The Irish standard., 1889-05-25
Copyrighted, 1881

opinions OF the subordinate officers, i5wa:
evident that General Grant believed
that their entire front uas threat
ened, for he ordered his army to entreneh
and did all in his power to hurry up Buell.
General Grant WAS not certain where TIN
attack would be made, at Shiloh or Crump'!
Landing, where Lew Wallace with his dl
vision lay. On the 4th Of April the Zen
eral was injured by his horse falling upor
MIN and spraining his ankle. SO that he hat
TO go OF clutches
He YVES assureel by his subordiuates tha
all was quiet on he front so far az the en-
envy were concerned. On the 9Th, seacnins
THAR 2 division Of Buell's army. under Mel
son, ll;sd arrive, aJSavannah, Grant ordered
tbern ic move up the east bank OF the river.
SO as to be ferrled over at either Crump'a
or Pittsburg Landing, as the occasion might
require.
Since his return from the reconnaissance
recorded in orr last chapter, Colonel Mason
had been Ia his camp and had seen nothing
Of the enemy. He was & changed man. and
speut most OF his spare time alone III his
tent gloomiiy breeding over the last dan
gerous interview with the negro, Black
hawk. Two sentences uttered by that dark
man Of mystery seemed to ever ring in his
GERS:
'SKaS ne, n,<ssstt, and de secret ot yo' birt
dses,' hauntil him day and night
"Who is he, and what does he know Of
mea'' the puzzled Officer, asked himself.
"His words, I kin tell We mo' bout
yourself dan We knows. Nasal! ring still
il my ears. What is it lie knows-oht
what is it.'' His last interrcgatory was ut
tered with d sigh from the utternost depths
CT his troubled heart An! what ii longing
n 4 IN l-o,
history of that helpless babe found floating
~ lis cradle down the turbulent Missouri.
"M all, Bill, 1t 1nayn't be II owen by or
long SHOT" said ArEansaw Tom, who was
reclining OF n pile Of straw.
'Y'er don't think old Johnston on Price ar
comm to tackle AS, d. yea asked ELL.
'1tAought be-
'Let un1 conle.''
''Not aforts Buell. gifts here's
s'N hut Il; we laear? Haln't we ernufff ter
Lick um:;
WALL we Il hey our hands full vs. kin
bet, Bill I'm ergon' ter bet that we burn
powder ADORE we've been here a week
lonser''
'sHeen burnin' powder every Gay fur Il
week. said Ned, lazy shutting "a deck Of
well thEInbesl cards.
Yes, n What does It ell mount to?"
growied Max ''Nuthin' Ef It wan t fur
them mullct heads WHO command til army
we'd 8 been il Corinth lcng*a
"Ye'l git ter CORN tn soon esnuf::, Maxi
Ned Cation answered.
"We'd as well 81 had this war over six
mouths ergo as ter ba fooln' an dallyin'
eriong. Now, didn't we go right inter Fort
Donelsup:''
'tyes, but Old Sid Johnston warne thar
We're not arGoin ter new Il walk over IS we
did With Floyd III Piller. Hsil do some o
the walltisl' himself
The conversation was cut short at this
uloluent by the appearance Of the Colonel.
~ ADJ going 10 tlls front, Tom, azd want
you four TO accompany NE, - 10 said. tits
getting rather (angerous up there now.''
eyer be5 Wen CO." cried Tom, starting
10 his feet The four men at once br1c]S'ed
M tileiy announcements and seized their
guns.
They were all that Luke deer1ed neces-
sary Tor The reconnaissance. They We're all
on foot, as q hocseman would be a too-cop-
spicnous mark for q siarpshooter. Colonel
Mason's regiment WIS out Oh the extreme
front, and they had 1iot gone more than
Mile &n! q half before they came upon che
picket Inc.
Meeting some relieved pickets coming i'll
the Colonel asked:
''ETow Is it ct the front?''
''Bee1 quiet tur npnr,' one OF tins guards
said.
''H7aint seen a Johnny fur nouT, but they
war ~ hlasin' OF us nearly all night
''Dio they seem very stlongW
fsN'all, they made 1t mighty hot. part o
the time
s't)f COURSE you have NO idea AS to their
numbers,''
'sNo, but I beEevs they're more IN the
Giuera1s Jhink."
With his slsuder guard the Colonel moved
Oh. Suddenly there came g distant shot in
sbs woods. Il was followed by three or
eour more III quick succession, aud they
savr the smoke issuing from a bunch Of
bushes two or three hundred yards away.
Like experienced Indian scouts: creeping
from tree to tree, and bush to bush, taking
1tsa.ataga of every thing that would screen
them from view, Colonel Mason and his
ave Union soldiers were crouched behind
large oak tsee, at the side Of a-sixth who
had been pierced by q nlusket ban.
Ills ne hard hit?H asked the Colorsl, CON-
s.s; upon the group.
'Sae's dyin','' one Of his comrades AL
syW:ered
III was needless 70 ask any further ques-
t,ons about him. Those CLASSY eyes, that
gaping mouth, the quick gasping for breath
and death rattle III his throat were
evidence, that life was enbing away. With
zach painful gasp there came a gush OF
blood from the wound in his breast.
i'Joe, Joe, can't yer speak t. me?'' said q
comrade, bending over him. "Haint yes
got 40 word t. send home. Oh speak, Joe,
Jest one word. Tell me that ye know me-"
It was q lifelong friend who entrested MIN
10 utter just one word OF recognition, and
send some word Of comfort to loved ones at
home But no word was spoken. Those
Gags were deadened to all sounds, or that
tongue had not the power Of speech :Joe,
zoe, jest one word; tell me yer prepared t.
de-
Az. that one word-that precious word OF
solid comfort to bereaved friends-how
mary hearts it has Gghtened in the ages
past, and how many it will continue to
tighten in the ages to come, no one but an
all-wise Father in Heaven will ever know
But this soldier was too far gone to even
utter word. Already his gasps grew
shorter, and already the rigidity of death
seemed to steal over his frame. the feeble
struggle for breath at last ceased. The