Richland beacon., 1888-11-03

t'iiiCc 10 ONeI thirty UllleS. ana InS
Yankees ere before us on the road
A bright thought struck Paul.
81 will take them, sir" he snid
quickly. ITO whom are they to bs
delivered?"
"Col. Raynor, Forty-th:rd Virgin
ia cavalry, ut Rockville. But could
you really undertake such ride
thirty-fve miles in four hours" and
the dying soldier looked anxiously
at Paul.
EYES, sir; I promise You I viii do
it. answered Paul bravely.
The man pointed to his vest pocket.
Paul drew out fr0mit q blood stained
packet of dispatches.
The man was very near the end
now. With a grateful smile at the
young face bending over him he Wits.
pcred aintly:
Thank YOU, oh, thank you-yOu
will save the men Tell chem why
could not come. Send my watch to
my mother, whose address is On this
letter. Tell them how | died-and
! bury me hcre-hcrc.'
The eyes closed, the hands dropped,
the head fell back, and the brave
courier lay dead by the roadside.
Paul spread the cavalry cloak over
the still form, thrust the dispatches
in his pocket, spran@ on the waiting
charger and started down the road.
1t was nowahout 6 o'clock. If be
wished to keep his promise there was
no time to lose. Should he go home
first, it would be n delay and per.
haps they would not let him go at
all. So no determined TO start i'm,
mciiatrly. lie called II negro man
who stood in field near by, telling
him to run 20 the house, inform tho
family OF what had happened, and
have the soldiers body cared for i'm
mcdiutcIy. Then touching the fiery
horse with his heels, III dashed OF
down the road.
The horse, Il bloodcd animal witt
archinG neck, slender limbs, plungcG
lOrward;a5 ilstung and swept on at q
hard %allOp. Down the road they
/ cla;tcred, past the farm, over the
wooden bridge, then ont into the lev.
. 81 road once more. II was growing
dirk rapidly. Low in the east were
great banks of dark clouds through
which the lightning flashed, and in
/ the distance could be heard the low
rumble OF thunder.
They nearCd "A dark forest thai
doomed UP before them.
/ Paul was a brave boy, but h.
could hot help CHANGING anXiousl V AT
the deep shadows of the woods, at
the tall trees fitting by and listening
to the dismal echoes his horses foot.
falls awolic. Suddenly there came Il
flash OF lightning, and Il tall oak
shivercd from top to bottom, fell
across the pathway
ut the same time n loud clap O!
thunder shook the ground and died
away in low revcrberations over
against The distant mountains.
Paurs horse reared Onits launches
para wed with fear; then, trembling
in every limb, with n wild neigh OF
terror, it made flying leap over the
PROSTATE tree and darted down the
road with flying feet.
Paul knew his danger. but he was
accustomed to riding, and he clung
to the saddle with his head bent for
ward on the horses neck. TO keep
the horse straight i'll the road was
his object, and each moment bore
them nearer to their destination.
The dispatches must be delivered
in time; they were of vital import
ance To the army, and the boy was n
true southegner ut heart, ready to
die for his country. He would dc
his duty; no one should ever say he
was Il coward.
Suddenly the rain began to pourin
torrents. making II binding sheet OF
water. The lightning flashes lit the
wild scene from time to time, and
boom on boom OF loud, rumbling
thunder echoed among the hills.
Onward the horse flew, each peal
of thunder lending fresh speed to his
feet. On through the rain, the dark
ness Of the dismal forest, with out
stretched neck, quivering nostrils,
limbs trembling with fear.
Out OF the woods into the open
road again, and Paul drew a sigh of
relief. Before him We're the twinkling
lights of a village. Up the hill he
came and down the long. narrow
steet, the iron hOofs striking fire
from the stony pavement. The shop
windows looked like patches of light
in the darkness. and he could see the
clerks run to the door TO see who the
mad rider was.
As he lett the village behind and
trailed out into the country again
Paul heard the town clock slowly
Ginning seven. He had ridden ten
miles i'll he last hour.
Still the mad pace was kept up ms
the horse flew past fields of corn,
through low pasture lands and by
farm houses perched on rocky hills,
over rustic bridges that creakcd be-
meath the beating hoOfs, up muddy
hills and down Inflow valleys through
ankle deep water that splashed horse
and rider from head to foot.
He must have been riding at least
half an hour longer, when at the
turn of the road Paul caught sight
of IL man on horseback.
1t was the picket of the Union cav
alrymen, who were resting and eat
ing supper in a small cabin a few feet
from fhp r.oo1 SiIo