Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-15


crested with gltrsring spray Of oayo-
nets. come sorgins up tne siops straight
toward their Ines
And now the Federal artillery speaks
oar in its turn. and tbs sharp ersckls Of
small arms minglss with tho thcndrr of
the cannon Mea fall at every step in
the ranks u the charging column, and
down goes Hood himself. struck by
bullet. but the rush Of Longstreets men
comes on unchecked. and bursts into
the foremost battery like . waterfall
And. after that. az Is like the whirl
Of troubled dream A Wild vision Of
fierce faces and tossing arms, half seen
through billowy sIaoke-a furious clam
or Of mingled crles-a hot. sitting reek
Of dust and gunpowder-A wild beast
longing 70 tear and Kill. tingling to the
very finger UPS Of every man IN the
melee.
The guns are taken-the defenders are
driven bAck-and then comes . dee
Perate rally. and the figure Of "Never-
die Joe" Is seen for a moment In the fore
front Of tho night. whirling his dubbed
rife round his head like fail. and
striking right and left with the strength
Of . giant. Then the pail OF smoke
closes round him. and he Is seen no more.
The men in gray press on-the men in
blue, stubbornly coutestilg every foot OF
ground. are forced back step by step
when all at once a deep voiced shout
peals forth from the rear. and the dash
,..x Hur-ns.br and hi. ny, NJ N
run to restore the fight. There is fash
Of leaping flame through the smoke. hike
lightning playing in q cloud-a fierce.
short spasm of hand-to-hand battle-a
swAying To and fro of struggling masses
Of bluecoats and graycoats. like conflict
ing waves-and then the tide Of assault
waivers, rolls back aud ebbs sullenly
away.
"As sure as my names Bill Slocum,"
said ono Of two men who were going
over the battle field with lanterns a few
hours later, well find him alive yet
Don't We remember how. ut Chancellors-
Vile. he was the only man left out of a
hull comply? Seems 10 me. Mike, as
iSU<eAn nOlACWa3 AihC - NOAiiihs With
yon run arter him he fights shy and
slides of: but the minute you begin TO
look as il you didn't care for his comp'ny.
up he comes right awayr
"It's that nd be glad to behave that
same" growled Oheilly. but didn't |
see him fall wild my own two eyes,"
What of it, said Bill consolinglv.
81 -. ,l.-, r-o-rlaI
You mustn't call any man dead, Mick,
till he's bin returned as stitch on the
fetal list o killed and wounded"
"Troth, it's aisy to talk" rejoined
Mike ruefully, but hasn't many da-
cent bhoy thought himself only wounded
whin he was dead all the timer"
Bills broad laugh at this splendid
bull" was suddenly checked by the
sight Of Illinois Dicks mighty form
lying lifeless, with upturned face. upon
heap Of dead.
"Joe's bin Q true prophet. l reckon.
He said either he or poor old Dick was
bound to die. Well, if Dicks deed, Joe
must he alive, and l guess he amt far
of. neither. for II was jist somewheres
round here rs l seed him last. Hello!
here's one reb Twin yet. anyway. How
do, Johnny? How dye feel?"
kind O. shaky. reckon" said the
southerner. with faint laugh.
"Thry dhrop o this. me bhoy," cried
Mike, offering his canteen; It'll do yez
moro good than amy medicine. bad luck
to that Same dirty stuff Troth, twas
an illigant lick ye got, added he. eying
admiringly fearful cash on the fallen
mans head-''purty enough for ould
Denny brook. amy day."
That's So" said the Confederate,
seemingly revived by his draught. 1.-THE
last lick he Civ wur the one got. and l
don't want to order no more at the same
store. I tell yer! He wur tall Yank,
with a smooth face that looked like a
putty gal. and fit like forty Wildcats"
"By thunder! that must ha' bin Joe
hisselfr' cried Bill eagerly. Say. John
ny, what becomed of him, anyway
dead, l reckon-and lucky for us,
too, else he'd ha' laid out our hull bat
talon single handed We hollered to
him TO surrender when he wur left all
alone right in among Us all; but it
warn't mite o use. He jist clinched
his teeth and kept hammerin' away with
his dubbed piece, same as if he wur
thrashin' corn, till at last Tom Wiley
he'd TO shoot him jist to be done with it"
And here he is" cried Slocum, whose
keen eye had been scanning tho sur
rounding corpses while the man was
speaking "Helloi what's this. Great
Scott! his hands warm."
Warm, Is 1t? Hurroor shouted
O'Reilly. with q true Tipperary yell
Hes alive, thin-divil less! Hurroow
Steady. Mick" said bis cooler com
rade; I'VE want 10 handle him carefully,
you know, il he's badly hit. Hellol Is
the feller's skin bullet proof Here's q
ball in his clothes rs fiat as n buckwheat
cakel Show lig. :, Mick"
O'Reilly held up the lantern, and the
marvel was ut once explained
Hidden in the breast OF the soldiers
shirt was fat metal case, which had
stopped the ball that would otherwise
have reached his heart As Bill touched
II il came open in his hand. disclosing
the sunny hair and sweet, pure face Of 3
beautiful American girl
Think o. that, nowr muttered Bin
Slocurn with an unwonted softnees in
his deep, hosrse tones "His girls like
ness saved him when he meant to diet
Jist let me cotch any Teller sayin' there
Amt no God arter thati"
And Nike OReilly. with the instinct
I've chivalry Of his warm hearted Irish
r,sn-a ma tba rniutarura routlv hack