The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-04-29

over IL LulS blluoI Auho-IoCuioua
Then so let it-hold up; what are you
stumbling over therep"
But, coming out into the full moon
light, he saw; and he asked no more.
Many things had he seen in his roll
ing life, but never anything like this,
and it made him turn paler than if he
had been afraid. The first he saw of
that great and bloody fight was field
of slain. And 1t was where the fight
must have been the hardest, too. Red
coats and blue-coats lay beside and
across one another, stark dead; for that
any were dying he could not see. And
here and there the white moonbeams
fell upon cuirass or helmet; though
these were but few. It must have been
a hand-to-hand struggle, with but little
life to carry away on either side.
"And II was sitting smoking In q
corner and staring at bubbles while this
this was going on hard byP Dick
Blackthorn groaned. "But how could
q man tell that fighting meant this, un-
less he had seonP'' All appetite was
gone. He refined in his horse, afraid Of
where the next hoof might fall; already
a splash Of crimson had come upon his
own hand. There is no true vagabond
but has tender heart and fancy
lightly fired; and Dick Blackthorn was
a vagabond indeed He gazed over the
field appalled, and ashamed.
He looked at no special face after the
first that glared up at him, a French
mans, with set teeth, and fixed eyes
from which the grimness had not gone.
He thanked God he had no comrade
there, or anywhere; and yet, having
none to lose, he felt the more alone
among the great army of the slain. He
desired to shut his eyes, and to let his
horse carry him away at its own will;
but fascination held him there; he could
not move, the moonlight was SO white,
and the scattered mound Of corpses was
so horribly still Tho only sound he
heard was the hoot Of soft white owl
as it passed by. There was not even q
groan from the ground.
But he could not stay there all night.
He dismounted, and led his horse deli
cately through that harvest-iield. And
then he was brought face to face with
the fallen, whether he would or no. Ten
times over he thanked God that no
comrades face could meet his, either
with the fierce gaze that had not died
with some, or with the strange smile
that death had given to others, or with
the look of rest wherewith others had
died, and made Dicks heart swell, he
knew not why. There seemed some-
thing good in dying SO, however 1t
might be.
But presently, where the heap lay
thickest, and the light was thrown back
whitest from broken steel and staring
eyes, he surely saw something move.
Frenchman or Englishman, he might
still take some part in the battle by
saving q life, to make up for having
taken none.
So thither he led his horse, as gently
as before. And il he had been Mortified
before, it was as nothing to his horror
now
He saw n woman, q veritable woman,
of the sex whom he had loved only toe
well, crawling about on her hands ano
knees among the corpses and-robbine
them.
Nor was the ghoul a hideous hag
such as might be supposed. She was
strapping Spanish peasant, comely
enough in a coarse way. She had no
seen him approach; she was far too
deeply engaged. Where do these vult
ures hide in peace? For peace car
never give them anything foul enougl
TO do.
Woman though she was, Dick wa
sorely tempted to startle her from he
work with the butt Of his carbine. Blu
even that was not enough to expires
his loathing.
you she-devilr' he cried.
She started and turned round. An,
he saw that she carried long knife
! with q Redeemed blade. He guesse'
now why the field was without grosn
IL search for my son." said she.
"Your son! II you want him, yo
must 90 TO the mountains, where th
wolves are, unless there's pack Of yo
here. / can't stay; but l can't go an
leave more murder, maybe, behind
! I've seen enough death; but there mus
Be one more. To think that all m
I share in to-day's work is TO shoot dow
$ q she-wolf! But"
0 "Bahr said the woman, sullenl.
t "Tm only taking back my own"
D "Your ownP
5 "Yes; from the French brigand
t Is woman to be robbed, and not g
Q back her own9"
"That is no Frenchman, poor dew
8 That's an Englishman-"
Il bah! what odds, red coat or blu,
= And what are you here for yoursel
J. Portuguese vermin? That is my corps
: 90 elsewhere, and leave me alon
o There's room for US all here, the sain
= be praised"
o He was so taken aback by such
: charge that he could find, on the J
i slant. neither deed nor word ]
i looked from her to the corpse she W
hanging over; fine young man, wi
II a quiet, set face, and closed eyes, bal
!. headed, in red coat faced with blu
% his left hand on his heart, his rig
o under his head, and his broken musk
by his side.
% The vulture so evidently took an u
d wounded Portuguese, out there by
moonlight, for bird Of her oN
d feather, that she paid no further he
to him. She pulled the young soldier
st hand away from his breast, and felt I
g. fingers. But even she started. Fro
At the tightened lips came the faintest