| Show ONE off T THE I 1 1111 3 MISSING 1181 S G an old soldier mhd W back baci 1 to his boyhood homo home A man aris walking alon along the high NA I 1 lly ay wat tuat belted i ith while tin green 4 PlIT 1110 of a connecticut meadow little pun puffs s of white dust dua lose at each and ining hung behind him in a I 1 wall all lie ile canie came heavily jelv alic of wini eail i ess et ct steadily tea dily there was that in ili I 1 s lit which associates itself in alio allind inn id N etli bodies of men inen in Lo column lunin llo ilo f beemen the material par pait t ot of an dinv inv ue N hobe hot his gaze was fixed ahead 11 though I 1 on tile the hack back of a front rank 1 le ie and tl the c momentum of mai clung Lo swept min along yet the meadow far farmers and the 1 N eller s in tho the village whose lioe N church ro rose roc c belond it a fri fringe 1 r of cices tices distie distinguished him only as one of that irie modular gular anny of loramer lo raer against alloin a as reputable able citizens they ere ariard 1 I licy would lieve griven no it tt tent tIlt on to ulli binh fine individual dist even lind their critical quality boon educated to it and it was not ill ih i ity ty seurh hud had gone one I 1 ay y sinco since they I 1 ad been enlivened by the presence of re oe military and then it lial had been for but a few lays days and their materialized patriotism 11 ti in marched away away in blue to 1 th v southern war ni no 0 tramps tramp arc inimical to grood order and to safety of lito life and propel t and to be in very I 1 la 11 iad odor in the il liRe a sti stranger anger bad lut but to to present himself tia e staged und and tattered lie ile iQ in arched archel up the road in that unseen coluin a man inan of defeats eata sometimes lie he leaned so far fori forward ard all that lt ili liis balance bee became aine uncertain and lie he wavered d to the plumb men at noila w aik oik afield leaned on oil their hoes as is lie ho passed to regard 1 min him with hostile eves with some ili liis un unsteadiness was the chaslon for derisive mirth but the lder ones one grimly recast forecast lo his detention in tho cahL boose the cost of ili hl inai maintenance rite na rice the tax it brought 13 upon lipcin and reu resumed nied work vork in with all it a fierce berco anc of personal injury and tile the tramp after each wear weaned aed lapse corn com polio pelle I 1 himself to attention and marched on maite tc sill farmhouses stood now mid then along the road As lie came calne breast of one a woman appeared at the door but seeing acin him bilic ho li hastily atily i centered and fastened tile the door vie train tramping ping nian man turned into the dooryard but lie he halted as the woman ainan ap i onrod eared ata cli chamber amber window fluttering her arms arins a though scaring chickens n ache called to him nei nervously bously ap ly 11 G j right away ive got noth ng fol foi you at once lie ho turned and to tools up ili liis s lino line of march aon abong the dusty road 1 4 I lie he woman observed C 1 I tile the heavy mechanical mei ch way in which ilich lie he put liis bis legs successively forwald for waid aid hii arms hanging t nig ht dilvo e sticks ot wood at hu sides and aielt pity for hini him I 1 im almost to borry ry I 1 sent liim him away blie said baid hut but sho bhe did not call him back aej ho he out of hersi her sight glit leavin Ilo however vever the cadence of abis jinsong hin ino soll song haep I 1 kowilich tow to winch ilich ll 11 latr v r wi dmd 1 ditl k bei t fo for r the ant of ai tal thai at day in ili another house as ho he approached a girl was singne tin U hig I 1 bli rilly a sunday bunday school sons on I 1 nut si ecar thin th lyla ly I 1 anil ana dun ib ane LIC boic ALfair fair the thac r liev lovo 0 cf f hamm hearts fc u ryn ry hero I 1 I 1 then the toil bony bibko of anil annl tho called 0 warnings warn l Mot mother lier felicies flici es a tramp coming up tip thy load and the voice ot the mother mollier camf caino ply out to him buc bee il A tha ia hunt door s locked ile iio plodded pa pat paa A witched furtively f aiom I 1 orn behind window blinds ile ivun along n painfully lor for ili hia joints joint were 1 merely norri orn out auty city hinges es 1 by y bieh ln ill limbs inin hung the hot sun un EM 0 hill tho the alno alne dust clinked I 1 im rn lits ins heart was gone out of him buil it went ent on like a tired glicr Ili cr expecting tho welcome halt host J 1 lic he bevelled levelled level led a tree trec by the roadside on the grass gras b beneath neath lie haa belf and lay not mot I oriles llody ly his bis loiue ruo lessoned py by and I 1 ly y lie ho ta sab t up 1 I 1 lie dust ot of the in march reli 1 ad settled thic iv in the loop deep lines and nilles N nn Lles ot of ill hn aiace and rave gave it a diaan look ilia mouth NN vas a firmly icet et taid lna his dim eyes eve looked out resentfully at alic blight aorl orld ld lie ile f falt it the utter f friend in iness ss of a lonely man inin it aid id lie he talked to hemsell him t alicy taink me ino c cipaolo of anything said sz id lie le bittenz bit teny its not lint I 1 hive have been wt its hat I 1 am a tr tramp liap th y inde luscre ma by A var N ar i mccoid coi d dont aoun count t nor three more enlistments enlistment list ments ment nor 3 about in the mines im a giamp thinly tha ty betas yetas a aso ao as t o v ahen lion wo we marched out ot town there were cheers and WIL warms V I 1 ll 11 staving t eno canoua tirril r h now and they mean incan 0 gro o same saine as then only theres a cuiss ith it il now instead ot of a cheer he pulled a fitl arc of hard bard broad bread from ilis his rocket pocket moistened it in ill til tho qa runlet at the loot oi of the tree and bit 1 savagely lie ile heard a door at tho the next farmhouse shut and knew a woman had come out towards hun him lie ho expected a sharp order to move on oil bile bho had nearly reached him when lie looked up and saw that she heu a cup in her liand hand extent extended led towards hi him t m would you like thi milk milic taid said sh she lie ile put his hand out slowly and with tile the cautious alertness of a do dog that covets a proffered bone but doubts doubt the sincerity of tho 0 offer ff er thed his liand hand closed on tho cupa ad ad lie he drained it his eyes aare on t tho alic womans comans face c bresin wonder incredulity astonishment ish ment ile he had biad so little uso use for the enec of ot gratitude that ho he hardly rec oni ionized zed in an I 1 cp coressel ressel it but at last lie he said 1 I hank you she was a large strong farm wife and as slie took tho the cup she smiled at ins his satisfaction atis faction its more filling than vater said slie she tt 1 I saw sav you here and t that flat you N was a 3 not one of the begging kind so I 1 outs to you 1 I 1 stopped at one house down here lie he replied but riot not to beg I 1 dont beg I 1 wanted to ask a question tile the second house lie ho added tentatively oil oh yes the old arnes place I 1 guess you stop ion long if hiram aines had been alive there lie d I 1 have kept icett you a week hut but lies hes dead she talked on garrulously plea pleased sect to navo nave a new listener she did not nob know many people why youre sick she said bald suddenly but the tra tramp gnp shook his head A little tired all and disappointed pointed ive como coine a good g ways to see bee hiram ar arnes n es I 1 could have told him iliin something about his brother ail hat jed ile iio went to war var and was missing 0 after one of those battles they gave up all hopes of ill him and now nov theres a beautiful ua monument to him birn in ill tho the burying ground right beside of hirama afir Hi rams al n S you dont lt 0 n t mean to toll tell tile me ile ho lead dead iio is as good cas as dead said the tramp rising ilo II 11 thanked the woman again and made lier her a half military salute then lie he moved on in a rising cloud of dust till in tho the diaan distance cc liis his figure appeared appeared c I 1 vaguely large and multiplied and tile 11 old II wife shading 0 her eyes and looking after him cried t 1 declare if it dont seem like HIM rt a lot of men all keeping n step to together etlick in tile the henrt heart of the village a large official looking man mail roughly took the tramp by tho the shoulder a and n a said herc ero r you co como me witti with in me ive done nothing lie ho protested and yoi wont won t have n cnance to day ill put a lock on oil you for tonight and to morrow you lea leave e town lie Ile thrust the tramp into tho naked turned the key hey and loft left inin him there the tramp went to the single in le window and looked out mit lie ile saw aw roofs roof and places that memory mado made rouil ir tile tho spire of tile the church steeple rose tapering and through ai tho trues trees lie caught 0 glimpses ot oi white maihles in ill tho the bui buical ial place there liere I liy the man mail lie had tramped fir to we bee ins mind ren reverted arted to the kindly old od w oman who had fo 1 to him 1 and tu to tile the grav graves again that monument to missing soldier now could lie he seca co it th ili fc till tall one perhaps no it was vas too loo 11 ton floii alous tho of a private oi 01 the aine line N would be lost on oil it I 1 it t would be 10 cui ious icus reading eliat epitaph t iome 0 I 1 n 0 thin tiling like this ledu thun allies born 1810 18 to A soldier Mi missing ing after shiloh thiloh there could be nothing 1 ino more m lie could have hanc told a longer story had lilliain ain am lived lie ile could have told it in alio glance of ai eye 1 ilion lien lie ho could han have c spoken of wounds N lio hospital Pital western wc stein service it wa i not woith w now the past seemed in insignificant d to fm tramp alu ysais of hi his Niall wandin kring ng were but a point of time and taio I 1 re resent day clay never ending gaind dwelt upon it liow how with th the cun sun lie biad entered upon fal familiar lilliar scenes and knew that his journeys jou ineys cut en I 1 wai wa reached gnat sunrise was far in the bast now and the kilo lay was eternity ly by aud and ly y lie he lay doin down n on the floor alie sun had set A d a I 1 lam ain co min it maae arnau the air damp and clidy and the tramp shivered ire lose restlessly an ant I 1 to the w adow but the outside was lost in blackness I 1 rom roin time to time lightning tore the clouds apart and through the rents the torrents torrent poured lie ile stood there and muttered some thing to himself i ib b may have been it a prayer after which lie swallowed the contents of a little vial then lie he lay down again ag n ain lie he moaned a little and shivered as with cold arc presently bontly lie he breathed heavily 1 1 lie ho was asleep As it was rainy tile the constable did not provide the tramp with supper and the next morning lie ho found bound him still lying on the floor coma coina got g ct up briod tho the conA constable able and v with ith ins his foot lie ho turned the tramp over to av awaken alcen him with superstitious bious terror lie he then saw tho the man was afterwards afterward iier hey interred the body of the giamp in the anias burial lot and cut the date of ins his death on tile monument of tile tho missing soldier aco I 1 Put putnam naul in harpers weekly |
