Show I In I n the t h It e Name N WT ame of o or f the t h e Most M ost H Ig ign h I Author T The By e Red of Republic The W King CHAMBERS A in King Yellow and anda a Few Dukes etc Copyright 1896 by G P Sons S ns Entered at Stationers Hall Hail London 4 Concluded from front last Sunday On the third day noon the fire slackened the smoke from the four batteries on the bluff across the north fork of the tho river slowly lifted drifting to the east The Texas rifle riflemen riflemen men kept kept up a pattering fusillade until 1 then their bugles rang Cease firing and ho echoes of the thelast thelast last ast sulky sull Y shot died out against the cliffs I Keenan crouching behind one of his hot guns suns could see the Texas Texan sharp sharpshooters sharpshooters sharpshooters shooters retiring to the bluff little gray ra shadows in the thicket gliding flitting like wild toward the nest of cannon above Dont let em get away like that shouted Douglas give it to them in inthe Inthe Inthe the name of God Godt And Keenan smiled and sent the Texans a messenger In the name of God Goda a messenger which fell thunder thundering thundering ing lug from the sky above them crushing the face of the cliff and the lives JIves of those who had clustered there to breathe a little Amen said Keenan pattIng parting his hisgun hisgun gun Eun Douglas crawled out of a hole hol in the rocks and drew himself lip p to the edge of the breastworks emerged from a shallow rifle riOe pit and walked slowly along the mo motioning motioning motioning his men back into their bur burrows burrows burrows rows Because he said a hole hote in the is worth two in your head get into that ditch Morris Cunningham if it you dont duck that red head of yours Ill dock it Captain said Douglas lowering towering his field glass two batteries have limbered up and are trotting toward the cemetery May they trot into it and stay there said Keenan examining the wreck of an ammunition chest In the ditch studied the bluff with his marine glasses for a while then called to eenan cenan How many guns have nn now p Four I shouted Keenan from the ditch all my horses are shot except two mules A hurst burst of laughter cut him short his own tattered artillery artillerymen men to their credit did not smile but Douglas and Kellogg laughed and rows of grinning faces emerged from holes end nd pits along the ditch until shouted Down and his infantry dis disappeared disappeared appeared chuckling Keenan red in inthe Inthe the thc face turned to his battery men who Mho were running the guns forward and put his own ragged shoulder to the wheel sat at down on a astone astone astone stone and watched a lank artilleryman splicing the dented staff of the battery guidon guldon guidonI I guess dew lie he drawled holding the staff out to Cley more who took it and rubbed the pol polished polished polIshed wood with his sleeve It will do Pillsbury he said where is Shot in the said the private private vate ate and unable tew tev work Dead I presume likely hes daid dald sir re returned returned returned I turned Pillsbury through his nose Ive rYe got a man the guidon called Keenan from the ditch and a afat afat afat fat freckled waddled for forward forward ward and stood at attention Look out sang ng out Douglas from his post on the breastworks and Down cried as a shell rose in the air over them and arid the boom of a gun rolled across the river from the to bluff The scream of the shell ceased eased a white cloud shot with light lightning lightning lightning ning appeared in the air above them theman and an l a storm of shrapnel swept the breastworks sprang to his feet but the fat remained on the ground Get Got up said mid id cautiously Pillsbury lift him is he dead I guess said Pillsbury hes suf term ferin from a hereditary disease Eh Kh What disease snapped Cloy Cle Clemore more nore stepping forward I guess its death said Pillsbury with an expressionless onless wink Cle more stared at him through his eyeglasses then turned on his heel I wish grumbled rumbled Keenan that the wounded would make mak make less tess noise Douglas send them bucket of water will you ou Is the surgeon dead Dying said Kellogg KelloS never mind Douglas Ill see to the water keep your our glass on their batteries are they doing now newT Nothing replied ed Douglas wait walt a abit bit all here come their sharpshooters ers again To hell with them muttered Kee Keenan Keenan Keenan nan savagely for his battery men had been bren cruelly scourged by the sharp sharpshooters sh sharpshooters rp shooters and he almost foamed with rage when he looked over into the ditch at the foot of the mound The Theodor Theodor Theodor odor from the tile ditch had become fright frightful ful Look down there Captain he called to his voice trembling with passion but only nod nodded nodded nodded ded sadly He was watching some something Something something thing else A figure in the uniform of ofa ofa ofa a staff officer filthy with grime and sweat had crawled through what was left of ot the covered cover d bridge across the South Fork and was wriggling his way toward the debris of cattery battery watched him with puckered eyes What do you want sonny he asked as the staff officer crept past him orders Give em to me keep to the ground you OU fool he added as asa asa asa a night flight l ht of bullets swept overhead The staff officer lifted a flushed face scratched and smeared with dust and sweat and attempted a salute Colonel compliments to Colonel Randal he began but was Interrupted by b Colonel in the ditch below with most of his regiment piled on top of ot him What are your our orders hold on to the bridge till hell freezes I thought so Im Cle Captain in the Tenth New Yorks sharpshooters left lett of ot us and theres two doz dozen dozen dozen en of Colonel Rhode Islanders among em too Major Wilcox has got a hole in his face and ant cant speak you see left of bat battery tery four guns and few to serve em except x ept my riflemen General Hooker in sight si ht The staff officer raised his blue eyes to the wreck of the battery and then thon looked questioningly at The latter lay moodily twisting and an un untwisting untwisting untwisting twisting the stained leather thong whipped about his sword hilt Im ranking officer here he said the rest are dead My compliments to General Kempner and tell him his orders shall be obeyed Both bridges are mined Murphy Is watching for Longstreet What ar at you shivering for far aria Ague said the he staff officer in a low I voice spat out a mouthful of dust that a bullet had bad flung In his ls fa e and I f a wiped his glasses his sleeve Who Vho are you from anyway he demanded I dont take orders from Colonel Worth General Kempner is dead said the staff officer simply si ply Keenan came up chewing a a twig and whistling Captain said ald the staff officer my m horse has been shot and Colonel Worth is w I Will you point out to tome me the quickest way back Back broke in Keenan you cant get back my boy boyt boyI I must said the youngster with without without wIthout out glancing at the artillery officer Oh if its a case of must said indifferently come ahead and he rose to his knees knee and peered across the swollen South Fork now a avast aast avast vast ast torrent of mud v Crack Crack rang tie the t rifles from the opposite shore and the ilie little staff officers cap was Jerked from his head and rolled down the embankment into the river Keenan cursed Come on sonny said scrambling down the embankment to the ditch The ditch was choked with mangled bodies In blue flung one over the other amid smashed gun wheels caissons knapsacks and rifles and the staff officer hesitated for an instant at atthe atthe atthe the brink Jump called here Get down behind this rock and keep your our nose out of sight those Texas gentlemen waste few bul but bullets bullets lets are you hit bitT No said the little staff officer Bull luck did you see men The shells did it look there He pointed the length of ot the ditch The staff officer turned pale Every Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere where corpses mere heaps of blue rags stained yellow by dust d st and black with stiff blood everywhere dented canteens twisted d muskets unsavory scattered clothing worn shoes and shrunken blue aps caps A big blacK blacKhorse blackhorse blackhorse horse bloated and dusty lay with hind legs stark in the air under him were dead men men mostly by bythe bythe bythe the red stripes on the faded trousers Claymore pulled his short blonde mustache and turned to the u u ricer ticer You see that slaughter pen he said tell Hill Colonel Worth The staff officer felt for his cap re remembered remembered remembered it had been shot off his head and looked gravely at I have four guns and two hundred and twenty odd men salt said s ld the latter lattin if they b back their batteries an hour or so will see us all in the ditch below with Randal if they the dont we can held on to the SouthFork Fork bridge I fancy Do you ou know kno why they with withdrew withdrew withdrew drew their batteries No unless ss it was to shell Colonel Colon l cavalry His men are in the woods behind the railroad If you can hold bold the bridge until night Ig t they will keep the line open Colonel Worth is waiting I must go back ba k now cap captain captain tain tam Clemore leaned along the tim edge of the protecting ledge and Handed banded His l is tp the boy Now he hie said can see the bend in the river There are arc three pines on the bank above see Yes Take the footpath by those pines until you come to a burnt barn Fol Follow Follow Follow low the river after that and If the Iron bridie blown up yet et you ou can get g Jt across if it is blown up you cant join Colonel Worth But a a boat boatA A boat in that They Th 3 looked at the foaming torrent thundering among the rocks After a a moment the staff officer pointed lo to the bridge br d e below them Oh said you came that way wa you Well VeIl miracles hap happen pen and that was one of them but if you try to to get back that way the per performance performance performance wont be encored and you youcan youcan youcan can bet your curly head on that my myson myson myson son Its the shortest way said the lit little little littie tle tie staff officer Yes the shortest way to kingdom come said if youre not shot the Texans will catch you They Th y were crouching on the hot dried grass side by side The sweat poured down forehead washing the powder grime into thick patches over his young face He threw his blackened Jacket open at the threat th at rubbed his forehead with his sleeve and said Whew Its the shortest way repeated the theother theother theother other rising to his knees kneesY You Y u cant c nt go said sharp sharply ly the bridge is mined and Murphy r may blow it up any moment The youth handed back the field glass with a smiled smile For Fora a moment their eyes met then flushed face turned a bright crimson and he caught his breath murmuring Im blest bl st Captain said the staff officer er coolly you ou u are detaining me from my duty dut Have I 1 your permission to leave They eyed each other steadily You must not go said in ina ina ina a curious husky voice let me send a aman aman aman man I manHave Have I your leave Come back cried I wont give it but tha youngster sprang td to t his feet touched his curly head in quick salute and started on a arun arun arun run toward the covered bridge hold holdIng holding Ing his sabre close chose to his is thigh Drop shouted and be began began began gan to swear under his breath but the youngster ran on and to amazement ment the rifles of the fierce Texans on the other side of the river were silent On arid ard still on ran the boy loy until with a sigh of astonishment and relief saw him push In among among the handful of engineers at the end of the bridge but he went no fur further further further ther for they stopped him him wIth leveled bayonets shaking their heads and gesticulating gesticulating gesticulating and suddenly Cle more no noticed noticed noticed that the bridge was afire at the further end Murphys fired the bridge he call called called called ed out to Kellogg on the tho plateau above Kelloggs Head appeared over a shat shattered gun limber Then coming you bet betI f I suppose so 50 cant you ou lee I ce any anything anything anything thing Call Douglas The Texas rifles cracked again Kel Kellogg Kellogg Kellogg logg did not answer Cant you see Sel Selany any movement near the woods de demanded demanded demanded from his rock Then he be looked carefully at Kelloggs head appearing to rest between two bits Of 61 sod od and he lie saw In lii the middle of the forehead a round dark spot from which a darker line crept cropt slowly down over the nose After a second sec nd or two he turned from U tl dead eyes staring fixedly fI at him and looked hooked across the river where the tho rifles s were yere The round white whit blotches of ot smoke hung along the river r bank like shreds of cot coth cotS h S IJ t t r ton floating Then he glanced toward the bridge again There was a commo commotion commotion commotion tion there a group of excited soldiers around aroun a slender figure bareheaded gesticulating that hop o my thumb up to now he muttered excitedly and raised his By Jingo Trying Tryl g to cross the bridge and its afire afir For a moment he knelt his eye eye glued to the then with an ai angry exclamation he lie turned toward the floating along the opposite bank sank The chances were that hed hel he be hit anti and he knew it but he only mut muttered muttered muttered pettishly Young fool and started stooping low toward the swaying knot of men at the bridge The chances were ten to one that hed be hit and he lie was but he only straightened up and ran on The minie balls baUs came whining about his head the blood ran down into his boot and filled it so that he be slopped as he ran And after all he lie was too late for as asie ashe aslie lie he ie panted up to the bridge far down the covered way he saw the youngster Speeding over the smoking rafters Stop him he gasped A soldier sol raised his rifle but Cloy I more Jerked it down Not that way he said leaning back backon on his sword Along the dry timbered tunnel crept the boy for the fire was all about him now Once he fell but rose again Has the mine been fired the pow pm powder powder der trail asked Clemore in a dull voice A soldier nodded and opened his mouth to speak but a deafening roar drowned his voice and gave i his answer Is that all asked again as the smoke rushed skyward and the ground trembled and cracked beneath them One more said sid c a sergeant curtly as Captain Murphy hurried up The whole further section of the bridge had crumbled into the torrent below The smoke swept s ept through the tunnel and when it lifted caught a glimpse of ot a figure figu dragging itself back from the gulf ahead The sol soldiers soldiers soldiers diers saw It too He Ho would go said one ne of them themas as though peaking to himself tore off his Jacket and held it to his face You cant do it cried d Murphy hor horrified horrified rifled Let go goI I must said Cle more quietly cut the match if you can The other mines are arc on fire In the name of or God urged the en engineer engineer engineer officer holding him back by byboth byboth byboth both shoulders Damn you Murphy let me go cried crimI fiercely let go I say sayI I will not hot wo we cant lose you ou foi fez a fool of or a R boy But Bat its a woman roared Cley Cloy more wrenching himself freo frei fre II As he ran through the bridge bridges bright little flames shot from th crackling ra k ing timbers and he felt the hot ho breath of oC the tile furnace underneath And all ir the hie lime in he kept repeating as ashe ashe ashe he ran Im a fool Im a fool its s all allup allup allup up now but he hurried on shielding Ms Ils face with his braided jacket feeling his way through the flurries of smoke and |