ON coming into barracks one morning, some years ago, I was told that Color-Sergeant S. had been taken to hospital, and was very ill.
I went to the hospital, and found him very weak. Seeing that it was probable his illness would end fatally, I asked him if he had anything to settle with reference to his family affairs. He had a wife and six children. He replied that, as he had nothing and Mrs. S. had nothing, there was nothing to settle; but evidently observing that I was very anxious about his family, he said to me, “They will all be provided for.”
I said to him, “Have you no doubts of any sort?” He looked at me in a reproving manner, and replied rather sternly, “To doubt, sir, would be to dishonor God.” Shortly afterward I left the ward, and found next morning that he had passed away during the night.
At the time I speak of very large sums of public money passed through the hands of the Color-sergeants, and though Color-Sergeant S.’s death was very sudden, there was no difficulty about his accounts, everything, to the smallest items, being found correct.
Of his own money I think there was but one shilling in hand for the maintenance of the family — a wife and six children — but a sum of about twenty-seven shillings was found wrapped up in a paper, with a note attached, showing that it was intended for some charitable society; receipts, too, from religious societies for moneys that he had remitted, were amongst his papers.
Seeing that something must immediately be done for the family, I placed in the officers’ mess a sheet of paper, headed with a short memorandum setting forth the circumstances in which a widow and six children had been placed by the sudden death of the color-sergeant, with a view to collecting any subscriptions that those who knew this non-commissioned officer might be disposed to give.
I may here state that, owing to active service in which our forces had shortly before been engaged, such appeals had been just then more than usually frequent, and but little could therefore be expected.
However, in a very short time, there was placed in my hands a sum of over seventy pounds. I gave enough to the widow for the expenses she had to meet, and then remitted the balance to the rector of the parish, in England, where she intended to reside.
Some time afterward I wrote to this clergyman, inquiring for the family, and hinting that, if it was thought necessary, more money might probably be got.
He replied, saying that all were doing well, and took no notice of my allusion to additional funds.
From that time — several years ago — to the present, neither the clergyman nor any member of the family I was interested in ever asked for a single farthing!
It would, I think, be difficult to illustrate more forcibly how well grounded was a Christian soldier’s confidence, when he assured his doubting captain that the widow and six children would “All be provided for.”
MILES.