The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-05-14

Your colonel will not order you to do him
an extra service, but the surgeon has told
us that our wounded will die of thirst
before morning unless they have water.
Boye, there is stream at the foot of this
hill. Will any of you volunteer to bring
some for your comrades
There was moments silence, for all
the men knew that the service he asked
within the Indian line-if anything so
irregular could be called line-and they
were physically so tired that exertion,
much less daring, seemed impossible.
Only moment, and then q tall young
man jumped up in his place, a couple Of
yards from the colonel's side, and waved
his cap over his head.
al will 60, colonel =" cried Tom O'Hal.
loran's CHEEKY voice. Friends, who will
help to bring some water for those who
have not been so lucky as we have2"
Soldiers only need leader to do gal
liant thing, and in two moments eight
men-the colonel would not permit more
to go-crept out over the rampant, every
second man carrying tin bucket, and
the others acting as guards. Very breath
lessly their comrades waited the result,
and the colonel clinched his hands in help.
less grief when he heard the firing telling
that they had been attacked. But they
came back presently-seven of them,
wonderful to say-with water enough TO
give everybody drink, and to keep the
wounded supplied for several hours, and
the only missing man was Tom O'Hallo-
ran
His mother said that he would make
the regiment proud of him." muttered
the colonel to the officer beside him, and
neither was ashamed of the tears on his
cheek.
1t was not night on which it was pos
sible for commanding officer, however
tired, to sleep and two hours later, when
all had been quiet for over an hour, and
in the dusky skies the stars were shinin G
brilliantly, the colonel moved noiselessly
across the sleeping men to sentry who
for some five minutes had been fxedly
watching something on the other side OF
the defences.
"What is is ?" he asked in sh arp
whisper.
81 think it is one of our men, colonel
but am not sure" answered the soldier
pointing to dark form crawling on hands
and knees, with many pauses, near the
top of the hill.
"Who goes there ?" cried the colonel.
"Tom," came faint reply; and in ar
instant, forgetting that it was his duty az
commander not needlessly to expose hi;
life, the colonel was over the defences, ant
kneeling beside bleeding, CHASTITY, bu
living Tom o Halloran.
Great God my dear boy, how die
you get hereY We thought you were
dead |"
So did /, colonel, twice." murrhureC
Tom, with a CLEAN that was half fun
half tenderness, in his dim eyes. "But
promised my mother to 60 back to her
and 1 was not going to break her hear
just when had done something at las
to make her little proud of her worth
less fellow
You all know that they were rescued
next day, " all that was left of them
but think you will be glad to hear tina
Tom O'Halloran kept his promise to hi
mother, and lived, though he lost a leg
and was otherwise so injured that he vii
never be strong man again. But he il
the hero of his regiment, and whether
desire to live up to his new place in mem
esteem helped him, or whether the goot
in his nature would have triumphed soone
or later without the assistance of hi
heroism, is question the colonel is font
of arguing, always ending by inviting hi
auditor, If stranger, to 60 with him t
the regimental hospital, where Tom ha
become model book-keeper and steward
and one of the best of sons to his happ,
and proud old mother.-Harper's Weekly