News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-06-28

auu angry cries OF tho O1ncerS and Sci
geants, the groans of the wounded, an
the crushing of the furniture and plas
ter. Cup! courage !" he cried, follow
ing with his gaze the distant boy. "Fol
ward ! run He has stopped, curse him
All he is running again"
An officer came, out of breath, to sa
that the enemy, without ceasing thei
fire, were waving white flag as sum
mons to surrender
"Don't answer !" he cried, withou
removing his eyes from the boy, VIII
was already in the plain, but who wa
no longer running, and who appeared t
be dragging himself along with diff
Guilty.
"But get on run !" said the Captain
grinding his teeth and clinching hi
fists; 'Fkil yourself, die, scoundrel, bu
go onI" Then horrible oath burs
from him. 'fAh the infamous coward
he has sat down." In fact the boy
whose head till now he had seen pro
! jecting above wheatield, had disap
peared, as if he had fallen. But in {
moment his head came into view again
finally he was lost behind the hedges
and the Captain saw him no more.
He then flew down stairs; it was rain,
ing bullets; the rooms were encumbered
with the wounded, some of them reeled
about like drunken men, catching at the
furniture; walls were spattered with
blood; corpses were lying across the
doors; the Lieutenant's arm had been
broken by ball; everything was in a
whirl of smoke and dust.
"Couragel" yelled the Captain.
"Stick to yourposts. Relief is coming.
Courage for little while longer!" The
Austrians had drawn nearer yet, their
contorted faces loomed through the
smoke. Above the rattle of the firing
rose their savage cries, insulting, de-
manding surrender, threatening
slaughter. Occasionally soldier, ter
ror stricken, retrr ated from the window;
the sergeant drove him back. But the
| defenders fire was slackening; their
faces showed discouragement;i it was i'm
possible to prolong the resistance. Sud
denly the firing of the Austrians slack
ened and laundering voice shouted in
German, then in Italian:
Surrender !"
"Nol" howled the Captain from q
window. And the firing began again
steadier and fiercer on both sides. More
soldiers fell. Already more than one
window was without defenders. The
fatal moment was close at hand. The
Captain was muttering between his teeth
in q broken voice: "They're not coming!
They're not coming" !" and he ran fur
iously about twisting his sabre in his
clnched hand, resolved to die, when a
sergeant, coming down from the garret,
cried in q loud voice: "They're COM
ing :"
"They're coming !" the ca plain repeat
ed, with shout of joy. At the shout,
all, unhurt, wounded, sergeants, and of
ficers, rushed to the windows, and once
more the resistance grew fierce. A few
moments later, n sort of uncertainty
and beginning of disorder were remark
ed in the enemy. Immedia tely, in great
haste. the CnIotniIl formed sfIinH com
pany down stairs, with fixed bayonets,
all ready to make a sally. Then he flew
upstairs again. He had scarcely got up
there when they heard a hurried tread,
by formidable hurrah ,aEd
from the windows they saw advancing
through the smoke the two cornered
hats of the Italian carbineers, squad
ron dashing along at full speed, and the
flashing of sword blades brandished in
the air, descending on the heads. should
ers and back of the enemy. Then the
little troop rushed out of the door with
lowered bayonets; the enemy wavered,
became disordered and took to flight;
the ground remained clear, the house
was free, and short time after the
height was occupied by two battallions
of infantry and two cannons.
The Captain, with his remaining
soldiers, rejoined his regiment, fought
again and was slightly wounded in the
left hand by glancing ball in the last
bayonet charge. The day ended in vict-
Ory for us.
But the day after, the fight having be-
gun again, the Italians were Overwhelm-
ed, in spite of brave resistance, by the
superior number OF the Austrians, and
on the morning of the 26th they were
compelled to retreat sorrowfully toward
Mincio.
The Captain, although wounded
marched ON foot with his soldiers, who
we're tired and silent, and toward sun
set reached Goito on the Mincio, and
Immediately sought out his Lieutenant,
who had been picked up, with broken
arm, by an ambulance, and who had ar
rived here first. He was directed to a
church, where field hospital had hasti-
ly been installed. He went there. The
church was full of the wounded, reclin-
ing on two rows of beds and mattresses
stretched on the floor; two doctors and
various assistants were anxiously going
and coming, and stified cries and groans
were heard.
On entering the Cap tain stopped and
looked about him, In search of his Off
Ger. Just then he heard a faint voice
close by, calling to him:
"Captain!'
He turned around; it was the drum
mer boy; he was stretched on a trestle
bed, covered up TO the chest by a coarse
window curtain with little red and white
squares, with his arms out; he was pale
and thin, but with his eyes still spark
ling like two black gems.
care you here 2" the Captain asked
him in au astonished but stern manner.
"Bravo, You did your duty"
al did what l could" answered the
drummer boy.
"Have you been wounded 2" said the
Captain, looking around for his officer
in the beds near by.
"What would you have2" said the
boy, who took courage to speak from the
proud pleasure of being wounded for the
first time, and without which he would
not have dared to open his mouth in the
presence of his Captain. 81 had to run
like hunchback; they saw me immedi-
a.e.y. L should have arrived twenty
minutes sooner if they hadn't hit me.
Fortunately found a staff Captain di-
rectly to whom to give the note. But it
was hard coming down after that lick! l
WAS dying of thirst, kept thinking that
l shouldn't get there, and was crying
with rage to think that with every min
utes delay some one was going to the
other world, up there at the house.
Bahl l did what [ could. | am content
ed. But, allow me, Captain. Look at
yourself; you are bleeding"
In fact, from the Captains badly
bandaged palm few drops of blood
were trickling down his fingers.
''Do you want me to tighten the
bandage, Captain? Hold it out mo-
ment
The captain held out his left hand and
put out his right to help the boy undo
and retie the knot; but no sooner had
the boy raised himself from ahe pillow
than he grew pale and was compelled to
rest his head again.
Enough; enough" sad the captain,
looking at him and drawing away the
bandaged hand which the boy wished
to keep; "fake care of ,'our3erf instead
of thinking of others, because even
slight things can become SC .Jus when
they are neglected.
The drummer boy shook his head.
"But you, said the crptain, looking