Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-04-12

and that right bravely. After a few
quick words. the aide galloped on.
My lads, said the Colonel, "our
times come. They're on as now. Only
one thing-hold your fire till the word
and then-fire low
Stephens heart did beat rs the French
column came on at the double quick till
he could distinguish faces and till the
bayonets cleaned so near that child
| might strike them with stone 1t
looked as though in another moment
it would be hand to hand, and, by some
quick and subtitle sympathy, he knew
how every man there was feeling
long suspense had ma ie his sudden on
set relief, like storm of rain after
an August noon. Both to right and left
the rattle of musketry WAS lost in a
great roar. Would the word never Gomez
Fire. 1t came.
1t was strange and wonderful to see
how the advancing column reeled and
swayed like wheat under hail. Many
fell; the front rank stumbled back and
threw confusion into the rear.
"Well done, my ladsr' cried the
Colonel. spurring his horse forward.
"Bayonets-Cherger'
1t had seemed like an hour between
the flash of the French bayonets and
the word to fire. But 1t seemed nc
more than a moment between that word
and the charge. An instant ago the
deep column was about to burst through
the line; now the line was sweeping the
broken column into the plain So, al
least, it was to one who was there; those
who were not have doubtless more to
tell. 1t seemed marvel The French.
men turned their backs; the English.
men hotly followed. Who, at that mo-
ment of sudden victory, could feel the
savage rise in him? Not Stephen Har.
low, for he was man.
More and more the flying column
broke, and man after man went down
before the pursuing steel. Order was
lost, and the pursuit went far out into
the plain. 1t was rout; and if the
French had thus been met elsewhere,
the day was surely gained.
But hark-if any had ears to hear! A
thunder shook the plain, and nearer and
nearer the afternoon sun flashed back
from cuirass and sabre. Down upon that
struggling red line came the dragons,
and under that sudden aid the broken
| column managed to face round. 1t was
for the redcoats to reel back, and to
gather as best they could. And the
men, whose blood was on fire with fan
cied victory, and, being slow English
men, scarce knew what was upon them,
did gather with cheer. Stephen knew
no more than they, but he saw a flash
of steel before his eyes, and received 8
sharp blow on one arm while he caught
the Kings colors with the other from
the lad who carried them, as the latter
went down. The scattered pursuers
formed somehow, and more by instinct
than by word of command, and with
fixed bayonets, faced without flinching
the new onset of the dragons, while
the rallied French foot opened fire.
l know not if Stephen Harlow
thought even of Patience then. Yet
he was not thinking of life, or he sure
ly would have thought of her he lived
for Battle had bitten into him at last,
and he had the coiors to guard or die
for. A rush like the roar of the sea
was in his ears. And then, for the first
time during that great battle, of which
he saw no more than the fraction of q
fraction, such as one soldier among
thousands may see, came the boom of
big guns. He knew that every COM
rade had his teeth set and his ewes
aglow. for so were his own. Up flashed
the sabers; down, like a whirlwind.
rode the dragons once more. There
was nothing for it but to wrap the
colors round his wounded arm, and ts
fight for them so.
The Colonel was down; and for the
rest it was every man for England and
his own hand.
Then the whirlwind was followed by
darkness. Not even Patience was any
thing to Stephen Harlow more.
The real Dick Blackthorn, though he,
had the honor and glory of opening the
fight of Talavera, saw little or nothing
of that farous battle. 1t was not be-
cause he was unwilling to do anything
except his duty, and he was as ready tc
fight the French, on general principles.
as any man there; but good luck or i'll
luck, at any rate, luck of some sort,
pursued him steadfastly. He shouted
out his warning to the outpost, which,
indeed, by this time needed no further
warning, and then, instead of tOinine
them as they fell back upon the adj
vanced brigade to which they belonged.
held to his original purpose-if his i'm
pulse could be called by so fixed word,
and put his horses head towards the
town. think he had recognized the
uniform he ought to have been wear
ing. after all-indeed, am sure; and
better be a Portuguese than British
deserter. But before he had got any
distance to speak of toward the lines
of Spain he found himself charging
alone upon the flank of an advancing
regiment of rOhigeurs: and there was
nothing for it but make back for the
water-course again, where the banks
might cover him.
.'f Yesterdays was a fix, what's this
70 be called?" thought he. "Most de-
cidedly fixer. Pm cut of. horse. foot.
and al. I've half a mind to get myself
taken prisoner. A prisoner of wars
about the only thing I've never tried.
BY the Lord Harry. They're at 1t now!"
And there, all day long, lay Dick
Blackthorn perdu, as if he were the
veriest coward lying in a ditch to es-
cape powder and steel. But his skin
was by no means unhealthily thin, and
he felt no scruples on the point of
honor. What did trouble him was the