The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-08-14

| finally burst over near the road. Mrs.
Gayes turned pale.
Come down into the cellar with me,
all of YOU" she said; and they obeyed
with alacrity. After she had quoted
Eliza, the negro servant, who was al
ternatelv praying to ode good Lord"
and to "Missus Cages" to save her, she
said:
Charley, you must run up to Mr..
Persons just as fast as you can, and
ask him to go around to the fort and
have the firing stopped. And YOU re-
main at Mr.. Persons until I send for
you. Don't come back. You are not
afraid to go, are you?"
"No, mamma; Tn not afraid, answer.
ed the brave little fellow as ne clasped
his mothers hand a little tighter.
II knew you would not be; and now
IS soon as the next shell comes [ want
you to CO." When it came she kissed
him, and said, Now, my brave boy,
rum"
She would gladly have gone herself,
but she thought If better to remain that
she might be with the other two chill
dren in case the house should be struck
and burned. It cost her a struggle to
send her son forth on such a perilous er-
rand, and her face was very pale as she
kissed him. Away sped Charley
through the garden, glancing with Won
der at the great burrows the shells had
ploughed, climbed the fence and started
to run with all his might toward Mr..
Persons house, which was half a mile
distant. He had scarcely left the gar
den fence, however, when another shell
came tearing through the shubbery he
had just passed and burst close to the
house. The mothers heart stood still
for an instant, and there was cause for
it. One of the flying fragments struck
poor Charley, and he fell to the
ground with a cry of ooh, mammal
Down in the cellar the mother heard
the cry of her wounded boy, and in
a moment she was kneeling by
his side. 1t was g sad sight for a moth
er to look upon. The cruel piece of
iron with its ragged edges had stripped
a great piece of flesh from the back of
his ankle upward, completely severing
the cord and laying bare the bone. He
was lying upon his face and the blood
was already staining the green grass
where he had fallen. Speaking words
of encouragement, she removed his shoe
and the fragment of stocking, and hasti-
ly bound up the wound with strips torn
from her clothing. In this way she
stanched the flow of blood and quieted
his fears, though she could not alleviate
his pain.
"Now, Charley, I must go up to Mr..
Persons myself, for a she'll may strike
the house and then Mary and Robby
will be burned. I'll put you behind
that tree, and you viii not be in much
danger"
But you'll run, mamma, won't
you?"
And the tears trickled down Charley's
cheeks, though he tried very hard to
keep them back. The tree was a large
chestnut, anG It's generous trunk Of
torded pretty ample protection against
the shells, two OF which had struck
near by while Mrs. Cages was binding
up the wound. Arriving ut Mr.. Pier
sons she dispatched him in great haste
to the fort, while she, with swift feet,
returned to Charley. Becky and Berry
Pierson, aged IL and Is, with true girl
ish heroism, returned with her notwith-
standing the bursting shells. On the
way they passed several negroes shell
tered behind stumps and stones; and
Mrs. Cages vainly begged them to fol-
low her and assist in the removal of the
wounded by. They found Charley be-
hind the trees, and he said, .'Oh, mann
ma! TIA so glad you've come back
He could not walk at all, and
he was weak from pain and
loss of blood. So his mother and the
two girls carried him in their arms as
best they could. Down the hill half
blinded by the smoke and stunned by
the awful explosions, slowly moved the
strange procession. They waded the
little stream in the hollow, stopping a
moment to battle Charley's face and
hands, and carried their burden up the
hill to Mr.. Fiersons
BY this time Mr.. Pierson had reached
the. fort and the firing ceased. The
other children were sent for, and in a
few moments the regimentai surgeon
and hospital steward came galioping
down to express their sorrow at what
had happened and to render assistance.
The surgeons proffered services were
most gladly accepted. When he was
ready to examine the wound, the mother
said:
"Now, Charley. it will hurt you to
have the wound dressed; but ii must be
done; and you must try and bear it. 1t
will soon be over.
"I1l try said Charley, eff you'll be
sure, mamma, and not let my leg be
cut Off"
She pressed him to her heart, and as
sured him with loving words that there
was no occasion for SO serious an opera