The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-10-06


| from the woods the sharp decorating re-
! ports Of musketry and the booming thunder
| of artillery, and Winthrop knew that the
| battle was begun.
I Suddenly there was the sharp crack OF
rife in the opposite direction, and in min
! ute or two one Of Harry's own men dashed
ir mad haste among them with the cry:
"The rebs in force in the woods yonder are
closing upon usl' The command was in the
saddle almost before the words had left the
mans lips In reckless haste they rode to
carry the unwelcome tidings, but the warn.
ing came too late; for hardly had they
reached their lines than the enemy was
upon them twenty thousand strong. and
though the men fought like heroes, the Union
! right was routed.
! 1t was another Of Les's master moves
on the chess-board OF battle Relying on
| the dense woods to conceal his movements,
| he had risked the periious chance of send
! ing Jackson with one-third of his army to
attack the enemy on the rear.
That night Hooker took new position.
The next day the battle ragged with renewed
fury.
AS General Hooker stood leaning against
! a pillar Of Charlottesville House cannon
ball crashed against it and hurled him
senseless TO the ground; and for more than
an hour the Northern troops fought with
out a leader. But Winthrop saw none Of
/ this. He was riding in hot haste on the
road to Fredericks burg, seeking for sid
from Sedgwica.
Nor had he far to go, for that gallant
General had taken Fredericksburg, and was
now hinging himself on Lees rear, at the
moment that the Southern forces were
forming for a grand attack. The tide Of
battle turned On the newcomers, who were
driven across the river, and the army Of the
Potomac withdrew to its old camping
ground.
1t was during the heavy march in the
night that Harry Winthrop, in command Of
the rear-guard, worn with the two-days'
fighting and loss Of sleep, hstlessly followed
his troop along the dusty highway. By
his side rode his friend and comrade Frank
Barclay, who was even in a more exhausted
i condition, for not only was he half dead
with fatigue, but he suffered from saber-
cut on the arm and the faintness consequent
on much loss Of blood.
i "Cheer up, old feliow,n Harry said, af-
, fect,onately. "We shall soon be under can
vas again, and d long rest will put you all
right''
IT don't know about thai" was the cheer
less reply 'sOf course don't think that
: this little scratch I've gobis going to be my
deaJh-b]ow, out I've clean lost heart and
my mind wanders OF to the wife and BARNS
al home. A man with family carries q
F.: heavy mortgage on him when he goes
a~soldiering."
"You are worn Out and discouraged
that is all, Harry claimed, while his COM
panion reiapsed into moody silence.
They we're approaching part of the road
which lay at the edge of a deep ravine,
, whose side was overgrown with rank
weeds and scrubby bushes. Every now
and then they had passed some struggling,
foot-sore infantry man, who had fallen out
Of ranks, and was dragging his weary
limbs along as best he could. It was just
such figure as this that they overlook as
i they reached this dangerous spot in the
rugged read. 1t was not utterly dark, for
! the stars were out but it was not light
enough to istingussh the uniform the man
wore: in fact, Winthrop never gave him
second thought beyond turning his hcrse's
head little to the left so that he should not
urample On hun.
AS they got abreast Of him the man
turned upon him, grasped the bride Of his
horse, and the flash Of the pistol blazed
straight at Harry Winthrop's face. In
stinctlvely he stopped to gr%pple with the
assassin, and the action saved his life, for
the bullet plowed through the housings of
! his saddle and buried itself in the breast of
his co1nrade, who fell with groan to the
earth. Poor Barclay! his premonitions were
| soon realized.
In an instant the murderer flung himself
down the steep declivity, and though
score Of brave fellows dashed recklessly
after him, he was lost in the darkness.
Ere he left the fatal spoS Winthrop's eye
CHANGED to rest on little glittering object
lying on the grass. He picked it up, and
found it was portion Of gold watch
chain-twc long antique links, curiously
wrought, and doubtless Of foreign work
! manship.
| :sThis mute witness against the man VINO
did the foul Decd" ho muttered, "shall
never leave me till have avenged poor
Barclays DEATH"
/ How we'll he kept his pledge the sequel
shows.
Meanwhile, in the Confederate lines the
paeans Of victory were hushed for the walls
of sorrow, FOR Stonewall Jackson, the idol
j and hope Of his people, lay stark in death,
shot down by his own troops, who mistook
his escort for Federal cavalry. Better had
the South lost o whole army than the man
whose magical name was such tower OF
| strength to their cause.
! Of course, Winthrop knew nothing Of
this He had however, troubles enough of
his own TO harrass him. Ever before his
eyes were the figures Of Barclays wife and
, children crying to him for vengeance That
| the poor fellow had died in his place he
! never doubted, and the consciousness Of
, that added to his agony.
J He did all he could to mitigate the dis
tress Of Barclays loved ones, sending them
every relic be c3uld find Of the man they
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