Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-04


join in. Something like this, for example:
Hank, from the tombs doIeful sound;
Mine ears attend the cry.
We living men, come view the ground,
Where you must shortly lie"
Pancake shuddered yisibly
Come, spunk up joe continued the
slender young man. Think how proud all
your relations will be of you if you die for
your country"
I'm mad at all my relations, and j don't
want to do nothing TO please EN- sighed
Joe
"But hope you're not so greedy as to want
to live alwaysn said the slender young man,
who answered roll call TO Kent Edwards
"No, but don'twalIt To be knocked off
like a green apple, before I'm ripe and
ready"
Better be knocked off green and unripe,"
said Kent his railing mood changing to one
of sad introspection, than to prematurely
fall from a worm gnawing at your heart"
Joe's fright was not so great as to make
him forego the opportunity for brutal re-
tort:
"You mean the worm of the STILL s'pose.
Well, it don't gnaw at my heart so much as
oOiiS otHti iplhsto Iiitlt hhcN u
Kent's face crimsoned still deeper, and he
half raised his musket, as if TO strike him, but
at that moment came the order to march,
and the regiment moved forward.
The enemy was by this time known to be
near, and the men marched in that silence
that comes from tense expectation.
The day was intensely hot, and the stag
nant, sultry air was perfumed with the thou
sand sweet odors that rise in the West Nir
ginia forests in the first flush of summer
At last the regiment halted under the CRATE
full shadows of the broad topped oaks and
chestnuts.
The men threw themselves down for mo-
ments rest on the springing moss that COW
cred the whole mountain side, A hum of
comment and conversation arose. Joe
Pancake began to think that there was not
likely to be any fight after all, and his spirits
rose proportionately Abe Bolton growied
that the cowardly officers had no doubt de
hberately misled the regiment, that fight
might be avoided. Kent Edwards saw a
nodding Mayapple flower-as fair as Gala
and as odorous as pink-at a little distance,
and fastened to pick it. He came back with
it in, the muzzle of his gun, and his hands full
of violets
A thick bodied rattlesnake crawled slowly
and clumsily out from the shelter of a little
ledge, his fearful eyes cleaning with deadly
intentions against ground squirrel frisking
upon the end of a messy log, near where
Capt. Bob Bennett was seated, porting over a
troublesome detail in the Tactics" The
snake saw the man, and his awkward
movement changed at once into one of cleo
IL l ~
and his dull diamonds and stripes lighted up
with the glare that shines through an enraged
mans face The thick body seemed to
lengthcn out and gain world of sinuouS
supplencss. With the quckncSs of a flash he
was coiled, with head erect, forked tongue
protruding and eyes flaming like satanis
jewels
A shout apprised Capt Bennett of his dan
ger He dropped the book, sprang TO his feet
with quickncss that matched the snakes,
and instinctiyely drew his sword. Stepping
little TO one side as the reptile launched il
self at him, be dextrously cut it in two with
a sweeping stroke. \ shout of applause rose
from the excited boys, who gathered around
to inspect the slain serpent and congratulate
the captain upon his sl,illful disposition of his
aSsailant
40, that's only my old bat stroke that used
to worry the boys in town ball so much" said
the captain carelessly ats queer what
things turn out useful TO a man, and when he
least expects them
A long, ringing yell from n thousand
Threats cleft the air, and with its last notes
came the rattle of musketry from the brow
Of the hill across the little ravine The bull
lets sang viciously overhead. They cut the
leaves and branches with sharp little crashes,
and struck mems bodies with q peculiar slap
A score of men in the dsordered group fell
back dead or dying upon the green moss.
"Of course, we might've knowed them
muddle-headed officers'tl run u right slap into
hornets nest of rebels beiyfe they knowed q
thing about It." grumbled Ahc Bolton. hastily
tearing cartridge with his teeth and forcing
it into his gun.
Hold on, my weak kneed patriot" said
Kent Edwards, catching Joe Pancake by
the collar and turning him around so that he
faced the enemy again. Its awful bad man
ners to rush out of a matinee just as the Per
Torrance begins. You disturb the people
who've come to enjoy the show. Keep your
seat till the curtain goes down. You'll find
enough to interest you
The same sudden inspiration of common
sense that had flashed upon Capt Bennett in
encountering the snake now raised him to the
level of this emergency. He comprehended
that the volley they had received had emptied
every Confederate gun. The distance was SO
short that the enemy could be reached before
they had time to reload. But no time must
be lost in attempting to form, or in having
the order regularly given by the colonel. He
sprang toward the enemy waving his sword,
and shouted in tones that echoed back from
the cliffs:
attention, Battalion! Charge bayonctsi
Fo1'wdrd, DoUBLE-QUICK, MARCHt'
A swelling cheer answered him. His own
company ran forward to follow his impetu-
GUS lead. The others joined i'll rapidly.
Away they dashed down the side of the
declivity and in an instant more were swarm
ing up the opposite side toward the astonished
Confederates. Among these divided councils
reigned Some were cxcitedly swapping I'M
loaded guns at the oncominG foe, others were
fixing bayonets and sturdiIy urging their
comrades to do likewise aud meet the rush.
ing wave of cold steel with counter wave
The weaker hearted ones were already clam
bering up the mountain si,le out of reach of
harm
There was no time for debate. The blue
line led by Bennett flung itself upon the dark
brown mass Of Confederates like an angry
wave dashing over hinsy bank of sand, and
in an instant there was nothing to be done
but pursue the disrupted and flying frag-
ments. 1t was all over
(To be continuedl
John b. Cough, the far famed lecturer
excused himself to an audience because
of q had cold ihnn OF d rtnd fnr Enrnt L.,