Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-09-01

(, xontallv with the biting wlnu, ana ID
the rapidly gathering gloom the men
came budding from their rude shelters
and bundled to the ears in their great
coats stood stamping and swinging Their
arms. impatient TO have roll call over
and done with. The colonel came forth
a moment later. and together he and
Holden tranped over to the turf walled
structure in which their wounded com
rade Law. The air was now so thick
with snow that objects hundred yards
distant were blurred and those beyond
entirely obscured. Holden softly un-
strapped and raised the canvas flap and
poked his fur capped head within the
aperture.
"SleepingY' he queried of the hospital
attendant
Sleeping like baby, sir" whisysr
the soldier, as he tiptoed to the entrance
s.Captain Hazlett was reading TO him
over an hour, and then he just dropped
away, and the captain left at first call.
That's capital" said Holden, turning
TO the chief. He has worried so over
the effect the news might have on his
wife that couldn't get him to sleep.
Now, if we can only tide him over until
morning and if this beastly gale will
only subside. we'll have good news for
him.
well. don't let Rolfe get near him.
said Farquhar with quiet smile. There
isn't better duty officer in all the
Twelfth. but somebody has 10 suppress
him once in awhile
HE ought to be married" laughed
Holden in reply.
That night when the trumpets pealed
tattoo the musicians braced their backs
against the clustering northwest and
blew as best they could, though Boreas
strove to silence their lustiest effort, and
no trooper on the windward side could
hear note Over the whistle and howl
of the gale. far out on the desolate prairie.
far to the southeast, however, the stir
ring. welcoming, hope-reviving strain
was borne to the frozen ears Of solitary
and well nigh exhausted trooper bid
ding him pluck up courage. rouse him
self to renewed effort. and once more
plunge forward into the blackness of the
night.
So long as he kept the gale in his bat
tered face. so long would he be strug
Cling toward comrades and shelter
Staggering, stumbling, sometimes crawl
ing a few PAGES on hands and knees,
sometimes turning his back to the icy
blast and gasping for breath, sometimes
burying his face in his arms, sometimes
stretching those arms aloft to heaven
and lifting up a silent prayer for help,
for strength, he had struggled on afoot
long after abandoning his fallen and
crippled horse. No reckoning light, no
glimmering star TO guide, only the rude
Bullets Of the cruel. pitiless blast, the
singing, biting. thrashing Of the snow
pelting him like small shot, to point the
way, yet sayagely TO beat him back-to
bid him face and force them, yet furious
to overwhelm and down. Weak and ex-
hausted. he had well nigh abandoned the
last vestige of hope. and wailing cry
went moaning aloft from his cracked
and frozen lips: "God in heaven guide
me; bear me up: give me strength. tits
not for myself, but those poor women.
God in mercy hear me. God in pity
answer"
And over the wrath and fury Of the
mad hurricane, triumphing above the
shrek and howl of the TEMPEST, ringing
like the voice of archangel through the
vault of the storm dashed skies, Gods
answer came. The divine pity, riding
indeed upon the storm, spoke to him in
the glad, thrilling, familiar strains of
the far away trumpets of the Twelfth.