| Show the old soldiers death the veteran alts sits in hie his easy chair on his hi p porch 0 ach at the hour of noon and 1 look the clouds of his ion bonx K a stemmed pipe 0 or the lie b bountiful ui meadows ot of june till the fire dies out of the olor oui leave leaves that under their rahea ashes are hll hid and the tiro fire Is quenched in ln his yet keen eye by the drop of it its x tremendous lid then he node nods and he be dreams forgetful forret ful i of all aalthe the mortgage the crop crops and the rain for the 41 edg 1 arlea and arume of the lone long aeo aco are echoing loud in h ahli Is brain let lot the bubke and drum drums call on call on shrill blast and voluminous roll for they aund a und to the conflict enacted aga again t n on the held field of the mou boul although in the trenches they ve mould ered away avay for many and many a year in rank upon rank lent wit with h the men and an d their leaders a appear P for aey barahal ma rahal those squadron quail roni 1 pa 0 of ghosts that weep sweep 0 er or the hoof iut ut plain and the keen bright swords of the long ion ago ag o an flashing anew in his brain let the besles and drums play on play on the sword wale biales w wheel h e e 1 the b battle a t t le rune runs riot in tom tempests pesta of ead and terrible whirlwinds of heel ua and onward the riders columns ot of moke smoke sweep down in the heart of the tray ray the veteran borne in the midst ot of the charge on the back of his strenuous gray ry but he 9 falls from his addle maddle still clutch ing at air and the battle Is over again dy by the bull bullet e t that thit wounded him long ago today to day slay he Is I 1 stretched with tho slain the bugica bugles and drums have ceased have ceas ceased ed th cannon roar not on the une hill h stillness t gliness of noon has been broken alone lone by the pipes pip 9 of the locust shrill he lie slips from the arme of his easy chair nd ale lies s outstretched on the floor ax an tie te ell 11 f from r 0 m his horse in his hn younger days and lay in he she dust and the bore gore I 1 the doctor will come and mutter his ho heart art but never a doctor ca can n know lie ile was killed kilted by the bullet tha that t wounded him once in a battle of lone long ago liverpool I ene mercury |
