HONOR TO THE BRAVE.
Paul's mother lived alone, and yet she was not without company; for the
bees and the humming-birds buzzing among the flowers, the old clock
ticking steadily, the cat purring in the sunshine, were her constant
friends through the long summer days. And every morning Azalia came in
and read the news. Pleasant the sound of her approaching step! Ever
welcome her appearance! Winsome her smile! How beautiful upon her cheek
the deepening bloom of a guileless heart!
"Good news!" she exclaimed one morning, as she entered, with glowing
countenance and sparkling eyes, tossing aside her hat.
"What is it, dear?" Mrs. Parker asked.
Azalia replied by opening a newspaper, and reading that "Captain Paul
Parker, who had been acting as major, was promoted to be a colonel for
meritorious and distinguished services at Vicksburg."
"I am glad he has served his country so faithfully," said Mrs Parker,
pleased and gratified, and proud of her son.
"Who knows but that he may be a general yet?" said Azalia, triumphantly.
"We are going to have a jubilee this afternoon over the victories," she
added. She could stop no longer, for she was to take part in the jubilee
with Daphne, and hastened away to prepare for the occasion.
All New Hope turned out to rejoice over the glorious news. Farmers came
with their wagons loaded with things for the soldiers,--bottles of wine,
jars of jellies and preserves, for there were thousands of wounded in
the hospitals. Those who could not contribute such things were ready to
give money, for their hearts were overflowing with gratitude. Old men
came, leaning on their staves or supported by their children, with the
fires of youth rekindling in their souls. Mothers were there, for they
had sons in the service. Paul was not the only soldier who had gone from
New Hope. A score had enlisted. Old folks, young folks, all the people
of the place were there, in the old church.
The evening train came thundering along the railroad, stopping long
enough to leave Paul, who had unexpectedly been ordered to duty in
Tennessee with General Rosecrans. He was granted a week's leave of
absence. There was no one at the depot. He wondered at the silence in
the streets. Houses and stores and shops were all closed. He passed up
the hill to his old home; but his mother was not there, and the door was
fast. The cat was lying upon the step, and purred him a welcome. The
bees were humming over the flower-beds, and the swallows twittered
merrily upon the roof of the house. The remembrance of his boyhood came
back, and he was a child again amid the flowers.
He noticed that the people were around the church, and passed on to see
what had called them together.
"Why, that is Paul Parker, as true as I am alive!" said Mr. Chrome, as
he approached the church.
The little boys caught it up, and cried, "Paul has come! Paul has come!"
and looked wonderingly at his blue uniform, and the eagle on his
shoulders. It was buzzed through the church that he had come. Judge
Adams, who was on the platform, and who was chairman of the meeting,
said: "It gives me great pleasure to announce the arrival of our
esteemed fellow-citizen, Colonel Parker, who has so nobly distinguished
himself in the service of our country."
"Three cheers for Colonel Parker!" shouted Mr. Chrome, and the people,
glad to see him, and brimming over with joy for the victories, sprang to
their feet and hurrahed and stamped till the windows rattled. Judge
Adams welcomed him to the platform, and Father Surplice, Colonel Dare,
and Esquire Capias rose and shook hands with him. Esquire Capias was
making a speech when Paul entered; but he left off suddenly, saying: "I
know that you want to hear from Colonel Parker, and it will give me
greater pleasure to listen to him than to talk myself."
Then there were cries for Paul.
"It is not necessary for me to introduce Colonel Parker on this
occasion," said Judge Adams. "He is our fellow-citizen; this is his
home. He has honored himself and us. We have been trying to be eloquent
over the great victories; but the eloquence of speech is very poor when
compared with the eloquence of action." Then turning to Paul, he said:
"What you and your comrades have done, Sir, will be remembered through
all coming time."
"We tried to do our duty, and God gave us the victory," said Paul. He
stood before them taller and stouter than when he went away. He was
sunburnt; but his countenance was noble and manly, and marked with
self-reliance. He never had made a speech. He did not know what to say.
To stand there facing the audience, with his mother, Azalia, Daphne, and
all his old friends before him, was very embarrassing. It was worse than
meeting the Rebels in battle. But why should he be afraid? They were all
his friends, and would respect him if he did the best he could. He would
not try to be eloquent. He would simply tell them the story of the
battles; how the soldiers had marched, and toiled, and fought,--not for
glory, honor, or fame, but because they were true patriots; how he had
seen them resign themselves to death as calmly as to a night's repose,
thinking and talking of friends far away, of father, mother, brothers
and sisters, their pleasant homes, and the dear old scenes, yet never
uttering a regret that they had enlisted to save their country.
There were moist eyes when he said that; but when he told them of the
charge at Fort Donelson,--how the troops marched through the snow in
long, unbroken lines, and with a hurrah went up the hill, over fallen
trees, and drove the Rebels from their breastworks,--the men swung their
hats, and shouted, and the women waved their handkerchiefs, and cheered
as if crazy with enthusiasm.
Then Azalia and Daphne sung the Star-spangled Banner, the congregation
joining in the chorus. Under the excitement of the moment, Judge Adams
called for contributions for the soldiers, and the old farmers took out
their pocket-books. Those who had made up their minds to give five
dollars gave ten, while Mr. Middlekauf, Hans's father, who thought he
would give twenty-five, put fifty into the hat.
When the meeting was over, Paul stepped down from the platform, threw
his arms around his mother's neck and kissed her, and heard her whisper,
"God bless you, Paul." Then the people came to shake hands with him.
Even Miss Dobb came up, all smiles, shaking her curls, holding out her
bony hand, and saying, "I am glad to see you, Colonel Parker. You know
that I was your old teacher. I really feel proud to know that you have
acquitted yourself so well. I shall claim part of the honor. You must
come and take tea with me, and tell me all about the battles," she
said.
"My leave of absence is short. I shall not have time to make many
visits; but it will give me great pleasure to call upon those who have
_always_ been my friends," said Paul, with a look so searching that it
brought the blood into her faded cheeks.
Hearty the welcome from Azalia and Daphne, and from those who had been
his scholars, who listened with eager interest to the words which fell
from his lips. Golden the days and blissful those few hours spent with
his mother, sitting by her side in the old kitchen; with Daphne and
Azalia, singing the old songs; with Azalia alone, stealing down the
shaded walk in the calm moonlight, talking of the changeful past, and
looking into the dreamy future, the whippoorwills and plovers piping to
them from the cloverfields, the crickets chirping them a cheerful
welcome, and the river saluting them with its ceaseless serenade!