Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-07-21

my hosts manner changed suddenly
as he uttered the last word; the half
comic look upon his face vanished, and
one of intense pain took its place; he
seemed oblivious of my presence and OF
everything but the bitter memory upon
which :he dwelt; presently he began to
speak, as to himself, with intense earnest
ness and empathic gesticulation, evidently
telling his story just as it had become
familiar to his mind by constant dwelling
upon it. ....
| He started as though he was shot; and
so he was, poor little fellow-killed SO
quick that he had not time to bid his
brother goodbye thought when he
fell over, his hat covering his face as he
fell, that he was fooling.
Get up, Tommy L said. 'Recollect
you are soldier on picket duty and
then I saw a spot of blood, and snatched
his hat away just in time to see the death
culver on his lips. The cursed ball had
struck him in the forehead and left its
leaden mark upon the fair skin. If God
had been pleased just then to have aimed
a thousand thunderbolts at me, and
shivered me to atoms, L would have
thanked him. as | shall thank him now
when he sends his messenger. My poor
little brother, whom [ loved so much, was
dead | put his blanket under his head,
and spread my handkerchief over his face,
and was just trying to think what to do
next, when another ball. aimed at me,
struck the ground. / turned like light
ming and saw the smoke of the discharge
saw it Just curling away from the foli-
age of an elm tree, standing In the open
field, not a hundred yards away, and
knew, the moment l saw it, that the man
could hardly escape me, for l had learned
to shoot There was little hillock some
twenty yards in advance of the brush
which was supposed to be our, eoVe'
Snatcbino MP my rife l. reached 1t III
a dozen bounds, but just in time to re-
ceiye third discharge from the tree
; The ball struck my left arm and made g
; flesh wound in it. 1t was very unlucky
il made me feel less sure of vengeance
it bothered me about loading. | crouched
down to bind it up with lint as well as
/; [ could 1t was not very bad. The man
in the tree saw that was wounded. He
laughed derisively he was not coward
No matter about binding it up,' said
he, i will send you a finisher IN 8
minute l could not see him he could
/ not see much of me / made no reply II
his remark, but leveled my rifle, using thu
summit of the hillock for a rest, anC
hoped that fate would give me a speedy
chance to take his life. l waited twenty
; minutes-half an hour. Not a sounC
from the tree; he was wary. | pulled
> the trigger. A few leaves flew-nothine
: more. Now was the time of my danger
How could load without exposing my
self? 1t was difficult, but by taking my
time, by great care and great caution,
had the ball rammed home, when, ia cap
ping the rifle. my right arm appeared 10
> moment above the hillock, and that me
: ment received ball. Luckily lthis to
was flesh wound unluckily my eyes ha'
J been fixed upon the nipple of my gun
4 and when | turned them on the tree tn
puff of smoke was far above the spo
" :, tiuL. IIAd Issued, ana dared mol rl-l
j. another shot just then. l bound up m
= second wound rs well as L could bleed
l ing so much here made me feel a littl
faint.
Hitherto the advantage had all beel
with my antagonist. But for something
!, inside that told me l should have his life
| should have been discouraged. As
was I waited patiently another half hour
cursing with some vehemence the stupid
ty of our captain, who had been a tailo
Z six weeks previous, in throwing out de
= tached sentinels SO far in advance of tn
supports. But my opponent was patien
too he was more patient than | !; he ha
reason, perhaps; he knew | was bleedin;
. in two places, at least. Weary, at last
; with so much waiting, l suddenly threw
my foot up above the hillock. to draw hi
d. fire. He fred and missed; I fired at tht
. spot whence the smoke issued, ant
thOught-it was nothing but fancy-tha
| heard an exclamation of pain / loadet
: in safety and again threw up my foot
d again he could not resist the temptation
r he fred and missed again.
+ How [ watched the tree to see, by tn
: motions he made in loading, his position
e And how careful he was! With all 10,
f watching l could only detect one littl
= uncertain movement of the branches, bu
!, that was enough. | fired, and the musi
o of the groan that followed the shot mad
l. me tremble all over with JOY. He wa
e hurt badly, / knew, for he made tn
# branches shake with his motions of pain
/ and when fired again he dropped from
# the middle of the tree to one of the lowe
2 branches, and the lower part of his bod,
= came in sight, though his face was still
t concealed. He was in citizens dress.
4 You need not shoot again. said he, :
= am hit in the breast and stomach, ant
o shall soon be cold mutton
; These words were spoken slowly, witt
t much effort, while L was loading IN,
f piece. This made no impression upon me
e / wanted to see him as stiff as my poo
little Tommy. L could not afford to tax
i his word that he was mortally wounded.
e leVeled my rifle again, and was abou
: to draw the trigger, when the bushwhack
o er suddenly dropped to the ground witt
h a great effort he held the rife he had used
o in the air, with the butt end up. It wa
= a sIgular piece, with the stock almost GOV
cred with fantastic devices of sheet brass
: | well [ knew itl How we'll knew nov
i the man who held it
r Brother he said, don't shoot again
e A brothers blood is already on your SOU
and on mine. 1t is a sad business. Coo
f is my witness that l did not know yol
8 till the last shot was fired and you ros
mp
I knew he spoke the truth. Wild. I'M
| governable and a traitor, / knew m
{ brother Charles would not have killed hi
little brother in cold blood. / don't know
q exactly how felt when | heard my broth
8 er's words know / changed instantl,
and permanently. There was a suddei
darkening, inside and outside and al
around; there was an instant confusion
of ideas and associations which has neye
wholly subsided. There was suddeI
rebellion in my heart, a wild asking VIII,
all these things should happen to me, s.
much in so little time, that no time coult
wipe out,-and then a wish that / coulC
weep, without the power. Deep, indeed
is the sorrow that dries tear-springs up
there is danger in such-danger to the
body and the soul. .. [.
A few moments found me kneeling at
my brothers side. Dissipation and pas
sion had changed him much since l saw
| him, seven years before; but he was still
my brother, and if he had killed my
youngest brother had killed him, and
there was extreme misery all around
He was bleeding profusely and suffering