Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-10-25

Sue knew full well his timorous dis
positions and would have thought it safe
to count on his poltoOnery in any event.
But a day was sadly near which proved
to he the full worth OF the poor fellowrs
grandiloque.rb assertion.
long before the late unpleasantness
and until this day Honeypath was only
siding where occasional trains took
water and passed each other. Two or
three long shanties, without special pre-
tensions t,1 any architectural dissimilar-
ity. marked the site OF the town, distin-
gushing Il from the vast area OF i'm.
penetrable swamp that backed Il and
the arid waste OF sandy bottom through
(which the giistening polished rails of
the grand trunk line writhed and sinu-
ated. Along that glowing metal high
way troops of both armies passed and
repassed, g9zed at curiOusly by the few
Did women and seniie males left in the
Village. but exciting no other emotloni
than a blank curiosity that died OUT
even before the white mist Of the fine,
sand stirrred by the soldiers feet had'
settled behind the retreating bands.
Dave was a native OF HOneypath and
lived with an aged father I'm one of the
ehanties. Sue dwelt with her mother
in another near by. Dawes father was
a hot-blOOded Southerner, whose patri-
btism answered to the first call to arms,
but Dave was timid, fearful Of the smell
Of powder and refrained from action,
preferring 10 suffer the opprobrious.
epithets which were literally bestowed
upon him aud the contemp, of tie coun-
ty generally to facing he knew not what
horror upon the battlefield. He was not
a philosopher and could no. plead in
extenuatiOn Of his neutrality that the
martial slaughter OF his brother man
was crime and that The wholesale sac
rlace of human life was immoral
Dave was simply a coward and ac-
cepted meekly the oblOQuy which the
condition imposed, not even the taunts
hnd cutting sarcasm Of pretty Sue Spi-
yey being able to rouse the Instincts OF.
battle in his craven soul
Before the strife ended. Sues mother
was gathered TO her final rest, being put
out of sight in the little sandy grave
yard with only the comment Of the ,wo
remaining nelghbors. And tnen Dave
and Sue tOiled early ana late IN order
TO wiring from the starving acres an un-
varied livelihood Of yGms, corn bread
and bacon, more often the corn bread
without the embellishments of potatoes
and bacon, particularly during the
weeks after a hungry forging party had
passed that way.
One day Dave was working among
the young potato vines in an open arid
field behind the cabin, when Sue ran
out 10 him IN troubled haste
"Oh, Dave, I'm powerful skeered,"
she painted.
"Skeered o. what?" he asked, without.
intermissiOn Of the bent labor.
Someone soldiers just went down
the road, an they spoke to me-sassy
like" She hesitated. and Dave lookedi
up to see her pretty face scarlet and her.
brows bent together IN angry lines.
well, what did they say?' ne de-
manded. in his accustomed slow drawl,
afr waiting in vain for her to proceed.
They lowed they all was a-comin' 4;
back"
WHO was they, ennyhoW?' he asked r
uneasily, his face blanching in anticipa-
ton of the martial visit
They was Mosby's men, lowed, an
they was five Of en-
Our fellers2' q little surprised and,
Strengthening HIS back. Come on back
10 the house. sue" and shouldering his'
hoe he trudged s,olidly on before.
Don't be skeered," ne continued as they
reached the yard. Il reckon they won't
do nOthin'."
OF the two, il would have been mani
fest to the most casual observer that he,
was the worst 'skeered," but he walked
on until they reached the house, and Sue.
cried out:
"Yonder they come now-all five
Dawes face blanched to a salloW
Wilderness, but he pulled her quickly in
side the door.
What you gwine to do?" Sue askea
nervously, keeping near her cousin, but
he apparently did not hear. He had
taken down a rifle that belonged TO Sues
brother. who had also offered mp ais life
on the altar Of the cause, leaving BIS
weapon TO his sister as a means or &C.
Tense in Just such emergencies as this.
What you gwine 10 do, Dato,' che
girl persisted coming closer and laying
ner hand on his arm Dave shook sew
eral cartridges into the cylinder OF the
rifle and waited In silence, apparently
not aware that Sue had touched him.
Only u few moments TO wait and then
the last act IN the commonplace i.tuc
tragedy A loud pounding at tLe Hickey
cabin door and a derislye imperative
voice demanded:
Hi, in there, open up, or we'll make
splinters of this yer OF door The
Threat was garnished by several strong
explosives and accompanied with more
vicious pounding.
Then for answer went tie spiiciul
snap OF the rifle followed by surpl I'd
howl Of pain. mere yoiuble profanity
and footsteps In rapid retreat.
Dave went to the window and through
a knot hole In the shutter reviewed the
situation OF the enemy. Then through
the aperture the rife again spoke with
decisive, lcaden emphasis and Wh n il5
smoke cleared away the man inside De-
held one Of the beslesers lying promo
across the freshly hoel potato lo"-.
while another limped painfully in me
rear of the retreating trio.
In The silence that followed ~ a5.
shot the irld topography OF Hca'ypa
seemed 20 fash before Dawes VISION,
each peculiarly standing ont strong ant
clear, a fine, white sand, covered every
where with fat leaved prickly pear ann
cactus that bloOmed perpe-ually id Dii
butter-colOred flowers; the bright D'az-
ing sky, the heat that rose up ana huh5
heavily over man and beast. The many
insects that sat in the furnace-ike sum-
rattIiny ebrfIlv with very iov. then he