karl discharged from the hospital thap his regiment was again ordered to the front. Determined tiiat the friend to whom he owed so much should not be left to suffer in his absence be committed him to the care of a man who was going North, with directions for forwarding him to his father’s house. Six months afterward he was again wounded at the battle of Coal Harbor and brought up to Washington in the Sally Baker. As there not sufficient ambulances to carry all the wounded to the hospitals at once a large number were laid on the pavement, wrapped in their army blankets; among them Karl. At the precise moment when he was taken from the boat a teamster was passingatong with his cart, followed by a black and white dog; and no sooner was Karl safely deposited on the sidewalk than the dog sprang upon him,, fawning, licking his face, and. making every demonstration of tenderness known to his species. The teamster whistled, but the dog took no more notice of it than if it had been the wind that whistled, so he stopped his horses and came to the sidewalk. “ What are you doing with my dog?” asked he, roughly. “ I rather think he’s my dog,” said Karl. “I tell you he’s mine; 1 bought him and paid for him,” said the teamster. *'Very well, sir.-You can take-Him, then,’’’-said Karl. But all the hoaxing, blandishments and commands of the teamster availed nothing with Trump, and if dragged away a

few yards he would dart back to Karl’s side again. “It’s plain enough you owned him once,” said the teamster, “ but that don’t prove you own him now.” And Karl, too feeble to argue the matter or offer any resistance, saw poor Trump tied to the cart and led away, all the time looking back at him with a pleading expression which cut him to the heart. He believed that he had now, indeed, taken his last farewell of his old friend; but what was his surprise on opening his eyes one morning, after days and nights of pain and delirium, to see Trump sitting at his bedside. “ I reckon he belongs to you ,” said Corporal Goldthwaite, then acting as nurse. “ Yes,” said Karl, laying his hand on the dog’s head. “ Where did you get him?” “He came here himself. He was driven away a number of times,but he persisted in coming back, and we concluded he belonged to some poor fellow inside; so I took him through the wards, and when he got to your bed he just Stationed himself there, and he hasn’t been away since.” From that time until Karl was honorable discharged Trump was allowed to make the hospital his headquarters, and then accompanied his master home to live in peaceful retirement and to rest on his laurels. Now’ don’t you a<rree with me that Trump was a hero? — Ruth Chestejjield, in Youth’s Companion.