The times., 1897-09-12
+7tA BLIND MANS BATTLES
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-9333G38@639693
III war-a cavalry charged Where Will
the shock take place."
Ion the green meadow, where the school
children used to chase the lambs about
at noOn-day and search for four-leaved
elovers- Hear them cheer. father-kear
them cheerl'
4 hear them-I hear theInl Hip-hip-
nurrah! Word OF God, but they have coms
tosetherl That crash rolled over a thou
! sand harses. Now they cut and slash and
shoot, and have a fiend's desire 20 kill
Now they thrust aud cut and lave heII's
passion in their curses God, but what
suiile on the face of death as he looks that
wayi There are to longer companies and
.e1siments, 10 is a mob of thousands, WhirIing
round and 'roand. and filling the Jaws
pf Death 20 glHitony- l am blind. but I
want 10 go-I must go. I an old sol
der with wounds which blister and burn"
''Hush, father-be quiet. Now the mob
is breaking up The blue ride to the east
the gray 70 the west And God forgive
men. but the meadow Is filtered with
huFses and ridersl Some are quiet-sOu.e
limp or crawIa bOut-a thousand are down.
OH father, bgJ think Of the widows and
| orphans-the tears and woe and miseryt'
War Is war, child. It IS a great
beast with flaming eyes and blOOd-Ted
jaws, aud it has no mercy on youth or
age-an the widow or the orphan Tear
at my eyes with your fingers-pray to God
with me that my sight may return FOR an
hsur-a half hour-ior ten uinutesi
hear a murmurmg. as OF the November
winds sweeping through the dead leaves
on the beeches. What is it Mary
''It is the men on foot-the infantry
The lines are moving forward. A few
men are running in front, and they drop
to the earth and fire, and then rise Up
and run forward again Hear it, father
hear itl''
Il hear IL. IL is the fire OF musketry
Now the grain Is ripe for the sickle.
and the name OF the reaper is Death
{ Hear The vOneys merge into a rOarl Feel
the spite and venom and hate and desire
to kin, Men are being sent 20 their God
down there faster than the beats OF a
clock II is too deadly and cannot last.
Watch Mary-for Gods sake. watch, Why
do they cheer?''
'Gne long line is advancing. I see the
/ bayonrts flashing on their guns, and the
/ flags arc ripping above the mens heads
( See, fsther -seel Now they runi Now they
( almost halt and StaGger about Now they
/ push on again, AMI tneother lines raH bacs-
There are dead men at every step-dead
men and wounded until tie grass is hidden
beneath themr'
And ] am blind blind blindl God
/ Of my fathers, give me back my sight
/ and ask any reward, have it-I h.,veit-
/ have It! Mary, / an see-m sight has
come backi''
/ he ran away down the hiIISde-psSt
/ the barn with its open doors-past Jhe
| bee-hiveS and their buZzing toilers-past the
/ spring house andt through the orchard and the
| girl followed after. They had Just cleared
/ the last OF the trees. each one laden with
its wealth Of white ana pink blossoms.
when there was bIare OF buglss. a rush
+ or horses and wheels. and a battery came
/ laundering down upon them as il changed
is position. The riders saw an old rnau
and girl ahead OF tIeIu-saw them altaud
loOk hrlplessly about and then clasp their
arms about each other, but the six horses
were dashed to a Tuadder ganop. and 10
/ rider looked lack to SET what the heavy
wheels had iolted over
"Haltl Left wheel into Hnei UnIi1u-
her!" Booml bOomi boom!
and shouting ana cUrsing and dancing
about like devils, their faces smirched
with powder and their eyes burning with
the light of battle. they took no heed of
the dead almost Uader their feet of thu
old man whose eyes were sealed in death
Of the fair haired girl whose last Thought
had been to shield him. or the thousands
OF dead, what of two more OF Iess2
And as the guns Numbered and roared
and sent snot and sheII into the ranks or
the enemy. the pink and white blossoms OF
spple. peach and pear tree We're shaken
down az by a summers gale, and they
fell uP0a men and guns ana caisSoHs aud
I horses, an from thence to earth And they
a'So fell upon tire dead lying there. and
they fell so 5hickly that they hid the sight
of blood aud the paIlor Of death and an
artillerymau rested for an instant To OBJ
serve and TO whisper TO himself
God, but what shrouds for the dead oD
a battlefield" CHARLES B. LEWIS.