Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1890-05-24
II 7 SHOT.

TIE FATAL SHOT.
into the house OF mourning. The wife
and mother was there. with several Of
the neiclboFs who had come 10 be with
her in her affection. She sat in a rock
ing-chair, weeping.
Nav said the boy, excitedly, I'm
a-goen' fur TO be a Cap'n''
In the gray Of the morning the N
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 10 an adjoining room.
The General laid his light burden on
d sofa. The boy caught sight Of little
girl about his own age who had come to
the house with her mother.
Mag, he said, did y g.t my let
ter?"
No said Mag, 81 didn', git nc let
ter, bu. l seen one o them sojers take
sump'n out'n the box"
The General glanced sharply a, the
Lieutenant The young officer took a
crumplcd 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 70
him that it contained the information
by which they had caught the Cnionis,s.
The General sat mute with the un-
opened paper between his fingers. A
reDroot+ for his subordinate was on his
tongue, but lie did not speak i. 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 10 the
little girl.
At this moment the wounded boy
caught sight OF his father lying stiff and
stark on the bed.
Pop" ne exclaimed, with a loan;
pop
He had never seen death. but some
thing told him that this was death.
With difficulty he raised himself and
sat up on the lounge.
Did you shoot my pop?" he asked,
looking with his great honest eyes a.
the Lieutenant. Without q word the
officer turned as one might turn from a
storm of bullets and left the house. The
boy fastened a reprOachtul gaze on the
General.
What d y let him shoot my pop
fur?8
MY boy-my little hero" began the
soldier-he could not go on. How could
!, he make a child understand the neces-
sitieso of war? Chiyalrous war. that per-
, mitted him 70 read a child's letter and
, kill the child's father, who was on the
! opposite side.
Il didn't do nothen to you-uns. What
d. you-uns want / 60 n kill my poE
, fur?' moaned the bog,
Little Maggie was standing BY, look
Q ing on with childish wonder.
Mag" said Tom, 81 writ y that let
4 ter. writ it all myself, all ont The
sojers token it | reckon" q.
The General drew the girl up to the
lounge and put her hand in that Of tbs
d boy. The two children remained il
e this position to the end. The boy sooI
d began to wander. He was riding will
D. the paper pellet in his mouth: he wa
$ passing the pickets; he was conyersinJ
l. with the officers and soldiers All III,
IT while the General was trying to sooth'
+" him, smoothing back the uncombe,
l locks from his forehead or pouring a Ii,
.e tie water between his lips
Suddenly the boy sat up.
u I'm a-goen' fur to be a Cap'n!" h
shouted, then fell back, dead.
# The mex afternoon the army. begin
k. ming a movement for which the littl
courier had paved the way, had struc
&c its tents and was !aarching along tn
k road that led past the Lane house. A
'. the head Of the column emerged frol
~ a wood the men saw a funeral proce,
he sion, composed OF some officers soldier
he and a few country people, leave tn
is house and march along 10 an inclosed Il
i'd in a field near blythe family burr;
Mt place.
Two collins. the one but half the si5
ct of the other, were borne by ConfederaI
lis soldiers. They contained the bodies
n Tom Lane, father. and Tom Lane, sol
w the one of the Union and the other
en- the Confederacy. Directly behir
walked the General. Then a compar
its of soldiers, a Captains escort; and ne,
a group Of neighbors.
lily The procession moved slowly onwai
of TO the Enclosure in which a grave h;
in been dug. The two collins were lo'
ce. cred, and laid side by side in the OF
Try grave. The General, who held in h
hands a bundle ofgreen sprigs, cast the
by into the grave. The earth was shovel,
m. in and a volley fired by the soldiers ov
MT the grave.
lch BY this time the head Of the advar
put ing column had reached tho burr;
tie place, where the General was standil
ore with uncovered head, while the la
shovelfuls of earth were being throw
upon the grave. The men OF an arm
'ou are quick to gather news, and not a S,
der but knew already the story Of t
sed two Lanes.
he As the column marched by, the m,
lou Of the leading company, seeing the
mt General standing with head uneovere
raised their hats. The action was f
,ly, lowed by the next and the next CO
res. pany, and was taken up by regime
con after regiment, troop after troop, D,
terry after battery; the twelve thousa
con men had passed and uncovered. Tn