Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-08-25

nIg IN ms sauuIe ne saw wIon1n 1ev
wards of him two barefooted bush
whackers," who had evidently up till
now been concealed in the stable.
One OF these dangerous tramps car
ried long ducking-gun, already stead
! ily covering Herbert's breast, and the
! other a lockless rife and bayonet.
''Up with yer hands, ye id Yank'
yelled the fellow with the gun. But
| Private Leslie was not that kind of &
! ''Yanh" He had been carefully
coached for just such an emergency as
I this, and instead of leaving his revolver
in the holsters had one of them lying
| on the pommel of his saddle. Quick
4 as thought he dropped his hand to the
weapon, but swift as his motion was
his fingers had barely touched it's butt
when the menacing rufian pulled the
/ trigger of his smoothbore.
If the clumsy piece had exploded its
! tnree-ounce load of slugs and buckshot
would have torn the bold unionist's
body to shreds, but fortunately for him
the hammer fell upon a spoiled cap,
and seeing there was no time to replace
it the guerillas rushed forward with
frightful oaths.
One took two steps, the other three,
and then both lay weltering in their
gore-shot down by the deadly, rapid
fire of their boyish foe.
Not knowing how many more of these
vagabond, no-nation stragglers might
be ambushed within hearing. Herbert
~ 70 fnf 10 :
ton of his assailants, but, wheeling his
horse, rode off at speed, little imagining
what was next to befall.
He had arrived, with no further mo-
lestation, within six miles of the outer
line of Crooks videttes and was riding,
now more slowly, along the edge of a
wooded tract, when he heard low,
moaning cry which appeared to come
from an adjoining thicket.
''Some poor, wounded reb' needs
help" the humane young fellow NUT
tered, and, promptly dismounting, he
proceeded to make search, having
first, for fear of treachery, placed re-
volver in his belt. Creeping on hands
and knees through the dense under
brush and guided by the still-continued
plant, he came presently to PROSTATE,
blood-stained form clad in torn uni
form-not of gray, but of blue!
"Ahl one of our own brave boys"
thought he, and, l1neeling by the side of
the helpless man, he gently raised his
head. The wan, pinched, hunger
stricken face, covered with mud,
seemed that of stranger, but no
sooner had the sunken eyes turned upon
Leslie than the wounded soldier gasped:
oh Herbert - don't-you - know
me?'
'Mercifnl Heaven!'' exclaimed the
astounded rescuer, SIT is Fred Ainsliel"
and. throwing his arms around his so
ST. agely found friend, he burst into
very unsoldierlike tears.
why, my dear Fred''-he began, but
the wornout boy had tainted and now
lay senseless upon his old schoolmate's
breast
Owing to the hasty manner in which
Herbert had been obliged to leave the
water he had not reflled his canteen,
and now he had not so much as a drop
to force between the swollen lips of his
unconscious comrade. Yet not mo-
ment must be lost! He saw that Fred's
right leg was shot through above the
knee, that he was utterly exhausted by
loss of blood and might die before other
help could be brought, and, besides, his
own business would not admit of delay.
So, with infinite care and tenderness,
he drew the motionless form out to the
road and placed it across his saddle.
Then, remounting, he held the light
weight fairly in his arms and, putting
his well-trained charger to an easy
canter, carried poor Fred safely, and
without jolt, to Crooks headquarters,
where, by the aid of cautiously admin
istered stimulants, he quickly revived.
The shattered limb was then properly
attended to and in the course of the
next twenty-four hours Herbert heard
his friends story from his own lips.
1t seems that, three days before,
Sergeant Ainslie (for Fred had been pro-
moted) had been sent out in charge of
a foraging party, which, being waylaid
by greatly superior number sof con-
federates, was obliged, after receiving
Il volley or two, to beat a hasty retreat,
leaving the sergeant and several pri-
Yates, supposedly dead, upon the field.
Fred, however, who happened to fall
close TO the thiclet where he was
found, had presence of mind enough to
crawl into its shelter and in the confu-
sion was not noticed by the enemy
thus escaping capture and saving his
uniform. For seventy-two hours he
had lain there without food or drink,
except one ration of biscuit and a sin
gle quart of water which he had brought
with him, and but for Leslie's oppor-
tune arrival he must have perished be-
fore the dawn of another day.
A single remark made by Fred after
he had told Herbert of the various bat
ties he had been in while the latter was
laid up in New York, will serve to show
how greatly a mans nature may be