The news boy., 1896-06-20

Among the dead leaves OF my passing days.
Some flower Of word or deed. for whose
sweet sake
I might seem nobier to my inward gase.
Arthur w. Cotton. in Youths Companion.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.
A sharpshooters Experience In
Front OF Petersburg.
'sMaior, how did you feel the Arst
time you were under fire2" inquired
Of Post Commander Case, OF Detroit
post, the other day while sitting in
his snug quarters In the water Office,
In company With several war-worn
veterans who had dropped in for q
chat.
"Well," said he, "that Is q ques.
ton that Is hard to answer. did
feel, though, that there were other
places in which I'd rather be-"
Were you afraid9 am free to
admit that in my first fight the chills
made toboggan slide Of my back
for at least ten minutes"
WAS I afraid? Yes and no.
There was sort Of nameless dread
about going in, but after the first
volley I didn't mind it so much. l
knew those fellows in front Of us
were not there especially for, ,stheir
health or ours, and I knew enough
about guns to know that they were
very dangerous things in the hands
OF a sharpshooter."
"By the way, major, you must
have seen some hot times during
your period Of service. Tell me of q
battle where bullets flew thick and
deeds Of heroism were performed"
''Oh, colonel, those things have
been told so often and by better men
than that my story might not be
worth the telling"
"Never mind that" said I. "Ev-
eryone has different way Of mar.
rating his experiences, and no two
men in the same regiment will give
the same account of q fight"
| THAT is true, colonel, and if you
care to listen ! will give you the par
ticulars of fight which occurred in
April, 1865"
''What fight was that?" asked.
WELL" said he, ut was just a
6ght-a hot one-the location and
time OF which will be recognized by
any who were there when they read
this narrative.
/ Just imagine comparatively fat
country, broken up somewhat by
ravines, which were, possibly, ages
ago, beds Of streams which, cutting
their way into the earth to depth
Of ten or fifteen feet, left the surface
OF the ground scanned with wrinkles,
as age makes its mark in the human
face. Well, there lay the union and
confederate armies close together on
that pleasant April day 80 odd years
ago, stretched along in parallel lines
J for miles, locked in a close embrace,
as it were, and each struggling for
the mastery. Hidden behind mas
sive breastworks, union and con-
tederate, SO close that the men on
the outer picket lines could easily
converse with each other; with the
continued rattling of musketry, the
oiss of bullets, the booming of can
oon and bursting OF shells constant
, ly around, over and into US, we had
remained for months with scarcely
any perceptible change in the situa-
ton. The places where we lived and
slept were bomb-proof-holes dug in
the ground like cellars for houses,
With logs laid across and earth piled
thereon to the depth of several feet.
In these holes We spent our time, a
! fall Of rain leaving for days after
, wards the steady drip, drip of water
that slowly percolated through the
roof, making our dreams Of home in
the north sweeter, as tho drops fell
on our uncovered heads or trickled
down our spinal columns. The
bomb-p proof that I called my home
was occupied by the adjutant, an.
E other officer and myself, and here
: we passed the time as best VIC could.
r well, one night about ten O'Clock
an aide from brigade headquarters
! came down the rude stairway Of oul
! cabin with orders which he delivered
to the adjutant
{" BE prepared to move at two
o'clock in the morning, in --ligh,
e marching order, one days rations
! and no knapsacks.' That was all
3 be prepared to move. And vel
0 we knew that to some Of us it meant
be prepared to die After giving
instructions to our orderly sergeant
We sat down to write some letters Il
those at home and arranged our pa
:, pers for final settlement with tn,
! government
"At two o'clock the men fell int
n line, silent and oppressed by th'
: thought Of the near approach of som'
t indefinite, intangible calamity. For
wardr and slowly and in perfec
!. order, through an opening in ou
|, breastworks, and following the dug
!, way that led to the outer pickle
q line, the regiment marched on. Thel
e We knew what was coming. Thel
t we knew that across the narrov
-,ksoL o,,x I;ua e,.>r