The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-12-29

BAND CPON THE ENEMY.
by the feeble light of the burned build
lngs The difficulties of the battlefield,
the snow. the darkness, the fierce resist
anco Of the enemy, his inability to drive
them back, filed him with the unreason.
ing rage of youth A man who despised
oaths he began to use them with rapidity
and unCtiOn and was unconscious of do.
ing so. But his soldiers needed no spur
from their commander. Evans, the sec
ond lieutenant, u year younger than him
self-Floming had reached the honorable
age Of 20-was by his side. firing with his
pistols at the fitting black forms that op.
posed them, and around the two lieuten-
ants fought little band Of splashcd and
begrimed men with a courage and energy
equal TO those of their leaders.
wall of house fell on a bed of live
coais and the timbers blazCd up with sud
den yiyidnCss, cutting through the dark
ness and casting "a distOrting light over
the snow, the ruined village and the fight
ing men.
Fleming paused for a moment to grasp
his field of battle by the new light that
had come. The flames magniflcd some oh.
jects, diminished others and made the
whole unreal and fantastic. The forms Of
his enemies wavercd as the flames flick.
cred and grew to gigantic size, the bloody
spots on the snow spread and united, and
the sCUrChod rafters of an abandoned house
made an ugly black tracUry in the sky. In
the momentaTy stiffness that had seized
them all Fleming heard the sputtering Of
the snowflakes as they fell in the flames.
Being able now to see his battlefield, the
lieutenant knew that the little church
which stood somewhat to his right was its
key, and, shouting TO his men to follow, he
rushed forward that he might seize it at
once and cut off his enemy
The soldiers fired volley and dashed
toward the church, but the leader of the
hostile band was as quick of eye and as
ready Of action as Fleming, and when the
lieutenant and his men entered one door
of the church their antagonists dashed in
at the other.
Fleming's wrath famed to its highest
pitch. 1t seemed a personal injustice TO
himself that his foe should be so stubborn
and so prompt, and his resolve to over.
come him grew with his anger. He stop,
ped just inside the door, and his men
gathered around him. The room was dim,
but Fleming saw the outlines of the
benches and at the far end the pulpit. The
building, until then outside the line of
battle, seemed to have been untouched
The light from the blazing house aared in
at tho window and foil across the faces of
his enemies, who were entering at the
farther door. Neither side gave q thought
TO the character Of the place, but both
knew that a fierce struggle was sure to
follow for the possession of so strong a
fort rs a brick building, and they prepared
at once for the issue. Three or four of the
heavy wooden benches, which served as
pews hastily thrown together, made good
breastwork, and standing behind it Flem.
ing and his men waited to SEQ what the
enemy would do
The hostile leader waited too, perhaps
with the same purpose, and again the
building was silent. The fallen wall was
burning finely aud the light from it now
shOne through the window with a steady
radiance and drove the dusk from the
room.
Fleming listened intently and heard
nothing from without. Tho battle, save
for his own part in It,, seemed to have end
ed or to have gone far away, The snow,
driven against the window panes, CLEANED
red In the light of the flames, and the
wind increased In violence All this was
but the affair Of a moment, and then
Fleming turned the full attention of eye
and ear TO his enemy. That the two little
bands had been left to fight their battle
alone was no inducement to him To draw
away from the conflict; rather il increased
his desire to triumph, for the field was now
wholly his own Evans Whispered TO him