The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-06-19
CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XII
When the youth ayyolie. it seemed TO
him that he had been asleep for thou
sand years and he felt sure that he
opened his eyes upon an unexpected
world. Gray mists were slowly shift
ing before the first efforts of the sun
rays. An impending splendor could be
seen in the eastern SKY. An icy dew
had chilled his face and Immediately
upon arousing he curled further down
into his blanket. He stared for awhile
at the leaves overhead, moving in a
heraldic wind of the day.
The distance was splintering and
blaring with the voices of fighting.
There was in the sound an expression
of a deadly persistency as if it had not
begun and WAS not to cease.
About him were the rows and groups
of men that he had dimly seen the
previous night They were getting a
last draught of sleep before awaken
ing. The gaunt, careworn faces and
dusty figures were made plain by this
quaint light at the dawning, but it
dressed the skin of the men in corpse
like hues and made the tangled limbs
appear pulseless and dead.
He heard the noise of fire cracking
briskly in the cold air, and, turning
his head, he saw the loud soldier pot
teTing busily about a small blaze. A
few other figures moved in the fog, and
he heard the hard cracking of ak
blows.
Suddenly there was hollow rumble
of drums. A distant bugle sang faint
~. Similar sounds, varying in strength,
came from near and far over the
forest. The bugles called to each
other like brazen gamecocks. The
near thunder of the regimental drums
rolled.
The body of men in the woods rustled.
There was a general uplifting of heads.
A murmuring of voices broke upon the
air. In it there was much bass of
grumbling oaths. Strange gods were
addressed in condemnation of the early
hours necessary to correct war. An
officers peremptory tenor rang out and
quickened the stiffened movement of
the men. The tangled limbs unrav-
eled. The corpse-hued faces were
hidden behind fists that twisted slow
" in the eye-sockets.
The youth sat up and gave vent to
an enormous yawn. ''Thunderr' he
remarked, petulantly. He rubbed his
eyes, and then putting up his hand
felt carefully OF the bandage over his
wound. His friend, perceiving him to
be awake, came from the fire. ''Well,
Elem, OF man, how do yeh feel this
mornin'," he demanded.
The youth yawned again. Then he
puckered his mouth to bitter quicker.
His head in truth felt precisely like a
melon, and there was an unpleasant
sensation at his stomach.
''Oh, Lord, l feel pretty bad" he
said.
At the fireside, the loud young sol
der watched over his comrades wants
with tenderness and care. He was
very busy marshaling the little black
vagabonds of tin-cups and pouring into
them the steaming. iron-colored mixture
from 4 small and sooty tin-pail. He
had some fresh meat which he roasted
hurriedly upon a stick. He sat down
then and contemplated the youths APP
petite with glee.
''Th' regiment lost over half tn men
yesterday" he remarked, eventually.
Il thought a course they was all
dead, but laws, they keep a-comin'
back last night until it seems, after all,
we didn't lose but few. They'd been
scattered all over, wanderin' around in
the woods, fightin' with other regiments
an everything. Jest like you done"
a suffering of musketry was always
to be hea. d. Later, the cannon had
entered the dispute. In the fog-flled
air, their voices made a thudding
sound. The reverberations were con-
tinual. This part Of the world led a
strange, battleful existence.
The youths regiment was marched
to relieve a command that had lain
long in some damp trenches The men
took positions behind a curving line OF
rife-pits that had been turned up, like
large furrow, along the line of woods.
Before them was a level stretch, peo
pied with short, deformed stumps
From the woods beyond came the dull
popping of the skirmishers and pickets
firing in the fog. From the right came
the noise of terrific fracas.
The men cuddled behind the small
embankment and sat in easy attitudes
awaiting their turn. Many had theil
backs to the firing.
The youth leaned his breast against
the brown dirt and peered over at the
woods and up and down the line. Cur
tains of trees interfered with his way:
of vision. He could see the low line OF
trenches but for a short distance. A
few idle flags were perched on the dirt
hills. Behind them were rows of darA
bodies with a few heads sticking
curiously over the top.
Always the noise of slzirmishers came
from the woods on the front and left
and the din on the right had grown K
frightful proportions. The guns were
roaring without an instant's pause fol-
breath. 1t seemed that the cannon hac
come from all parts and were engaged
in a stupendous wrangle. 1t became
almost impossible to make a sentence