The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-07

was larger, and the grim certainty tina
that fatal rush would come and the
wish of all that it might come soor
were stronger every minute. 1t was
quite clear moonlight now. The shot;
of the enemy came faster, and hac
closed in perceptibly in the last hour
The men fred slowly, and the order
was given for each man to use his last
two cartridges on no account till the
end They could not see the Indians
but fred at the flashes. The faces Of
the men were set and rather pale; one,
with bloody shirt sleeve bound tight
~ around his head, looking particular
ly CHASTITY. The widest rumors were
entertained by the most hopeful, but
the determination of despair had set
tied on most. One poor wretch, NOR
tally wounded. lay near the center,
talking loudly in his delirium. He
I thought he was back at the fort with
his chun, Tom Gordon, one of his
trumpeters.
Suddenly the shots came faster, and
the flashes drew quite close, especially
on the side where the defense was
/ lowest.
They're coming in minute" said
some one.
| In an instant there was harsh, wild
| yell of a single voice from the savages,
and Immediately the cry was taken up
! by the creatures hidden behind rock
and sage bush, till the whole canyon
seemed to be fun OF devils.
Here they come, boys!" shouted the
| sergeant. He was an older man than
most OF them, and his stern white face
looked steady and cool as he raised his
carbine for those last two shots.
But there was a pause among the
savages. Most of the men thought it
was the stiffness that came before the
rush. In the hull IN the firing t.e
voice of the wounded man could be
heard
''Harkr' he said. in a hoarse whis-
per, and raised his hand. warninglv.
There's the bugle! It's Tommy. I'd
know that bugle anvw here" But they
thought he was raving. and he lapsed
again into his fever, thinking he was at
some great review.
But the lieutenant bent forward and
listened. Keep quiet" he said. Lis
temp And up the canyon, through the
heavy smoke of the rifles, came the
notes of a bugle clear and distinct in
the sudden silence. 1t was the gal
lop."
1t was rather a choking, feeble cheer
they gave, but it reached the regi-
ment.
There they come" yelled the SER
geant, excitedly. And they dimly saw
dark mass in perfect order come
around a projecting crag of the canyon
and move swiftly and steadily up the
great gutch. A few shots met the ad-
vancing column. The Indians around
the circle were slipping away.
In afew>moments thescolonel stepped
over the low breastwork, went mp to
the lieutenant, who was leaning dizzily
against rock, and took his hand The
colonel did not say anything. for he
was not demonsbrative: man, and per
haps he thought no words were needed
But he stood silent for several min
utes,- and the men, came up and stood
about looking with aforementioned
curses and wild faces on the debris
strewn bit of ground, on the cartridge
shells, canteens, torn pieces of cloth
ing, and on the pathetic heap in the
center. Gordon. the trumpeter, had
one of the bodies in his arms, and,
with his back to the moonlight, was
crying like boy.
~t lacA
luxurious sense of weakness, with a
dim recollection of some horrible
dream, but with feeling that it was
all over now, and that he was rather
happy ami contented than otherwise.
HIS head felt cool, and though when he
tried to raise his hands he found that
they were SO heavy he could not lift
them six inches, the discovery some
how did not cause him much anxiety,
but rather amused. him.
He must have slept again, for the |
next thing he remembered was seeing |
familiar little face above him, framed |
in the long tresses of brown hair that |
hung forward as she bent over him.
''Connors," she. said little quaver-
ingly, as she softly strohed one of his |
thin hands, and the touch was wonder
fully soothing to the invalid Con !
nors, I'm so glad you're better. In a !
few weeks we'll be going out to look at /
the horses together again, won't WEI /
And you have done the MODEST thing | !
ever heard of. Connors, you're-you're |
the coolest man in the world, and my
dearest friend!" and she leaned over !
and kissed him.
No one had ever kissed him before
Perhaps it was because he was very
weak, but he felt that he was crying
''Pooh!' he said, family, with an et-
fort TO stop the tears running out the
corners of his eyes, me good"-Fran-
els Parsons, in Harper's Weekly.
Papa, what is dynamite?" asked
Willis. ut is powerful explosive"
returned his papa. whats explosives
for?" the boy asked TO blow things
up" was the answer. 81 guess my
nurse must be an explosive, then" said