the dark lore of death which is the portion of those who have seen men die had the larger experience but dan the finer imagination shivered when the former spoke of the knife as an intimate acquaintance or the latter dwelt with loving on the fate of those who wounded and helpless had been overlooked by the and had fallen into the hands of the women folk knew that the for the present at least was dead knew too that a change had come over dan s usually respectful attitude towards him and horse s laughter and frequent allusions to all that the had guessed the horrible of the death stories however made him seek the men s society he learnt much more than he had for and in this manner it was on the last night before the regiment to the front the were stripped of everything and the men were too excited to sleep the bare walls gave out a heavy hospital smell of of lime and what said in an awe stricken whisper after some conversation on the eternal subject are j l the of the you going to do to me dan this might have been the language of an able a weak spirit you ll see said dan grimly turning over in his cot or i rather say you ll not see this was hardly the language of a weak spirit shook under the bed clothes be easy with him put in from the next cot he has got his o goin clean listen all we want is for the good sake of the regiment that you take your death standing up as a man there be heaps an heaps of enemy � heaps go there an do all you can and die decent you ll die with a good name tis not a hard thing again shivered an how could a man wish to die better than added dan and if i won t said the in a dry whisper there ll be a of smoke returned dan sitting up and off the situation on his fingers sure to be an the noise of the be an we ll be running about up and down the regiment will but we horse and i � we ll stay by you and never let you go maybe there ll be an accident it s playing it low on me let me go for pity s sake let me go i never did you harm and � and i stood you as much beer as i could oh don t be hard on me dan you are � you were in it too you won t kill me up there will you i m not of the treason though you be glad any honest boys drank with you it s for the regiment we can t have the shame o you shame on us you went to the doctor quiet as a sick cat to get and stay behind an live with the women at the t� you that wanted us to run to the sea in life s like the none of your black blood dared to be but we knew about your goin to the doctor for be told in mess and it s all over the regiment bein as we are your best friends we didn t allow any one to you we will see to you ourselves fight which you will us or the enemy � you ll never lie in that cot again and there s more glory and maybe less from the enemy that s fair and he told us by word of mouth to go and join with the � you ve forgotten that dan said horse to justify sentence what s the use of the man one shot pays for all sleep ye sound but you do ye not for some weeks understood very little of anything at all save that ever at his elbow in camp or at parade stood two big men with soft voices him to commit lest a worse thing should happen � to die for the honour of the regiment in decency among the nearest knives but dreaded death he remembered certain things that priests had said in his infancy and his mother � not the one at new york � starting from her sleep with shrieks to pray for a husband s soul in torment it is well to be of a intelligence but in time of trouble the weak human mind returns to the creed it sucked in at the breast and if that creed be not a pretty one trouble follows also the death he would have to face would be physically painful most have large could see himself as he lay on the earth in the night dying by various causes they were all horrible the mother in new york was very far away and the regiment the engine that once you fall in its grip moves j the of the you forward whether you will or won t was daily coming closer to the enemy they were brought to the field of and with the black to aid they fought a fight that has never been set down in the newspapers in response many believe to the fervent prayers of father the enemy not only elected to fight in the open but made a beautiful fight as many weeping irish mothers knew later they gathered behind walls or across the open in shouting masses and were pot in it was expedient to hold a large reserve and wait for the moment that was being prepared by the shrieking therefore the lay down in open order on the brow of a hill to watch the play till their call should come father whose duty was in the rear to smooth the trouble of the wounded had naturally managed to make his way to the foremost of his boys and lay 