The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-06-28


ON. His clothes were on fire. The
glowing brands blistered his hands.
The flames lsapsd at his face, and he
felt that his eyes were melting in the
heat. His strength at last gave way.
His brain swan, and he fell unconscious
on the edge of the furnace.
He did not know that the Confederates
were near him and were making noble
efforts to save the poor fellows crawling
from the Are. He did not know that
one of these men had rushed TO his side,
picked him mp in his str6ng arms and
received shot through both cheeks be-
fore he finally brought his poor burden
to a place OF safety. 1t was many days,
indeed, before Andy Maxwell knew any
thing. When consciousness came back,
he seemed TO be in a dark world, and
he heard two men talking beside his cot,
and one said:
He'll get over that hole through his
breast, for he's strong as mule, but
eckon his eyes are done for"
And then Andy Maxwell lifted his
poor blistered hand To his face, and he
felt the plasters on his cheeks and the
bandage across his eyes, and in his
agony of soul he cried out:
"Whar am II Whar's the light?"
He was told that he was in the Con-
federate hospital at Dalton.
"A prezznsrr"
"Yes, old fellow" was the response,
"but that don't matter. AS your fight
ing days are over you'll be paroled, l
reckon, as soon as you can get about"
20 God! And you uns say I'm done
gone blinf"
1--WE fear so," said the doctors as
they turned away.
"Then why didn't they let me die on
the field2 What did they tote me back
TO to live without friend or guide when
my eyes is gomez"
lone of your old friends is RESPONSE
BILE for that, said the doctor. Hero
he is"
Andy Maxwell heard the pounding Of
cane on the bare floor. He felt that
there was some one bending over him.
II he could have looked up, be would
have seen a haggard man with the
beard, hair and eyebrows burned from
the thin face. He would have noted the
plasters on the bullet pierced cheeks,
but he would not have known that this
was his old friend, his old rival, Phil
Ross. He did, however, recognize the
voice, tremulous though it was with
suppressed excitement, and on the in
slant suggestion carried him back to the
| Great Smoky mountains and to the val
ley of the French Broad, which he felt
that he was never to see again.
ANDY Maxwell, Andy, ole friend,
I'm hsr a-watchin and a-waitin, sob
bed Phil as he dropped into chair be-
side the cot and took one bandaged hand
between his own blistered palms.
IAN yo' saved me from the fire,
Philip
"Yes, Andy, with Gods help toted
| yo' back. Don't give up. Don't take
no stock in what them doctahs says, TO
they don't know everything, though l
reckon they means we'll enough. And,
Andy, ole friend, jest ez soon ez yo' ken
walk I'll guide yo' back tothe ole home,
and I'll keer.for yo' uns till the light
comes back, praise the Lori
! For two months Andy Maxwell re-
maiped in the hospital at Dalton. Then
there came day when the doctors told
him he must leave and make his way to
the Great Smoky range as best he could.
These doctors wondered why Phil Ross
remained sick on their hands. They
did pot know that he had induced vio-
lent nicotine poisoning by carrying at
times damp pieces of tobacco under his
arms. At length they concluded that
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