Connecticut western news., 1894-07-12
A DECEPTION.

A DECEPTION.
 The bombardment had come to an end. Every fort along the line had been silenced, and in common with the other men-of-war lying in the harbor we were sending landing parties ashore.
 As chief surgeon on board was busy below with the poor fellows who lay suffering unspeakable agonies with com pressed lips and white, haggard faces.
 Bending down with my assistants over the prostrate body of a young mid dy, did not hear footsteps approaching and started when some one laid his hand on my shoulder. It was Lieutenant Harold Patterson
 Garter, old man., he said as stood up and wiped my hands, "this rough work has niggered me bit I've got nasty knock here, see?" He lifted up his left arm painfully with his right hand, and then saw that the dark blue cloth was torn and stained and stiff with con gealed blood
 'sBit of small shell, he continued, with easy carelessness. ''I want you to doctor it up bit, for I've got to go ashore with Teaser.'
 Teaser was his gun. It was light machine gun,. capital weapon for square or retreat work. Patterson was perfect child with his gun He treated it as if it were one of his greatest friends on earth.
 There's going to be some sport on the other side of those batteries, I can assure you," he said, pointing with his thumb through the porthole toward the land
 "Old Teaser's going to make things hum round there a bit, or she's going for old iron when we get back. Candidly, Carter, did you ever see gun like her? Did you ever see piece of metal pump bullets like she does? Lord, I'd stick against dead wall and buck up 500 bowling niggers with her single hand ed.''
 When had fixed him up, we went on deck. The hot air between the bulk heads made me feel sick and dizzy, and I wondered at a government like ours taking it into their heads to send out women as nurses among the wounded
 Out in the offing could see the trans port that was bringing the soldiers and the women.
 The advent of the women was a con- founded nuisance told Harold so.
 .'Fie, doctor,'' he said 'I should never have thought it of you! Shame on you for speaking of the ladies in that disrespectful way. Why, the little dears, they'll be the means of bringing round the fellows a lot more quickly than you and your crew could ever hope to- Three cheers for the ladies, I say. :"
 And as he raised his cap and waved it round his. curly head felt that there was soft place in his heart for women in general by reason of the fact tSat one of them far back in England was sigh ing for her bronzed and handsome lover, who was just now so enthusiastically championing their cause.
 But although had been in his com pany for at least three weeks he had never once mentioned to me the name of the girl was now convinced was respon- sible for this outburst of vehemence
 His wound did not prevent his taking his place in the pinnace Teaser was there in the bow, carefully wrapped in yellow tarpaulin.
 I watched them take her ashore and saw through my glasses how carefully and tenderly he superinteded her ma nipulation until at length the whole bat tery disappeared from sight through a breach in the Notifications.
 A couple of hours later the big trans port arrived. She brought out two regi- ments and half dozen voluntary nurses. One of them came to our ship. Hear the reception gave her wasn't a very cordial one, but didn't want her there at all and expressed my annoyance in my actions. The expression of the face, tanned by exposure during the voyage, was firm and intellectual, and there was look of businesslike suavity about her man ner that we doctors always admire in any one. But time alone would show | her worth.
 In the cool of the evening had the sick brought up on deck. There were few serious cases, and for these I could do no more than had already done.
 Nurse sat reading by one of them. She had a remarkably clear and well bal anced voice, and could see the poor fel lows on either side straining their ear! | to catch the sweet sounds that had beer foreign to them for so long. l l leaned over the bulwarks ant watched landing parties returning tt their respective ships. I could see cou l pie of the men of our boat inpatient, | walking up and down the beach, whil, the others stood with boathooks keepins the pinnace few yards out and off th, bottom.
 Then through the breach 20 yard above them came the remainder of ou party. They were walking slowly ant carrying some of their number. I could not see the gun
 | When they came alongside, the tw' wounded were handed up. One was seaman. He was taken below The othe came up.
 His face and part of his body was GOV cred with a blood stained cloth, but sav the legs and the sturdy arms, and bii lump came up in my throat. As l turn ed to follow them down below one oi the men said to me in hoarse whisper
 "Gun burst, sir. For God s sake don'i say he's going!"
 They loved him, all these men did. He had been like brother to them.
 knelt by the side of the boy-he wa: only boy. He still breathed, though slightly, but, cruel sight, he was blind and his once handsome face was horri bly, disfgufed
 He raised his hand slowly and fel
 my arm and carried the fingers up t, ! nv fana baut down to catch the word