Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-07-31
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
SOMEBODY'S coy.
The Target of Man With a Grim Face
and 2iurderous Heart.

The Target of Man With a Grim Face
and Murderous Heart.
As we were falling back on Malvern
| Hill, in the peninsular campaign. the
rear-guard fighting back the Confcder-
ate advance. our brigade was wheeled 10
| the left and another to tho right to COW
err the narrow highway and give the
! wounded and the stragglers an oppor-
| tunity to close up. Across the fields,
which were broken and wooded, advanc-
ed the the enemy's skirmiShers. followed
by the double line of battle We check
ed them with volley. but they reform
ed and charged with cheer. l could
see their faces very plainly under the
smoke, and as they rushed forward ] no
| ticed that the man directly in front of
me was not man. but a STRIPPING of
boy. He didn't look TO be more than
fifteen years old. and his face was white
and scared. had a dcad-rest with my
musllet. and this boy was coming
straight upon me- Had he been a man
should have killed him. I could have
hit him with my eyes shut. When / saw
that it was a boy ! couldn't fire upon
him. ! covered him once. but his scared
face turned my gun away.
We let them come charging up until
some of the more impetuous were al
most over us. and then there was an aw-
full crash of musketry-a great billow of
flame-a thousand cries and curses.
The flame of death had licked up their
lines. was looking for the boy as the
smoke lifted lie stood, musket in
hand, looking about him as if paralyzed.
Every man had gone down for ten feet
either side of him. AS our cheers burst
forth the boy faced about with the rom
nant of the line and retreated to cover
! reiOiced over his escape and | hoped if
another charge was made he would not
be with them.
Half an hour passed and now we were
the rear guard-a brigade holding the
narrow road. We saw the enemy mass
ing for another charge, and again we
made ready to receive them AS they
came forward | saw the same white
faced boy, this time a little to the left
of me.
Don't shoot that boy!'' called to the
men beyond me.
The third man on the left was in line
with the boy. He looked up at me with
a sardonic smile and then he rested his
musket and covered the boy to kill him
when the word came to fire. An enemy
was an enemy to him, whether man or
boy. lie was there to kill. l held my
breath as the double-line again adj
vanced. A little closer and they fired
yolley and then charged. They sought
our death-they were following us to
destroy-they had no mercy. And yet, as
l fired into the smoke, knowing that my
bullet must find human target, was
consoled by the reflection that / was
not shooting at the boy--at Somebody's
Boy If he was killed it would be by
the man on my left, and he must answer
for it.
The enemy could not bulge us. They
couldn't touch our TANKS, and charge
in front was simply slaughter. Orfr vol
leys broke their lines-decimated them
threw them in confusion-and they
were breasted back again. 1 sprang to
my feet and looked for the boy. The
powder-smolle swirled about-dove down
lifted duplicated away among the |
tree tops, and my heart bounded as l |
saw Somebody's Boy again. He stood
with two comrades-the remnant, per- |
haps, of his whole company. Just as I |
got glimpse of him the three turned to |
obey the call to retreat, and l swung my |
cap and cheered. Our whole line was |
cheering-the others because they had |
again repulse the enemy--I because
Somebody's Boy had again escaped.
And when l looked along our line to /
the left, wondering how the man with
the grim face and murderous heart had |
missed his target, I saw him lying on
the ground-stone dead. A bullet had |
struck him fair in the forehead.-De-
troit Free Press.