Show rn IM THE MOONLIGHT one day it was waa whispered in our camp before petersburg Petern burg that sergeant jarka jacks olife had died sergeant jack was reserved and rather morose and none of us ir knew whether he had a wife or not until the rumor came the sergeants sergeant demeanor told us that the story was true the soldiers in mental suffering was waa plain to all who looked into hta his face lie ile had loved tier her well mell and the blow 11 hid I 1 d come suddenly cud denly in a weeks tinie time lie grew so ao old and haggard that one om could hardly identify him as the same man some of the men whisperingly declared that lie ha va would do BO 80 i A 4 denpei ate thing others that lie he would hear bear it like a man and get the boat best of it after a while wo loved serge int jack every man of its iia in D B company an and he had the sympathy of all hla his coi rades things were thus when it came our turn to RO go into the rifle ride pits on the line nearest the confederates we had to march town down from camp by covered ways and crawl into the pits like so 80 many serpents death was waiting for any man who but showed hta his head above aboe a pit not a finger could be held up tip without a dozen bullets being fired at it on this night it flaa A as bright moonlight so blight lit ight thit that one could see eveia leaf and blade of grass and every insect moving about the great guns guna mete silent after a hot day s work but there was it a spiteful and murderous file of musketry along the rifle pits the bullets whizzed above our heads in a vengeful may and the officers kept crying look out men keep don as we neared the pit PIN men dropped off heie bete and chete until only six of ua left and sergeant jack had chaice of placing us its the men in the pits had to come out first I 1 and as soon as they got the signal they began the movement we were watching them as they wormed themselves along the ground when sergeant jack suddenly uttered a groan it was not a croan of biln but of anguish such a sound as a strong man might milie when lie he felt hla his heart breaking bie bi caking aking over his grief all of us its to look at him and as we did so BO lie he stepped out bioni under shelter into the opening and the moonlight and was as face to face alth death down sergeant come back look out we shouted at him but he drew himself up tip and walked straight toward the confederate lines his appearance amazed tho the sharpshooters for halt half a minute so bright was aas the moonlight that they could look right into his eyes it was not the act of a brave man none of them would mould put it dom down a to bravado lie was mas not a deserter seeking admission to their lants we to them not to shoot that our sergeant had lost his mind and those directly in blont heard us and withheld their ali flie e 1 r those on the flanks boye however i or could not ratch catch our words and probably pio bably belles lilied pd that sonie some hostile movement was contemplated a score of muskets blazed away anay at the target in the moonlight we saw sergeant jack halt totter throw up tip hla his handi bandi and sink down and we knew that lie he mas dead had courted death because there was nas nothing in life for him we crept out lit find and rescued his body for a soldiers soldier a burial mole moie than a dozen bullets had struck him and on his face was a look of relief it a look which came there in lila his dying moment as he realized that death would end RII all detroit free press |