Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-03-19
Lieutenant Charles Lacey was one or
the officers.

Lieutenant Charles Lacey was one or
the officers.
In the course of time Private William
Tucker became merged aS u mere unit
in the regiment to which he belonged.
and, with u certain latent purpose in his
mind, was glad to lose sight of the
world he had left behind and To take his
place as one of the rank aud file. Tho
latent purpose was never knuwn-Ht
least until the end--but il bc;ar,C II ira
dition among the rough men with
whom he served that wherever the 1.-THE
and active form of Lieutenant Charles
Lacey was seem i'll the fight, there, close
beside him, was one grim faced Tommy
Atkins, fighting with II tierccness un-
known iii the character Of the William
Tucker, Esq, who had disappeared.
As matter of fact, Lacey knew
nothing about who tho man was or
whence he came. He had met him hut
seldom in those old days, and the fact
of Private William Tucker was scarcely
one to be remembered.
There came day when Lacey, with
a mere handful of men, was sent ON a
| forced march, i'll an endCavOr to join
forces with another camp. But the
march was not Il success, and thcy pres
emily found that they We're cut off, i'll
the midst of the hills, with tho day fast
closing in, and the hostile, yelling war
riors all round them. They closed up
silently with a dim feeling upon them
that there was but small hope, and
fought there steadily and dOggedly,
while the light failed.
1t was certainty from the first of
their being absolutely outnumbered,
and they fell one after another, with
those horrible black faces swarming
round them-with fiendish warcries in
their ears, and with only the determi.
nation in their hearts to fight to the last
for the honor of the flag they served.
There was one gallant young figure
| standing there and cheering on his men
and overawinR for II moment even those
who swarmed about them. A spear
thrust had reached him at last and he
staggered backward, with score OF
weapons leveled at him. But there was
another who sprang in there before him,
with dubbed rifle swung madly round
| his head-One who knew only that the
man he had sworn in his heart to serve
was lying there beneath him; one who
saw only woman's face i'll faroff Eng
land, as it had lain last on his breast
one who knew that they should not
reach the figure at his feet while he had
the power to stand and to fight.
II have come back TO you, my dar-
ling" Charles Lacey was saying. when
we were cut off there, with mere
handful of men, little thought should
ever see your face again. I-of all those
who were with me-alone escaped, al
though my wound took long time to
heal.
but how did you escape?" she asked
breathlessly, while she chung to him.
There was a soldier there-a brave
fellow who, for some unknown reason,
had stuck to me through all the cam
paign. They found him lying across me,
with broken rife in his hand, and they
told me that his wounds were frightfu
enough to have killed half dozer
men. only found out afterward who
he was. They called him Private Viii
liam Tucker.
He wondered why she wore BLACK
dress that night ut dinner. When he
asked her, she said, with the tears shin
ing i'll her eyes, that 1t was for the sake
of the dead soldier who had sent hin
back to her. -Illustrated Bits.