He was a rough outside, but a tender heart.
"My poor lad," he blurted out, "it's no use. If you've anything to say,
say it now, for you've nearly done with this world."
Then Bladburn lifted his eyes slowly to the surgeon, and the old smile
flitted over his face as he murmured,--
"Quite so."
NOTES
=the first battle of Bull Run=:--Fought July 21, 1861; known in the
South as Manassas.
=Long Bridge=:--A bridge over which the Union soldiers crossed in
fleeing to Washington after the battle of Bull Run.
=Shenandoah=:--A river and a valley in Virginia--the scene of many
events in the Civil War.
=Fairfax Court House=:--Near Manassas Junction.
=On to Richmond=:--In 1861 the newspapers of the North were violently
demanding an attack on Richmond.
=Faneuil Hall=:--An historic hall in Boston, in which important meetings
were held before the Revolution.
=McDowell=:--Irving McDowell, who commanded the Union troops at Bull
Run.
=McClellan=:--George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac.
=Wandering Jew=:--A legendary person said to have been condemned to
wander over the earth, undying, till the Day of Judgment. The legend is
probably founded on a passage in the Bible--John 21:20-23.
=folding its tents=:--A quotation from _The Day is Done_, by Longfellow.
The lines are:--
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.
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