The Grenada gazette., 1888-03-31

rays Of the sun. A halt was called.
Some of the officers and older men con.
suited hastily together and were abou,
decided to beat around in the opposite
direction, when suddenly shout csme'
Here they are!'
The shout was caught up and turned
into . glad yell as it rolled along
the line. l had heard the '.rebel yell''
before; and l heard it many 4
time after. when it meant victory at
the close Of a life-and-death struggle,
but never heard our boys in gray
sound such a note of triumph - went
up from their throats that day, as they
double-quicked it to the spot where
those two little runaways were lyingi
Ii was in an old field, whose long
neglected furrows were covered with
thick growth of yellow sedge
all wet with melted snow and
shining in the soft, red rays Of the set.
ting sun. A bushy squat pine had shot
up here and there; the rotting rail
fence was oveyrun with blackberry
vines and almost lost in a Jungle Of
brown withered mullen and poke
berry stalks that grew in its sheltering
corners.
The children were in one of these
moist, tangled fence corners. Their
little blue homespun frocks-for they
both wore dresses-were all torn and
draggled. Their chubby faces were
brier-scratched and dirty. Their bare
heads were matted with dry leaves and
straw. But / reckon every man of US
thought that Gods blue sky never
looked down prettier picture than
they made lying there, fast asleep and
clasped closely in each others arms
We held our breath after that first
shout for fear of frightening them.
And when the grizzled old sergeant,
whose very look was wont to make the
recruits tremble in their boots, stepped
toward them with soft almost bashful |
smile on his lips, and stopped, we all |
took off our caps and leaned
eagerly forward. How we all en-.
We'd big burly tender hearted
Tom j when the sergeant beck
oned HIM and laid the oldest boy,
al rosy and flushed with sleep, into
lis arms! The little fellow opened his
blue eyes and stared vaguely around.
hen clasped his arms about Toms
leck and gave a long sigh of con-
ent.
The sergeant stopped again with
ow chuckle Of satisfaction. "The lit
le-un is asleep for sure" he said, as
e lifted him gently and turned. The
ext. moment he staggered under his
ght burden and almost fell. A hoarse
roam burst from his lips. The little
cad with its tangled mass of yellow
urls rolled heavily to one side; the lit
e arms hung inertly down; the SER
eant'' hands where they supported !
lie tiny white neck were all dabbled
! blood.
The stray shot had done its cruel
ork well! 1t had plowed across the
nall white throat and the baby head I
as almost severed from the little body.
he ''little-un' was indeed asleep 70, i
IRE!
A kind Of frozen horror swept over I
g group gathered in that old field. ,
o man dared for awhile to look his :
'ighbor in the face, and when he did Z
saw there an expression that he has a
It forgotten yet il he lives! :
Ten minutes before we were all ready
toss up for the privilege Of carrying ;!
ose little chaps home. But now 9. q
cry man of us hung back dumb and P
nerved. And the sergeant and Tom n n;
rned slowly and tramped through C
9 falling shadows to lay the living ii
d the dead together in that waiting q
'ther's arms. We followed silently,
tn uncovered heads.
When the Federal officer in command n
ard that the children were lost, he IN
cred to disarm his men, stack their
ms with ours and join in the search.
ID more than once that night our =
kets were challenged from the other -
e and anxious inquiries made for
J little ones. When the answer went
* across the hush and the silence Of O,
night we could feel, though we
I'D not see. the look that swept over
faces Of our foes. And that look
de US all akin!-HartWeH Moore, in II
de Awake. M