“I have been so busy with our defenders, this afternoon,” said I, “that I have had no time to come and thank you.”
He started, raised his tear-stained face, and said, with a wondering air, “To thank me? For what?”
“For what?” said I; “haven’t you been keeping the rebels away from us? Don’t you know that if it hadn’t been for you and many like you, we might at this moment have been flying from our homes, and General Lee and his men occupying our city? You don’t seem to know how grateful we are to you--we feel as though we could never do enough for our brave Gettysburg men to return what they have done for us.”
This seemed quite a novel idea, and the tears were stopped to muse upon it.
“We tried to do our duty, ma’am, I know that.”
“I know it too, and I think I could make a pretty good guess what corps you belong to. Suppose I try. Wasn’t it the Second Corps? You look to me like one of General Hancock’s men; you know they were praised in the papers for their bravery. Am I right?”
The poor tired face brightened instantly. The random shot had hit the mark.
“Yes, Second Corps. Did you know by my cap?”
“Your cap? You don’t wear your cap in bed, do you? I haven’t seen your cap; I guessed by that wound--it must have been made where there was pretty hard fighting, and I knew the Second Corps had done their share of that.”
But this was dangerous ground, as I felt the moment the allusion to his wound was made; the sympathy was too direct, and his eyes filled at once. Seeing my mistake, I plunged off rapidly on another tack.
“Did you notice my assistant orderly who came in with me just now? He had been over to see you before, for he came and told me you wanted me.”
“I wanted you! No, ma’am; that’s a mistake; no one’s been near me since they bathed me, and gave me clean clothes--I know there hasn’t, for I watched them running all about; but none came to me, and I want so much to have my arm dressed.” And the ready tears once more began to flow.
“There is no mistake. I told you that my assistant orderly came to me in the ladies’ room, and told me that you needed me. Think again--who has been here since you were brought in?”
“Not a single soul, ma’am,--indeed, not a thing, but a dog, standing looking in my face, and wagging his tail, as if he was pitying me.”