Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-09-01
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

a handsome red-capped officer, ac-
companied by an orderly, dashed down
the track, wheeled, leaped the hedge,
rode out on the slope, and halted. In
another instant a cloud of dust came
whirling down the lane after him. Out
of it strained the heavy shoulders and
frightened chain-traces of six frantic
horses dragging the swaying gun that
in this tempest OF motion alone seemed
passive and helpless with an awful
fOreknowledge Of its power. As in
obedience to a signal from the officer
they crashed through the hedge after
him, a sudden jolt threw the artillery
men from the timber before the wheel.
A driver glanced back on the tense
chain and hesitated GO on yelled
the PROSTATE man, and the wheel went
over him. Another and another gun
followed out of the dust cloud, while
the whole battery had deployed on the
slope.
Before the drifting dust had fairly
settled. the falling back Of the painting
horses with their drivers gave a mo-
mentary glimpse of the nearest gun al
ready in position and of the four erect
figures beside il. The vel that seemed
to have evoked this sudden apparluon
again sounded nearer; binding nash
broke from the gun, which was in
stantly hidden by the closing group
around it, and deafening crash with
the high ringingf of metal ran down
the lane. \ column of white, Wooily
smoke arose as another flash broke be-
side it. This was quickly followed by
another and another with response
from the gun first fired, until the whole
slope shook and Numbered. And the
smoke no longer white and woolly, but
darkening and thickening as with UNI
burnt grains of gunpowder, mingled
into the OminOus yapOr, and, driving
along the lane, hid even the slope from
view.
The yelling had ceased, but the
grinding and rafting heard through
the detonati0n of the cannon came
nearer still, and suddenly there was 4
shower of leaves and twigs from the
lower branches of d chestnut tree near
the broken ridge. As the smoke thin
ned again a rising and falling medley
OF Tapping hats, tossing horses heads,
and shining steel appeared for an in
slant, advancing unanimously up the
slope. But the apparition was as in
stantly cloven by flame from The two
nearest guns, and went down in a
gush of smoke and roar of sound. So
level was the delivery and 50 close the
impact that a space seemed suddenly
cleared between, in which the whirling
of the shattered remnants Of the charg
ing cavalry was distinctly seen and
the shouts and oaths of the ineXtrica-
bly, struggling mass became plain and
articulate. Then gunner serving the
nearest piece dropped his swab and seiz
ed a carbine, for out OF the whirling
confusion before them a single rider
was seen galloping furiously toward
the gun.
The red-capped young officer rode
forward and knocked up the gunners
weapon with his sword For in that
rapid glance The had seen that the
riders reins were hanging loosely on
the neck of his horse, WHO was still
dashing forward with the frantic i'm
petus of the charge, and thus the
youthful figure of the rider wearing
the stripes of a lieutenalt-althoug
still erect exercised no control over
the animal. The face was boyish.
blond, and CHASTITY; the eyes were set
and CLASSY.
1t seemed as if Deatl itself were
charging the gun.
Within a few feet of it the horse
sweryed before a brandBhed hammer
and striking the cheek; Of the gun
carriage pitched his intimate rider
across the guns. The hit blood of the
dead man smoked on tie hotter brass
with reek of the shambes, and bespat
tered the hand of the elnner who still
mechanically served the vent. As they
lifted the dead body Town the order
came to cease firing" The ominous
central cloud parted for a brief mo-
ment and showed the unexpected sun
glittering down the sope upon near
and peaceful Tiver.-Nev Moon.