The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-06-26


he had just taken from the soldiers hand {;
man in the chain; Russian shell came
bounding with wire, then burst aud scat.
tered its deadly fragments with terrific
force. One of It's great iron shrebs passed
there was just room for it-between his
leg and the soldiers that stood next him.
They looked each other in the face.
"a near shave that, sir ~ said the man
"nearer than you thiEk for, perhaps" he
answered FOR he had felt The rounded sur
face of the fragment actually brnse him as
il passed, whereas lis ragged edge had sha-
ven, With marvellous neatness, from his
trowser, part of the broad red stripe up on
the outer seam.
venture 10 give these minute details, be-
cause they may help other civilians, as
they helped me, 20 ''realize,n as the call ii
nowadays, more vividIy the risk of day
battle, aud the large drafts they draw upon
mans fund of nerve and composure, Just as
he stands, without coming into any close en-
counter
But at last the firing was done; and, bare
headed, as have said, he turned and rode
back towards The camp.
Ii was before the famine period there, and
though there was no superhui:y OF food,
there was food 10 be had and after that
long days fighting, men were in sore need
OF it.
1t was dusk, and he was lighting a can
die 10 sit down TO his meal, when the voice
of French soldier called something like
his name from the outside. He was him.
self perfect master of that language, as
the "Soldat de train'' who stood outside
found 10 his great relief upon his first utter
ance of inquiry.
The Frenchman held a mule by the bri-
die, and cross the creatur's back lay some
| thing which looked like heavily parli.
colored sack. Ii was far otherwise ghast
y burden. The body of an officer, strip
ped bare of all bul the irowsers, the dark
clothed legs hanging one way, the fair skin
ned naked shoulders and arms the other,
the face towards line ground
n was directed, mon officer bring this
poor gentleman's corpse to you They say
that you were friend of his-his name is
Captain X-.n
Even at tha, early stage of the campaign
such shocks had lost the startling effect of
novelty; nevertheless, there were few
names among those of his friends and COM
rades which it could shock and grieye him
more 10 hear pronounced under such cir
cumslances. The light was fetched. He
raised the poor body then, with sigh,
lei i: once more gently down. There was
small round hole in the very centre of the
forehead, whereat the rife ball had darted
into the brain of his hapiess friend.
He called orderly and directed him to
accompany The Frenchman TO the dead
mans tent. He would himself soon follow
and see to his receiving soldiers obseauies.
His WEAKNESS and exhaustion were such
as 10 render it imperatvely necessary that
he should fret take his food, to which he
returned, with what increased weights at
heart who shall tell? II needs not that the
tension Of mans nerves should be strung
tight by the hand of battle for him 10 know
from bis own experience what is strange
and awful, AMI weird feeling oil the first re.
lexaiion of them in the early after hours of
responsibility, bangor, or important crisis
of decision. If aPparitions, and visions of
things unearthly be indeed mere fictions of
mems brains. such after hours are just those
wherein the mind is readiest 10 yield to the
powers of illusion. Illusion or reality more
startling more anaccounable by Tar than
il? Whether OF the Two was this?
/ There entered at the curtin OF his tent the
dead man, towards whom, in some few
minutes more he should have been showing
the last SAD kindness. The light fell full
and clear upon his face. He took off his
forage cap, he came in. The broad white
forehead showed no longer any trace of the
murderous incrash of the ball which had
/ slain him. into the dull glazing eyes the
CLEAN of returned life (? Or do The eyes of
/ ghosts flash life like so
/ "What made you send that Frenchman
with my corpse 10 me? At least, he would
insist thai ii was mine y
"X-! Good heavens! can il be
you, indeed?"
"Who shonId il be? What ails you
man? Why do you stare at me so z"
81 cannot say what aiIs me, but | am
surely under some strange delusion. It is
not half an hour, surely, since saw you
stretched lifeless on mules back, with
rife bullet between your eyes. What can
this mean? You are not even wounded"
"No, thank God nothing has touched
me for this once; but that the French SOL
dier-did you then send him up indeed 2"
''In1eed did,
Hideous comico-tragc episode in the aw-
fuI drama of war They discovered by-