News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-12-17


ment and comparison was sOtteneC
and subdued by the shadow; the
animals skin had no points of high
light. A carbine, strikingly fOreshOrt.
ened, lay across the pommel of the
saddle kept in place by the right hand
grasping at the grip, the left hand,
holding the bridal rein, was invisible.
In silhouette against the sky thepro-
file of the horse was cut with the
sharpness ofan arrow it looked across
the heights of air to the cliff beyond.
The face of the rider, turned slightly
to the left, showed only an outline OF
temple and beard; he was looking
downward to the foot of the valley.
Magnifed by it's lib against the sky,
and by the soldiers testifying sense
of the formidableness ofanear enemy,
the group appeared of heroic, almost
colossal size.
For an instant Druse had strange
haif-defned feeling that he had slept
to The enu of the war, and was look
ing upon a noble work of art reared
upon that commanding eminence to
! commemorate the deeds of a heroic
! past of which he had been an inglOri-
Gus part. The feeling was dispelled
! by slight movement of the group /;
the horse without moving its feet had
! drawn it's body slightly backward
! from the verge; the man remained i'm
| mOvale as before. Broad awake and
keenly alive to the significance of the
| situation, Druse now brought the
| butt of his rifle against his cheek by
cautiously pushing the barrel forward
| through the bushes, cooked the piece,
and glancing through the sight COW
cred a vital spot of the hOrseman's
breast. A touch upon the trigger
and all would have been we'll with
! Carter Druse. At that instant the
horseman turned his head and looked
in the direction of his crouching foe
man-seemed to look into his very
face, into his eyes, into his brave COM
passionate face.
| Is it, then, so terrible to kill an
| enemy in war-an enemy who has sur
| prised a secret vital to the safety of
ones self and cOmrades-an enemy
more formidable for his knowledge
than all his army for its numbers?
Carter Druse grew deathly pale. He
shook in every limb, turned faint and
saw the statuesque group before him
as black figures, rising, falling, NOV
ing, unsteadily in acres of circles in a
fiery sky. His hand fell away from
his weapon, his head slowly dropped
until his face rested on the leaves in
which be lay. This courageous man
and hardy soldier was nearly swoon-
ing from intensity of emotion andeX-
citement.
Is was not for long; in anOthermo-
mert his face was from earth, his
hands resumed their places on the
rifle, his fOrefnGer sought the trigger.
Mind, heart and eyes were clear, con-
science and reason sound. He could
/ not hope to capture that enemy; to
alarm him would but send him dash
4 ing to his camp with his fatal news.
| The duty of the soldier was plain; the
man must be shot dead from ambush
without warning, without a moment S
! spiritual preparation, with never so
1 much as an unSpOken prayer, he must
! be sent to his account. But no, there
| is a hope: he may have discovered
nOthing-perhaps he is but admiring
| the sublimity of the landscape. If
permitted, he may turn and ride care
! lessly away in the direction whence
he came. Surely it will be possible to
| Judge at the instant of his withdraw
ing whether he knows. 1t may be
that his fXity of attention-Druse
turned his head and looked below.
| Through the depth of air dOwnard,
as from the surface to the bottom of
a transparent sea. he saw creeping
| across the meadow a sinuOus line of
the figures of men and hOrses-some
foolish commander was permitting
the men of his escort to water their
horses in the open, in plain view of a
hundred SUBMITS.
Druse withdrew his eyes from the
valley and fixed them again upon
| the group of man and horse in the
sky, and again it was through the
sights of his rifle. He was calm
now. His teeth were firmly but not
rigidly closed; his nerves were as
tranquil as a sleeping babe's-not a
tremor affected any muscle of his
body; mis- breathing, until suspended
in the act of taking aim, was regular
and slow. Duty had silenced con-
science; the spirit had said to the
body: peace be still" He fired.
At this moment an officer of the
federal force, who, in n spirit OF ad-
venture or in quest acknowledge, had
left the hidden bivouac in the valley
and climbing the slope had made his
way to the lower edge of a small,
open space near the foot of the cliff,
was considering what he had to gain
by pushing his exploration further.
At a distance of quarter of a mile
before him, but apparently at a
stones throw, rose from its fringe OF
pines the gigantic face of rocks, tow
ering to so great a height above him
that it made him giddy to look up to
where it's edge cut sharp rugged line
against the sky. At some distance
away to his rightit presented a clean,
verticle profile against a background
of blue sky, to a point half way down
and of distant hills hardly less blue,
thence to the top of the trees at its
base. Lifting his eyes to the dizzy
altitude of its summit, the officer saw
an astonishing gsight-aman on horse
back riding down into the valley
through the air!
Straight upright sat the rider, in
military fashion, with n firm seat in
the saddle, a strong clutch upon the
rein to hold his charger from too i'm
petuous a plunge. From his bare
head his long hair streamed upward,
waving like a plume. His right hand
was concealed in the cloud of the
horses lifted name. The animals
body was as level as if every hoof
stoke encountered heresistant earth
It's motions were those of a wild gal
lop, but even as the officer looked
they ceased, with all the legs thrown
| sharply forward, as in the act o
alghting from a leap. But this was
Il fight.
Filled with amaZement and terror
by this apparition of IL hOrseman il
the sky-half believing himself tht
chosen scribe ofsomenew Apocalypse
: the officer was overcome by the in
= testify of his emotions; his legs faileC
? him and he fell Almost at the sam,
5 instant he heard a crashing sound il
) the trees-a sond that died withou
= an echo, and all was still.
10 The Ofiicerrose to his feet trembling
t The familiar sensation of an abradeC
shin recalled his dazed faculties. Pull
G ing himself together, he ran rapid,
f obliquely backward from the cliff t.
e a point n half mile from its foot