Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1893-12-15
OLD HORNUS.

VIII AAO1lsv - Ne
n single Preach regiment. on an I'M.
| sheltered railroad hank. stood like n tar
get Tor the Prus,'ian army. massed in
the woods some so yards away. As
the hullcts Tell thick about them, tho
French officers ordered their men to lie
down. but rot one would obey. All
remained proudly standing ahou, their
flag.
Ia that Tread expanso Of green pas.
lures and waving cornficlds illumined
iy the setting sun. that body Of tor
mcn;cd men. cnvcloped in q cloud Of
smoke. looked like flock surprised in
tho open fields by the first gust Of q
terrible tempest. Il did INDEED rain
lead On that hillside! Nothing could
bc heard Int the cracking discharge
VI lnusketry. the heavy rumbling Of
shells and the ceaseless vibration Of
balls all over the battlefield.
Again and again tho flag fell, bu.
every time ~ clear. bold voice rang ont
above tho din Of the musketry. the
oaths Of the wounded. tho death rattle
If the dying: ITO tho flag, boys: To
the flag
And instantly. like q VAGUE shadow
In that fiery fog. an officer wo;lld spring
forward. and the Ga,.ntlcss ensign, as
If restored TO I!se. would look down
again upon the battle.
Twen;y-twO times II fell. Twenty
two times its staff. still warm rs it slip
red from dying hand, was caught and
raised again. and when mt sunset the
remnant If the regiment, % little hand
full Of men, slowly retrcated the flag
was but tattcTcd rag in the hands If
Sergeant Hornrs. the twenty third en-.
sign IL tho day. .....
This Sergeant Hcrnus, an old fellow
who could scaiccly sign his name, had
bccn go years in gaining the rank Of
noacommissioncd officer. The mis-
cries Of the fom,dling ard the brutality
of the barracks had left their impress
in his low. Obstinate brow, his back bent
hy the lnapsacs and that unscrupu-
lous mir Of the trooper In the ranks. He
stammerui little, too. hut eloquencc
n not essential i'll mn ensign. That
game evening IL the hattie his colonel
said 60 him. '.You have the flag. my
gallant fellow-well. keep it,
And on hts shabby army coat, worn
anil faded by rain and powder, the suit
lcr placed at once the golden luldgc Of
the ensign. This was the one glory Of
his life. From this time thc old troop
or held NJ his head. The poor soul,
who heretofore had walked with l,ent
buck and downcast glance. henccforth
stood proudly erect. with eyes ever
lifted 90 watch that scrap If cloth flut-
tcring In the breeze. and Co hold 1t very
high. very upright, above death, de-
feat and tr-achcry.
Never was there man 70 Happy a
Hornus when h. stood Ou III, hattie
field. his hands claspcd about lIis hag-
staff In Its lcathcrn sheath. Silent.
motionlcss, grave ~ u priest. ono would
have said that he was holding some
thing sacred. His whole life, his whole
teing. conferred In the fingers gripped
about the beautiful golden rag upon
which tho balls seemed b. hurl them
selves. and his defiant eyes looked the
Pru~ians strnight In the face MS II to
shy. Just try now 10 take IL from me-"
No ono did try-not even death. After
those deadly battles Of BOrny and
Grnvclostc. the flag left tho field cut to
pieccs, literally riddled with bullet
holes, hat IL WINS still old Hornus who
bore IL. Then came September, the
army at Metz. the sicsc. and that long
encmmpmcnt In the mud till the cannon
Sustesl, and the finest troops in the
wurld, dcmoraliscti by inaction, hy
lack of provisions and If news, died In
the trenches II fever and despair and
dcadly WEAKNESS. Lentlcfs and men
alike Lost confidence. HOrm,s alone still
had faith. His tricolor rag was all tho
wueld to him, and ~ long "a he kept
thst u seemed ~ him that nothing was
lot. -
UnSostunatcly, - there was no moro
6ghting. the colonel kept the dag at his
qusstcr1 IN one of tho suburbs Of Meta.
md honest Hosnus was worry like
mother whose child = cut q nurse.
He thought II Il continually, md when
luis longing foe Il became une1sdurablo
10 wuuld rush "a 70 thec0lOasl's h0use,
whesv tn mesv sight q his Aag, Fest-
-, Hx-m~vw&0o~p Sn Stu ss1nra nUn}Dnt f1,e