The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-11-23


With an eagerness which proved the
,incerity of his affection. The letter
mad regard to the disposition of GER
tain sums of money for which the
voucher had been destroyed by fire
juring the siege of Philadelphia two
days previously. 1t was scarcely end
ed when a bugle sounded from the
camp.
That's the sentinels recall" said
Roland. IL must get in. I'll forward
the letter the first chance l get"
He rose. Vickers, with a dumb
agony of grateful entreaty in his face,
feebly held up his left hand-the right
arm was shattered. After a moments
hesitation Roland bent and took 1t.
Here" he said, take this"
He dropped his flask beside him.
Keep your heart up; perhaps you
amt as bad as you think. I'll see IL I
can get help for you"
Tears started to the wounded
wretch's eyes.
Rose had better have taken you, I
guess he said, Ronald turned sharp
ly away.
"Ill be back as quickly as I can," he
said, and ploughed his way back into
camp without a single backward
glance. Coming to a large tent, the
only one in the camp, roughly run up
as a temporary hospital, he passed be-
tween two rows of PROSTATE figures,
sunk in the sleep of exhaustion or
tossing in agony, to where a man in
the uniform Of an army surgeon was
bending, pipe In mouth, over the body
of patient. Il want to speak to you
when you've finished, Ned"
The surgeon nodded without raising
his eyes, completed his task, ran his
bood-stained fingers wearily through
his hair and turned to Roland with
yawn and a shiver.
That's the last of EN-" he said.
1--WE been at it since nightfall, and
I'm dead beat Cut it short, old man:
we start in an hour. and l meant to
get wink of sleep"
I'm afraid you'll have to do without
it," said Roland. "Do you remember
Jim Vickers?"
Jim Vickers," repeated the surgeon.
"Oh, yes! The man who married Rose
Bishop"
Roland WINGED and nodded.
He's out there, shot in the arm and
leg. Says he's dying. He didn't know
me, and asked me to write word for
him to Rose-to his wife. l want you
to come and have look at him."
The surgeon shrugged, with a half
yawn.
He's a reb, suppose? Haven't seen
him in our crowd"
Yes" said Roland, but one man Is
pretty much the same to you as an
other, reckon, and-you know Rose.
You might save him."
Ned shrugged again, tossed some lint
and other necessaries into a bag on
the table, and they set out together.
They found Vickers asleep, with the
empty whiskey flask lying on the snow
beside him.
There was a ruined shed at hum
dred yards distance, to which they
carried the wounded man, who woke
and groaned as he was raised. Ar
rived under shelter, Ned silently be-
took himself to examining Vickers'
wounds. Arm and leg were both shat
tered, and three of his ribs were
broken by a horses hoof. Roland
watched his friends face, but it wore
the aspect Of even gravity common to
the faces of men of his profession en-
gagged at their work, and nothing was
to be learned from 1t. His task finish
ed, he patted his patients shoulder,
collected his tools and left the shed.
Roland followed him to the door,
What do you think? Can he pull
through"
"He would with proper nursing and
good food; not without"
Can We take him with us?"
mo, the colonel wouldn't hear of
it. We have to join Meade at Peters,
burg in two days, and we can't afford
to be bothered with lame prisoner.
Leave him some biscuit and a bottle
of whiskey, and let him take his
chance. We've done all we could"
II can't leave him." said Roland.
you've got mighty fond of him all
of a sudden" said Ned, with some
thing Of sneer."
I'm as fond of him as l always
was" answered Roland. IT'S Rose"
WELL" said the other, after mo-
ment's silence, and with the air he
might have worn had he found him
self forced to apply the knife to the
flesh of his own child, "if you want my
opinion you shall have it. You'll do a
long sight better business for Rose if
you let the fellow die. And, besides,
you can't save him. He'd take months
to heal up in hospital, with every care
and attention"
Il might take it," said Roland.
And be shot for desertion?"
"That's as may be. The chances are
l shouldn't be missed till you were too
far away to send back for me. / must
go and answer to my name, and then
see if can't drop behind"
Ned held his head in his hands as ii
it would else burst with the folly OF
his friends ideas.
II can't stay here all day talking
- nonsense" he said angrily. I'm
off into camp"
He strobe away, and Roland kept
pace with him. He did not need his
friends assurance Of the folly of the
act he meditated. He quite recognized
that, but it was only in the back.
ground of his thoughts, which were
filled with the memory of a woman'i
face. How could he leave the mar
D