Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-05-29

THE Fatal. SHOT.
surgeon got up on the seat with the
driver and the General sat at the rear
end with his feet on the step, while
aides and orderlies followed mounted,
an orderly leading the Generals horse.
And thus they went slowly to the boys
home.
When they arrived they found the
house surrounded by Confederate caval-
rymen. The Lieutenant whom the boy
had met two days before came out as
the ambulance drove up to the door,
That morning, before daylight, he and
his men had surprised Tom Lane and
half dozen Union guerillas who were
sleeping there. A fight had ensued.
Tom Lane was killed, and his men
three of them badly wounded were
prisoners.
The cloud on the Generals brow dark
ened as he heard the story. He had
brought a .death-wound to a child, and
now he was bringing that child to a
home where lay the dead body of his
father, killed by the men whose cause
the son had served so nobly-killed by
his own order.
The General lifted his charge tender
~ from the ambulance and carried him
into the house of mourning. The wife
and mother was there, with several of
the neighbors who had come to be with
her in her affection. She sat in rock
| ing-chair, weeping.
Nav" said the boy, excitedly, 'T'm
a-goen' fur to be Cap'nr'
In the gray of the morning the woman
had seen her husband shot down before
her eyes. In the twilight of evening
she saw her boy carried in, bleeding,
with death written in his pale face and
in his wild eye. The double affection
overcame her. She swooned and was
taken to an adjoining room.
The General laid his light burden on
a sofa. The boy caught sight of a little
girl about his own age who had come to
the house with her mother.
Mag" he said, did y git my let
ter?"
NO" said Mag, 81 didn't git no let
ter, but seen one O. them sojers take
sump'n out'n the box"
Lieutenant. The young officer took
crumpled bit of paper from his pocket
and handed it to the commander, who
was about to transfer it to little Mag
gle when the Lieutenant whispered to
him that it contained the information
by which they had caught the Unionists
The General sat mute with the I'M
opened paper between his fingers. A
reproof for his subordinate was on his
tongue, but he did not speak it. In war
fare it is essential to examine private
papers. The boy who had done them
so signal a service had been robbed of
his childish scrawl and the information
it contained had been used to surprise |
that boys father. With bowed head |
the soldier handed the paper to the |
little girl.
At this moment the wounded boy |
caught sight of his father lying stiff and |
stark on the bed.
''Popr he exclaimed, with a moan;
pop
81 He had never seen death, bpt some
thing told him that this was death. |
With difficulty he raised himself and
sat up on the lounge.
Did you shoot my pcp?" he asked,
looking with his great, honest eyes at
the Lieutenant Without a word the
officer turned as one might turn from
storm of bullets and left the house. The
boy fastened reproachful gaze on the
General.
What d y let him shoot my pop
fur?"
MY hoy-my little hero" began the
soldier-he could not go on. How could
he make child understand the neces-
stiles of war? Chivalrous war! that per-
mitted him to read a child's letter and
kill the child's father, who was on the
side.
Il didn't do nothen to you-uns. What
d you-uns want t go N kill my pop
fur?" moaned the boy.
Little Maggie was standing by, look
ing on with childish wonder.
Mag" said Tom, 81 writ y that let
ter. / writ it all myself, all ont The
sojers token it, reckon"
The General drew the girl up to the
lounge and put her hand in that of the
boy. The two children remained il
this position to the end. The boy soon
began to wander. He was riding with
the paper pellet in his mouth; he>was
passing the pickets; he was conversing
with the officers and soldiers. All the
while the General was trying to soothe
him, smoothing back the uncombed
locks from his forehead or pouring lit
tie water between his lips
Suddenly the boy sat up.
Pm a-goep' fur to be csp'nP' he
shouted, then fell back, dead. Il