Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-03

the walls. 1t was necessary to exterminate
the garrison OF each separate cottage, for
none of them surrendered.
The house that adjoined the church was
swarming with Prussian infantry. They
fired into the church windows, shouting,
"Hourra! Houra! rPreussen! No quarter!"
The officer next to Hardwood was killed
outright. Two others fell back to the stone
floor below. At the next volley five VOLT
geurs were killed or wounded. A blast of
flame entered the church as a grenade ex-
ploded outside a window.
The Mouse, in an agony Of fright, was
running round and round the church, like a
Gagged creature, looking for some chink or
Granny of escape. A soldier was shot dead
beside him, and the Mouse tumble over
the dead man with a Shrek. That STUN
bic, however, almost pitched him through
tho back of the east confessional, which in
reality was a concealed door leading directly
to the rear of the church. The Mouse
thrust his muZZle out, saw a garden, a dis
mantled arbor, and no Prussians. His first
instinct drove him to immediate flight. He
crawled through the door on hands and
knees, and wrigsled into the arbor. Then
came his second instinct-to tell HARDWOOD.
Why it was that the Mouse crept back into
the church at the risk of his miserable life
nobody perhaps can tell. 1t is true that
| frightened animals, when unmolested, often
return to a companion in trouble.
Hardwood was standing by a high stained
glass window doing a thing that meant
| death If captured; he was firing a rife at
the
How he, a n~on-combatant, a cool-headed
youth, who seldom needlessly risked his
skin, could do such a thing might only be
explained by himself. In case of capture
he would not be harmed if he minded his
own business. But he knew very well that
a swift and merciless justice was served
out for those civilians who fired on Ger
man troops. Yet there he stood, firing with
the rest-a mere handful left now out OF
the thirty. Two or three officers still kept
their feet, half a dozen soldiers were yet
firing into the Second division of the Prus-
sian guard royal numbering nearly 10, 00C
men. Outside the shattered windows dirty
fingers clutched the stone coping. Already
helmeted heads bobbed up here and there,
infamed Teutonic faces leered into the
church. There came the scrape of scaling
ladders against the wall; worse still, the
rumble of artillery in the street close at
hand.
One of the half dozen survivors glanced
around the church. 1t was a butchers
shambles. Then from he street came q
shout: Our cannon are here! Surrender
Surrender? ?" repeated Hardwood y~acantly
Then, as he saw a wounded creature staggel
up from the floor holding out a white hand,
kerchief, he realized what he had done
Stunned, he stepped back TO the altar as the
firing died away. He saw the great doors
open; he saw the street outside, wet anG
muddy, choked with throngs OF helmetee
soldiers all staring up at the door: he saw
a canno limbered up and dragged away
the mounted Ioannoniers looking back al
the portal where three dozen French soldiers
had held check $1,000 Germans.
A soldier. streaming with blood, rose from
the floor Of the church and stumbled Blind,
out to the steps; two more carried a waundet
officer between them on a chair.
Then. as the German troops parted, ant
the wounded manhwas borne out and down
the steps, Haret God felt a tug at his elbow
and heard a whine:
Observation-Disclosures q hole"
The next instant he stepped behind the
confessional, erawled through the dwar
door, and rantfor his life.