Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-04-16

ed Oh the left. "A force hurried by 20
the support of comrades at the front
The ground he was on had just been
fought over and dead and wounded
scattIred everywhere Entering n wood,
he pJsLed forward through it, A young
soldier. n boy Of IS, was sitting on the
yrouId, supported by tree, gasping
'or b3eath A red stream running down
iis bbsOm showed that he had been shot
through the lungs. lyon are thinking
of h,lme, 10y boy" muttered Maynard
and pushed ON. An officer lay IN HIS
path and begged him for what the
woulded crave so eagerly-water. May.
narGi rode about hunting for stream or
sI!ring. At last he found what he
sought, and filling canteen rode back
to " here the man lay. He was dead.
In lis hand he held n picture of wife
and two little children. Within hea ing
Of tile booming in front and shells cut
ting,the trees above him he had passed
froJ the harshest through the gentlest
Of hb bman feelings TO the eternal peace
Riding on. Maynard met an officer he
hadtlnown intimately. Without thought
OF 3is altered condition the degraded
colo bel waved his hand in salute and
cries ont, FLOW goes the battle, ms-
jorJ The officer passed by with LOOK
whiEh Maynard never forgot. 1t senf
the hot blood mounting % his checks.
He Icould have cloven the mans skull
wish his saber. But there was no need
Of that. Was there not an enemy ut the
trout: Yes, and there was death. He
das. bed ON and arrived at ono Of the hot
test points on the left just AS line OF
cavtlry was moving to charge.
Jbining them. ho rode down into a
stoibn SO wild, so fierce, so full Of de-
strllction that surely he thought the
covItod death must come. But the gaps
in kho ranks were to his right, TO his
lefd anywhere, everywhere, except
whlre he rode. And when the troopers
vii, whom he fought came out Of the
fgljt Mark Maynard was still among
thelliving.
40 opened the battle Of Saturday,
SeTt. 10 Throughout that day May
na1l rode wherever he saw that grim
speIter hovered. At times he was with
thd cavalry, at times no would dis
mobnt, and leaving his horse in the
reat 90 forward with musket. On one
ocdasion, catching the enthusiasm Of
ba.tle, he was forgetting his misfortune
wltn the officer of the regiment with
which he fought recognized him. Tho
twb had been at enInity.
I'Loave these ranksl"
MAYNARD turned. saw that he was ad'
drjs jsSed and who addressed him. Throw
inl down his gun, the hot tears burst
ipl from bis eyes, he turned away.
Al Jain he was tramping through corn
6eid on the flank Of regiment when ne
saw division general inspecting the
rIJ il as they passed forward TO an at
tod. He recognized the general who had
selt the spy TO him Their eyes met.
Miyuard had by this time come to SEQ
Though the device by which the other
hail led him into his present position
anh regarded the officer steadily. The
MIN turned his horses head and gal
loI bed away There was one man in the
army VINO did not care to look him in
thf eye.
hhe da, passed with succession OF
blbws upoa an army still too strung
odt" for Its own good But they were
all successfully resisted. Wherever a
pkce was weak some brigade or division
WIS sent to strengthen it, usually leav'
irlg place where it had been. But all
pJints were strengthened in time. All
dImage repaired. at least the damage
olj which hung defeat The damage to
tile dead and thirssing wounded scat
tered along the line for miles could
nIver be repaired. 1t could be counted
a, laid down accurately in the official
reports, but who can Count or repair
tile hearts broken with every charge,
eiery defense!
And so the sun went dawn over a
fiild on which there was no victory, no
dtfeat, only suffering and deasb.