St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-11-22
Selected Story.
CAPT. LANGHORNE'S COUR-
AGE.

field glasses and turning pair of
cold gray eyes upon a staff officer
who was standing near.
IF we could get a battery into
Clipper gap" responded the officer
addressed, 1.-The question might soon
be settled, and at close range. The
conhgurat ton of the land and the
bore OF our guns combine, it seems to
me, to make any other solution i'm
possible
"Clipper gap" echoed the general,
rising visibly in his saddle, and then
settling back with a sarcastic smile.
clipper gap, did you say, colonel !?
White, you are talking at random.
Surely your suggestion is not FEAST
BILE. You ought to know that bat
terry could not live to unlimber there,
but even if it got into action why,
good God, man, you must be dream
ing"
Col. White looked hurt, and instead
of meeting the sharp glance of his
commander, he allowed his eyes to
wander down to the left, and in the
direction of an old plantation dwell
ling, where masked mortar battery
had, an hour before, opened on the
federal lines with terrible effect.
II merely mentioned the matter,
general" replied the staff officer, af-
ter a few moments of silence. 81
shall be glad to execute any orders
that you may have IN the consum
nation of a better plan"
But, my good man." returned the
general, "a gunner could not live five
minutes at the gap. L would be
downright murder to order battery
in there. Col. White would you
lead a battery into Clipper gap?'
What a question:" replied the
other. What a question for a SOL
der. To be sure l would lead a bat
terry into the gap. or into hell for
that matter-if ordered to do so. By
the way, general, this would be a
great opportunity for your brave
Capt. Langhorne."
Gen. Colby laughed heartily.
Cant you forgive me, White. for
saying that Langhorne is the brav-
est man in the Sd corps? You grow
sarcastic every time you refer to the
conversation of last evening. Lang
horne is brave-brave as lion. |
know him under fire. Southerner, is
he not? Col. Williams told me that
he had two brothers in the rebel
army. Did you know him before the
WARP"
YES" answered the other, look
ing again in the direction of the
house. Il knew him very we'll We
were in the same class at the Univer-
sity of Virginia Rivals first for class
leadership, and later for the hand of
the fairest woman in the old COM
monwealth. Langhorne got the
girl, who, by the way, was of north
ern birth. Perhaps that accounts
for his fighting sympathies. His peo-
pie are all on the other side. Helives
in this section somewhere, believe
AS to his bravery, | never considered
him brave at all. You will say at
once, general, that this is a prejudice
arising from our early relations.
Not so, l am not inclined to depre-
ciate Langhorne's war record, which
we all admit is splendid. 1 say sim
ply that he is not man of great
physical courage"
During this brief recital the gener-
ais face wore smile of innocent rail-
lery, but as White concluded, a stern
expression stole over his counten-
ance. He thrust his field glasses into
a silver bound case, and almost
fiercely beat the long leg of his caval
~ boot with a pair OF heavy gaunt-
lets which he had taken off few mo:
ments before. He was man of i'm
porous disposition and violent tenn
per, with little liking for opposition
from any source. White was a dis
tant relative and trusted adviser, but
it was evident that he had gone too
far. When the first flush OF his wrath
had been beaten out upon his boot,
he was enabled to speak, with some
degree of moderation, the thoughts
that had sent a wicked expression to
his face.
Col. White" he began deliberate
ly, you impugn the courage of one
of the bravest men in the service-a
man whom l have learned to love
and respect. l tell you he is as brave
as lion. and his courage is always
tempered with the coolest judgment
the very highest form of courage.
Do you remember the day at"
Here the general broke off abruptly
and drawing out the field glasses,
fixed his sight upon the house that
stood on a long stretch of level
ground below, whence rose at fire.
quent intervals white puffs of smoke,
telling of the cannonade still furious
IL waged from the mortars of the
rebel battery. In moment he broke
off his inspection, and turning to Col.
White, said:
Perhaps your suggestion of the
gap as a point of action is not so
bad after all. [ really do not see any
way out of it, and just to prove that
l am right, shall order Capt. Lang
horne in there. Some one has to go,
and l am convinced that Lanehorne