Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-03-10
CHAPTER ".
MID WARS ALARMS.
At last.

AT last.
They were on the march, hurrying
forward to the relief of General Lyon,
who had had the choice thrust upon
him of abandoning to the enemy the
part of the State he was guarding, or of
meeting in battle double the forces at
his command. Like the brave hero he
always showed himself to be, he had
resolved to adopt the latter course,
though defeat seemed inevitable.
Up to this hour the young citizen
soldiers had never even seen Confed-
crate regiment, nor experienced the
sensation of firing at any object which,
possessed the unpleasant power of re-
taliation, so when in the afternoon of
the second days march, the scouts came,
hurrying back with news that the enc
my was in front of them, many a heart
beat fast in anxious expectation. It
was a wooded, billy country with small
clearings interspersed here and there.
They're over the ridge yonder; I
can see the smoke of their camp fires.
Oh, Lord, but wish was out of this, -
Lawson whispered hoarsely to Frank
Besant.
Brace up, manl'' was the reply, ut
! tered with cheerfulness not altogether
natural.
''But say, Frank, can't brace up.
I've got secret on my mind that won't
, let me brace up, Just as I'm on the GER
tain road to death. Hold hard min
ute and I'll make clean breast of it.
| But the confession never came.
''Slxirmishers-by the right flank
take intervals-marchI' rang out the
command, and the men of Franks
company were deployed over the rising
ground.
Every crash of broken twig, every
sound of moving bird or squirrel, nay,
every stirring leaf made some face light
with apprehension. "If I see an enemy,
thought Frank, ''can I deliberately
point my weapon at him and pull the
triggerP'' eff the enemy sees me-
thought James Lawson, twill he send
bullet through me without a qualm
Of conscience?'' If they could only see
the foe, it would not be half so bad, but
to be crawling at snail's pace through
the gloomy woods, each instant ex
pecting the thin puff of smoke ant
crack of rifle that shall speed the mes
senger of death, is indeed trying tt
those who have never stood fire before
so different from rushing with BLOOD
at fever heat in the wild delirium O.
battle on a foe you can see. Thus
with hearts beating and nerves
strained these embryo warriors reached
= the top of the hill and gazed into thu
valley below them.
Yes, there lay the enemy right IL
front of them-a small family of Ger
J man emigrants camped beside a prairie
schooner.
The bugle sounded a recall, the mel
, fell back in column, and the march wa
resumed.
That night over the blazing camp-fir
, song and jest and story passed the hour
! away-rations were plenty-disciplin
not half as strict as in the barrack
> yard-why, war after all was but a biz
picnic, paid for by Q grateful country.
= But Frank Besant was not fated t.
! enjoy much of this al Jresco revelry, Il
: fact he had hardly stretched himself o.
the turf after q hearty meal and reall
n began to enjoy his rest, than he hear
4 q voice behind him say:
"Just the very man, sir, for the jot
Z we need not 60 any farther, / think"
4 He instinctively knew that they wer
a abiding to him, and turning his hea
> saw Major Hopkins and Colonel Fulto
: in earnest consultation. For the preser