The National tribune., 1886-11-18


The President held out his hand. She took
it and drew him toward her, and, gathering up
her sheet of black and silver hair which had
| fallen in the spring. she wiped his eyes and
| secured his palm with her hairs.
With face bent over his band and accents
which were low, but made her bosom throb,
Hannah Ritner spoke these words:
The fierce are threatened oft
And live life out;
The wolf assails the soft-
Have thou no Doubt
He whose remaining gun
At thee takes aim,
Shall save the tendereSt one
All of his famel"
When the President heard these words, he
saw the woman sink to her place upon the
stone, by the log spring house, under the rot
ting roof
THANK yOu," said he, "for the kindness of
your ausory. When my time comes, may God
find me with no cares upon my facet"
During the battle for the bunker church,
Lloyd Quantrell, at the head of a detachment
from everywhere-conscripts, filibusters, lads
taken from school to stop bullets, and lads never
meant for school at all, but to be sand -hillers"
and crackers" like all their generations;
bright Virginia yeomen and ardent young Car
olinians, lrishmen from the wharves of cities,
creOles from the levees, with Spanish and St.
Domingo blood; fat, chicken-fed Georgians and
Alabamans, lean duelists and card players from
Mississippi men without origin from the spon-
taneOus grass of Texas and freckled skeletons
from Tennessee-fought the ever recurring
advance of the Union army with the business
coOlness and rallying power he showed in Bal
timOre in hremen's times. Though LLOYD had
reasoned upon the errors and follies of the Sc
cession cause. he gave it his full physical loyal
ty. and on his native soil would surpass his best
endeavOrs, in the sight of all these wild levies
His gun in hand at times, his pistol at others,
his sword at closer quarters, and at times with
nothing at all, he made the trembling stand.
cheered the young tyro at man-killing, pointed
the place of latest danger, and hurried to make
IL good and, gigantic in stature, free in humor
forgetful of everything but the pleasure and
holiness of the fight, he stood more distinct than
General, with clothes ripped by bullets and
hat already ragged, one arm in q sling and his
pair of new boots taken from Federal CORPSE
his face black with powder and his food an ear
of corn, and the dead around and before him
unObserved as the limestone ledges which stood
also in battlc-lines under the beautiful woods
His negro, Ashby, brought him water at
times, constant but automatic, and once in the
lull of battle, when far away the artillery
roared like lightning in the mountains, Lloyd
raised laugh among his desperate but discOur-
aged men by saying:
''Ashby, how did you get on Ills side? The
Yankees will hang you'll"
"l's cornscripted," replied the negro, "like
most OF desc yer patriots-cornscripted by my
'fectiOns!"
The blue line of battle came on again through
the shot-mOwed Indian maze, announced by the
skirmishers falling back with reports like pop
corn in tho pan.
"Now, boys" cried Quantrell, "we'H blow
them out like candle! We've had little
rest. Lie down behind the stone copings and
fnE oil nj ArzI II. Al
word"
The emaciated, awed, but energized battalion
fell down. aud awaited the shock of war
Great Patapseo!" laughed Quantrell, chow
many more Yankees can there be? We've
killed million and hero they come again.
This war will last till the Yankees learn to FIRE
low, and then il won't last six months"
He was great comfort to his men-candid,
saucy, satirieal, as apt to sing as TO swear-and
now he, alone, stood up, gnawing half-dry
ear of corn, and shaking the cob at the
enemy-Otherwise unarmod-and daring them
10 come nearer
Come on! ! Right here, to meetingl Cometo
love-feast! Come get your feet washed Come
get your hair cut Come and get some lamb
sOupi Come, brethren-cOme to hell!"
Stalwart and ragged a pirate, Lloyd's
sense of humOr even in this moment of inten-
sity rose supreme; for the Federal leader was,
like the Dunkers he had described, with strag-
CLING beard and shaved lip and long hair.
A blast OF flame and lead blew from the
Northern rifles, and the old bunker church
cracked like a white slave under the rawhide
Hold fast I'll make him who fires before
/ speak eat all this corn-cob! Low, now, and
fire."
The ground burst with smoke. and in the
smoke rose the feeble rebel yell, and on before
was another yell like women screaming.
Snufed out !" exclaimed Quantrell, grimly;
"all are dead that have got legs. Give me a
fresh ear, somebody"
His men had hardly congratulated them
selves, when the blue line reappeared, deci-
mated, shorter. but steady yet-reformed be-
hind the knoll and the corn-and the bearded
figure leading IL on wore his arm also in sling,
like Lloyd QuantreI.
That Yankees almost as saucy as / am"
chuckled Lloyd to his men. "Now, down
again, and finish them! Not trigger goes till
call out! What are you doing here, Ashby?
Go to the rearl"
Don't you want your sword, mosster?"
No. Give me drink! That is a cool chap
yonder. sure! Now, Lop-fire!"
As the smoke and dust arose from the fields
the same mOurnful wall and the same rejoicing
rebel yell echoed to each other.
The graveyard's full" said Lloyd; al
don't see a man +"
As the volIeys of musketry went round the
circuit of the battlefield, and the hushed and
wondering soldiery gazed forth from the
bunker woods, they saw the same man, in
beard and long hair, appear ut the edge of the
cornheld, at the head OF a poor and uncertain
handful of men in blue. lie waved sword
aud shook his head, and seemed to be saying
&" Forward"
1t was in vain. The watt of death. twice
blown from those mysterious woods, had broken
the hearts OF his followers
Come, brother!" shouted Lloyd, "we'll
divide the porrldge with you. Bring them
along! Aud you, my men, down their again,
and wait for the wordl"
The bearded man seemed now making a
speech. He threatened his soldiers with
drawn pistol. lie stripped his swOrd-sash from
his body and threw it the ground and
stamped upon it.
They wont come" said Quantrell al
wouldn't If was they. But the bully, yonder,
is lion"
The man they looked at now walked right
toward them, head up. and the herOism of
death in his tension and devotion. He came
on. pistol in hand, not to surrender, bnt to defy,
and to set the example of duty, and to die.
why" Quantrell said, if this was his
church, and he the preacher of it, he couldn't
show more confidence walking up to his pulpit
Don't fire at him. Don't kill that mani"
To the credit of the worst among them, there
was no such intention. His personal, unat-
tended yalOr, and the appreciation OF il, en-
cOmpassed the whole battalion of his enemies
But IL became apparent that he must die, lest
he Kill some one or many among them. His
pace never slackened, nor were his features re-
laxed. He meant to give his life, but to exact