The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-06-26
CHAPTER XVI.

was sudden stiffness.
They perceived that they were free.
The depleted band drew a long breath
of relief and gathered itself into a
bunch to complete its trip.
In this last length of journey, the
men began to show strange emotions.
They hurried with nervous fear. Some
who had been dark and unfaltering in
the grimest moments now could not
conceal an anxiety that made them
frantic. 1t was, perhaps, that tney
dreaded to be killed in insignificant
ways after the time for proper military
deaths had passed. Or, perhaps, they
thought it would be too ironical to get
killed at the portals of safety. With
backward looks of perturbation they
fastened.
As they approached their own lines,
there was some sarcasm exhibited on
the part of quaint and bronzed regi-
ment that lay resting in the shade Of
trees. Questions were waited to them.
Where tn hell yeh been?"
"What yeh comm back fer?"
"Why didn't yeh stay there?"
"Was it warm out there, sonny?"
''Goin' home now, boys?"
One shouted in haunting mimicry:
'Oh, mother. come quick an look at tn
soldiers!"
There was no reply from the bruised
and battered regiment save that one
man made broadcast challenges to
fist-fghts and the red-bearded officer
walked rather near and glared in great
swashbuckler style at tall captain in
the other regiment. But the ieuten-
ant suppressed the man who wished to
fist-fght, and the tall captain, flushing
at the little fanfare of the red-bearded
one, was obliged to look intently at
some trees.
The youths tender flesh was deeply
stung by these remarks. From under
his creased brows, he glowered with
he tie at the Knockers. He meditated on
a few revenges. Still, many in the
regiment hung their heads in criminal
fashion, so that it came to pass that the
men trudged with sudden heaviness as
if they bore upon their Bonded Shout
ders the coffin of their honor. And the
youthful lieutenant recollecting him
self began to mutter softly in black
curses.
They turned, when they arrived at
their old position, to regard the ground
over which they had charged.
The youth, in this contemplation,
was smitten with large astonish-
ment. He discovered that the dis
tances, as compared with the brilliant
measurings of his mind, were trivial
and ridiculous. The stolid trees, where
much had taken place, seemed incredi-
bly, near. The time, too, now that he
reflected, he saw to have been short.
He wondered at the number of emotions
and events that had been crowded into
such little spaces. Elm thoughts must
have exaggerated and enlarged every
thing, he said.
1t seemed, then, that there was Bit
ter justice in the speeches of the gaunt
and bronzed veterans. He yelled
glance of disdain at his fellows who
strewed the ground, choking with dust.
red from perspiration, misty-eyed, dis
hevelled.
The men were gulping at their can
teens, fierce 70 wiring every mite of water
from them. And they polished at their
swollen and watery features with coat
sleeves and punches of grass How
ever, to the youth there was consid-
able joy in musing upon his perform
ances during the charge. He had had
very little time, previously, in which to
appreciate himself. so that there was
now much satisfaction in quietly think
ing of his actions. He recalled bits of
color that in the furry had stamped
themselves unawares upon his engaged
senses.
As the regiment lay heavlng from its
hot exertions, the officer who had
named them as mule drivers came gal
Looping along the line. He had lost his
cap. His towsled hair streamed wildly
and his face was dark with vexation
and wrath. His temper was displayed
with more clearness by the way in which
he managed his horse. He jerked and
wrenehed savagely at his bride, stop
ping the hard-breathing animal with
furious pull near the colonel of the
regiment. He Immediately exploded
in reproaches which came unbidden to
the ears of the men. They were sud-
denly alert. being always curious about
black words between officers.
''Oh, thunder, MacChesmey, what an
awful bull you made of this thing" be-
gan the officer. He attempted low
tones, but his Indignation caused GER
tain of the men to learn the sense of
his words. What an awful mess you
made. Good Lord, man, you stopped
about hundred feet this side of a very
pretty success. If your men had gone
q hundred feet further you would have
made great charge, but as it is what
q lot of mud diggers you've got any
way"
The men, listening with bated breath,
now turned their curious eyes upon the
colonel. They had ragamufin inter
est in this affair.
The colonel was seen to straighten