The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-10-09
THE sENTRY's SHOT.
nx AMBROSE PIERCE.

in western Virginia. He lay at full
length on his stomach. his feet resting
upon the toes, his head upon the left
forearm. His extended right hand
loosely grasped his rife. But for the
somewhat methodical disposition OF
his limbs and slight rhythmic move
ment of the cartridge-box at the back
of his belt, he might have been thought
to be dead. He was asleep at his post |
of duty. But, If detected, he would be
dead shortly afterward, that being the
penalty of his crime.
The clump of laurel in which the
criminal lay was in the angle of road
which, after ascending southwark a
steep activity to that point, turned
sharply to the west, running along the
summit for perhaps one hundred yards. !
There it turned southwark again and
went zigzagging downward through
the forest. At the salient of that sec
ond angle was a large fiat rock, 1ut-
ting from the ridge to the northward,
overlooking the deep valley from
which the road assembled. The rock
capped high cliff; stone dropped
from its outer edge would have fallen
sheer downward one thousand feet to
the tops of the pines The angle where
the soldier lay was on another spur OF
the same cliff. Had he been awake he
would have commanded view, not
only of the short arm of the road and
the jutting rock, but of the entire pro-
Tile Of the cliff below 1t.
No country is SO wild and difficult
but men will make it q theater Of war;
concealed in the forest at the bottom
of that military rat-trap, in which half
hundred men in possession OF the
exits might have starved an army to
submission, lay five regiments OF fed
eral infantry. They had marched all
the previous day and night and were
resting. At nightfall they would take
to the road again, climb to the place
where their unfaithful sentinel now
slept. and, descending the other slope
Of the ridge, fall upon camp of the
enemy at about midnight. Their hope
was to surprise ii. for the road led to
the rear of it. In case of failure, their
position would be perilous in the ex-
treme.
The sleeping sentinel in the clump
of laurel was young Virginian named
Carter Druse. He was the son OF
wealthy parents, an only child, and
had known such ease and cultivation
and high living as wealth and taste
were able to command in the noun
tain country of western Virginia. His
home was but few miles from where
he now lay One morning he had risen
from the breakfast table and said,
quietly: Father, a union regiment
has arrived at Grafton. am going to
join it."
The father lifted his leonine head,
looked at the son moment in silence,
and replied: go, Carter, and, what
ever may occur, do what you conceive
to be your duty. Virginia, to which
you are traitor. must get on without
you. snouId we both live to the end
of the war, we will speak further of
the matter Your mother, as the ply
sician has informed you, is in most
critical condition; at the best she can
not be with lis much longer than a few
weeks, but that time is precious. 1t
would be better not to disturb her"
So Carter Druse, bowling reverently
to his father, who returned the salute
with stately courtesy which masked
breaking heart, left the home of his
childhood to go soldering. BY con-
science and courage, by deeds of devo-
ton and daring, he soon commended
himself to his fellows and his officers;
and it was to these qualities and to
some knowledge of the country that
he owed his selection for his present
perilous duty at the extreme outpost.
Nevertheless, fatigue had been stronger
than resolution, and he had fallen
asleep. What good or bad angel came
in dream to rouse him from his state
of crime who shall say? Without a
movement, without n sound, in the
profound silence and the languor of
the late afternoon, some invisible mes
senger of fate touched with unsealing
finger the eyes of his consciousness
whispered into the ear of his spirit the
mysterious awakening word which no
human lips have ever spoken, no hui
man memory has over recalled. He
quietly raised his forehead from his
arm and looked between the masking
stems of the laurels, instinctively clos
ing his right hand about the stock of
his rifle.
His first feeling was n keen artistic
delight, On a colossal pedestal, the
cliff motionless at the extreme edge
Of the Gaping rock and sharply out
lined against the sky was an eques-
trian statue OF impressive dignity
The figure of the man sat the figure of
the horse, straight and soldierly, but
with the repose of the Grecian god
carved in the marble which limits the
suggestion of activity. The gray cos
tune harmonized with its aerial back
ground; the metal of aceoutrement
and caparison was softened and sub
dued by the shadow; the animals skin
had no points of high light. A carbine,
strilSingly foreshortened, lay across the
pommel of the saddle, kept in place by
the right hand grasping it at the
grip the left hand, holding the
bride rein, was invisible. In sill
houette against the sky, the profile of
the horse was cut with the sharpness
Of cameo; it looked across the heights
of air to the confronting cliffs beyond.
The face of the rider, turned slightly
to the left, showed only an outline of
temple and beard; he was looking
downward to the bottom OF the valley.
Magnified by its lift against the sky
and by the soldiers testifying sense of
the formidableness of near enemy,
the group appeared of heroic, almost
colossal, size.
For an instant Druse had q strange
hai.-aenned feeling that he had slept
to the end of the war and was looking
upon noble work of art reared upon
that commanding eminence TO COM
memorate the deeds Of an heroic past,