The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-12-31

they finally arrived ut the. scene OF cons
sflicf. They cared not whether the dead
were Federal or Cont ederate.3 It was
loot they We're after, and they found hut
little to. profit them. Even In the dark
ness, rs they prowled about, they discoy-
had been dragged away, and as they fOl-
lowed It they picked up troopers hat,
and knew that the house sheltered
wounded Federal. ri ~ 5$E 81 ss
Hark!'' suddenly whispered the wom-
an. as she dressed the corporal's wound.
She heard the voices of men and the
sounds of their footsteps, aud she rose
up and locked the door against them.
Next instant there was "a knocking and
banging, and a hoarse voice cried out:
I'VE are friends--open the door! We
want the wounded Yank who has crawled
'"They are not Confederate soldiers,
said the corporal, as the woman turned to
him. - .sss.>s ~, - *: r..
She knew that. She had seen the bush
awhackers lurking about--had been threat.
ened by them-hnd given them food which,
her children had hhnsered for. They had
boosted to her Of shooting down Federal
stragglers-of creeping into yidettes and
pickets in the darkness and stabbing them
to the heart. They had come for the
Federal, not to bear him away a prisoner,
but to kill him as he lay helpless ON the
hearthstone.
"They are bushWhackers, but you will
have to open the doors for them," said
the corporal.
"rhey will kill your she whispered
One day, after fight ut the crossroads
below. there were eight wounded Yam
KEGS left behind. These bushwhackers
killed then, to the last man. I have a
carbine and many cartridges which the
I n
know how to shoot. What can I do?''
Pull me to the wall over there" re-
piled the corporal after the bushwhackers
had again. demanded admittahge. "That''s
it. Now help me to sit up. That's good.
Now bring me the carbine and cartridges,
and do you and the children go upstairs
or down cellar. They will break the door
of them shall go before do! God bless
you, .woman-God bless you for your pity
and kindness.
But they neither went up nor down.
They left the house by the back door,
bareheaded and without shield from rhe
storm, and, once outside, they clasped
hands and ran across the fields-over the
way until, two miles away, they met a
detachment of Confederate infantry
marching out to strengthen a post. The
story was briefly told, and. while mother
and children were sent to a farmhouse
for shelter. detail of soldiers was sent
to press forward to the spot where a
wounded Federal was fighting for his life.
wall and gritting his teeth with the pain
of his wound. he had loaded the carbine
and made ready. He did not wait for the
door to burst in. but fred through it, and
the bullet made one enemy less.
The man whom the bushwhackers had
expected to find an easy prey had fl light in
him. His enemies outside broke in the
ieveled their pieces and fired through the
door in return, hoping for chance to guide
their bullets. Creeping around the house,
one of them crept in at the open door and
fired bullet which cut trench through
the corporal's matted hair, but the shot
fired in return dropped him dead in his
tracks. And the Confederate detachment
ers setting fire to house they could not
capture from wounded man-to find one
dead outside and another into fire a
volley which stretched two others on the
frozen ground and left but one to regain
his covert.
"Hello, sergeant-I surrender!' cried
Corporal Troop, as the infantry men in
"a good fight!'' replied the sergeant, as
he looked down upon the dead bushwack-
ers. "Say, Yank, can yo' walk?'
"No; I've got bullet in the hip"
"Too bad-too bad shuck my hide,
but if yo' could walk we'd all turn our
backs and let yo' into yo'r lines. Reckon
We'll hev to hold yo' prisoner of war.
Look thar, boys-stoclzin's hangin' upv'
"For Christmas eve," said Corporal
Troop. did the woman and children
find your"
s'Yes-two miles away
''Say, now, sergeant, handle me. easy,
pocket are four ten-dollar bills. Put one
in each stocking and leave one for the
mother. That's it-God bless 'em! A sol:
dier-Santa Claus-a prisoner of war-all
inside of three hours. Now, then, what
npyt 2''-Nnwark News " 1.-'s