Page:All quiet along the Potomac and other poems.djvu/28

22 But, Harry, when the bullets fly, And hot saltpetre flames and smokes, While whole battalions lie afield, One's apt to think about his folks. &quot;And so you saw them? When? and where? The old man&mdash;is he lively yet? And mother&mdash;does she fade at all, Or does she seem to pine and fret For me? And Sis&mdash;has she grown tall? And did you see her friend&mdash;you know That Annie Moss? (How this pipe chokes!) Where did you see her? Tell me, Hal, A lot of news about our folks.

&quot;You saw them in the church, you say; It's likely, for they're always there.&quot; "Not Sunday." "No? A fun'ral?   Who? Why, Harry, how you shake and stare! 'All well,' you say, and all were out. What ails you, Hal?  Is this a hoax? Why don't you tell me, like a man, What is the matter with our folks?"

&quot;I said all well, old comrade, true; I say all well, for He knows best Who takes the young ones in his arms Before the sun goes to the west. The axe-man Death deals right and left, And flowers fall as well as oaks;