The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-07-14

filled with the mem DRY of woman's
face. How could he leave the man
Rose loved to die while any possible
effort Of his might suffice to save
| him?
Somebody might come along and
give me a hand TO get him to the
nearest town." said Roland vaguely.
but tenaciousIy.
"The nearest town is thirty miles
away. How would you get
him there? It's impossible. Be-
Isid es, look at this" He
pointed to the sky, an even bank
OF thick, grey cloud. "That'll be-
falling in another hour. You'd be
showed up. And then-hang it all,
man, must be as mad as you are to
discuss the thing at all. You don't
suppose you're going to get leave Of
absence to nurse q Johnny Reb?"
The first flakes OF the coming snow
storm fell as the detachment started.
It marched in very loose order, for the
road was rough, the snow deep, most
OF the men more or less broken with
wounds and fatigue, aEdit was known
that no enemy was within sixty miles.
Roland fell, little by little, to the rear,
where the clumsy country wagons
numbered along full of the wounded
under Ned's charge.
You'll take care Of the letter. he
whispered, and thrust it into his
friends hand. "Good-bye. I shall
fall in with the next detachment if I
pull through long enough. If not"
He nodded, and at sudden turn of
the road, here thickly surrounded by
maple and hemlock, darted among the
trees and listened, with his hsart in
his ears, to the jingle and clatter OF
arms as his comrades marched on. 1t
died away upon the snow-laden air,
and he retraced his steps to the shed
with an armful OF dry leaves and
twigs, with which, by the sacrifice of
one OF his few rem aining cartridges, he
speedily made a blazing fire. Vickers
lay quiet, watching him through half
shut lids. IT,.
"say, Roland" ne said, presently,
"what sort OF a game is this?" 4 =.
'1'm going to see if l can pull you
through" said Roland, with an affec-
tation Of cheerfulness. r.
"You can't, said Vickers; II heard
what Ned said just now. I'm booked
for the journey through, I know it.
Don't be fool. Follow the boys and
leave me here. I'm beyond any mans
help. You won't? Well, you always
were anutmeg-headed sort OF creature.
never knew you to have more
than one idea at a time, and
tnat one wasn't worth much,
as a general thing. But this is mad
ness, sheer, stark madness! Look at
the snow! Another hour or two, and
we shall be showed up. It's just
chucking good life after a bad one.
know you amt doing it for me- It's
for Rose. Well, il it was any use, /
wouldn't say no. But it isn't.
shall be a dead man in twenty-four
hours at most. Nothing can save
me-" 49,,
"l'm just going to the wood,"' said
Roland, taking up his gun, and speak
Ing IN quite casual tone. tIf there's
any game about, this weather will
drive it under cover. I'll be back
presently, anyhow" n
He flung some Of the broken. tiimbs,
OF the shed upon the fire and went
! out. $3.50 I'@ 2
He had not taken six PAGES through
the binding flakes when Vickers' voice
rang out with startling loudness and
suddenness. "Good-bye, Roland" and
a loud report seemed to shake the
crazy old hut to it's foundation.
Roland ran back Vickers was
lying dead, with the freight playing
brightly on the barrel OF a revolver
clinched in his left hand. II
Ten minutes later he was lying in
deep snow drift. and Roland was
tramping through the snow on the
track OF his detachment.-R Romance.