Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-28

the camp, roughly run up as q tenn
porary hospital, he passed between two
rows of PROSTATE figures, sunk in the
sleep Of exhaustion or tossing in agony, to
where man in the uniform of an army sur
geon was bending. pipe in mouth, over the
body of a patien,I
'I want to speak to You when you've fin
ished, Ned"
The surgeon nodded without raising his
eyes, completed his task, ran his blood
stained fingers YEARLY through his hair,
and turned to Roland with q yawn and .
shiver.
"That's the last of 'em," he said; eTve
been at it since nightfall, and I'm dead beat.
Cut it short, old man; we start in an hour,
and meant to get a wink of Sleep"
I'm afraid you'll have to do without il. I"
said Roland "Do you remember Jim
Vickers?''
'tJim Vickers?" repeated the surgeon.
"Oh, yesi The man who married Rose
Bishop"
Roland WINGED, and nodded.
Hes out here, shot in the arm and leg.
Says he'sdying. He didn't know me, and
asked me to write word for him to Rose
to his wife. 1 want you to come and have a
look at him.
The surgeon shrugged, with half yawn.
"He's Reb, 1 s'pose? Haven't seen him
in our crowd "
"Yes," said Roland, ''but one man is
pretty much the same to YOU as another, 1
reckon, snd-you know Rose. You might
save him."
Ned shrugged again, tossed some lint and
other necessaries into bag on the table, and
they set out together. They found Vickers
asleep, with the empty whisky flask lying
the snow beside him.
Il ln3 rrhs
Roland, land 1 don't want him to-
The surgeon nodded.
There was a ruined shed at hundred
wards distance, to which they carried the
wounded man, who woke and groaned as
he was raised Arrived under shelter,
Ned silently betook himself to examining
Vickers' wounds. Arm and leg were both
shattered, and three of his ribs were broken
by a horses hoof Roland watched his
friends face but it wore the aspect Of even
gravity common to the faces of men of his
profession engaged at their work, and moth
ing was to be learned from it. His task fin
ished, he patted his patients shoulder, col
lected his tools and left the shed. Roland
followed him to the door.
"What do you think? Can he pull
through ?''
"He would with proper nursing and good
food, not without"
''Can we take him with us?"
"No, the Colonel wouldn't hear of it.
We have to join Meade at Petersburg in
two days, and we can't afford to be bothered
with lame prisoners. Leave him some bis
cult and bottle of whisky, and let
him take his chance. We've done all we
could"
'1 can't leave him." said Roland.
you've got mighty fond of him all of q
sudden" said Ned, with something of q
sneer.
'Pm as fond of him as always was, !"
answered Roland. 'Tt's Rose"
"Well, said the other, after . moments
silence, and with the air he might have
worn had he found himself forced to apply
the knife to the flesh of his own child, eff
you want my opinion, you shall have it.
You'll do along sight better business for Rose
If you let the fellow die. And, besides, you
can't save him. He'd take months to heal
up in hospital, with every care and atten-
tion."
Somebody might come along and give
me hand to get him to tine nearest town."
said Roland vaguely, but tenaciously.
'The nearest town is 80 miles away.