The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-03-15
The gTrl saw the head slowly rise, tho

-he girl saw tho head slowly RISE tn,
eyes fixed upon the sentry's face. A tai
black figure skunk across the COW stall,
and vanished back of old Santos quar-
tcrs. She knew what was to come tc
pass. She knew this grim thing wa.
upon "a terrible mission and that il
would reappear again at the head of the
little passage between Santos stall anG
the wall, almost at the sentry's elbow
and yet when she saw faint indication
as of form crouching there scream
from an utterly new alarm almost es
| capped her.
The sentry's arms after all were not
of granite. He moved restively. At last
| he spoke in his even, unchanging tone.
well, L guess you'll have to climt
into that feed box. Step back and lift the
| lid"
"Why, you don t lnoan"-
"Step backl'
The girl felt c,y of warning arisinr
to her lips rs she gazed at this sentry.
She noted every detail of his facial ex-
preston. She saw, moreover his mass
of brown hai1 bunohing disgracefully
about his ears, his clear eyes lit now
with hard, cold light, his forehead
puckered III mighty scowl, the ring
upon the third finger Of the left hand
"Oh, they won't kill him! Surely
they won't kill him" The noise of tho
fight at the orchard was the loud music,
the thunder and lightning, tho rolling
OF the tempest which people love during
the critical scene of tragedy
When the prisoner moved back in re-
luctant obedience, he faced for an in
slant the entrance of the little passage.
and what he saw there must have been
written swiftly, graphically in his eyes,
ana the sentry read it and knew then
that he was upon the threshold of his
death. In fraction of time certain in :
formation went from the grim thing in
the passage to the prisoner and from the
prisoner to sentry, but at that instant
the black formidable figure across tow
orcd and madc it's leap. A new shadow
flashed across the floor when the blow
was struck.
AS for the girl at the knothole, when
she returned to sense she found herself
standing with clinchcd hands and
screaming with her might
AS If her reason had again departed
from her, she ran around the barn, in
at the door and flung herself sobbing be-
side the body of the soldier in blue.
The uprOar of the fight became at
last coherent, inasmuch us one party
was giving shouts of supreme cxulta.
ton. The firing 10 longer sounded in
crashes. 1t was now expressed in spite
I'll cracklcs, the last words of the com
bat spoken with feminine vindictive-
ness.
Presently there was thud of nyinp
feet grimly painting, red faced mob
of troopers i'll blue plunged into the
barn, became instantly frozen to atti-
tudcs OF amaZcmcnt and rage, and then
roared III one great chorus. Hes sgonor"
Tho girl, who knclt weeping beside
tho body upon the floor, turned toward
them her lamenting eyes and cried:
Hes not dead, is he? He can t ue
deadn'
They throngcd forward The sharp
lieutenant who had been so particular
about the feed box knelt by the side of
the girl and laid his head against tho
chest of the PROSTATE soldier "Why,
no, " he said, rising and looking at the
man. Hes all right. Some of you
boys throw water OH him.
Are you sure?" demanded the girl.
"Of course. He'll be all right after
awhile.
"Oh, said she softly, and then look.
ed down at the sentry. She started to
arise and the lieutenant reached down
and hoistcd rather awkwardly at her
arm.
Don't you worry about him. He's
all right"
Sho turned her face with its curyinp
lips and shining eyes once moro toward
the unconscious soldier upon the floor.
Tho troopers made lane to the door,
the lieutenant bowed, the girl vanished.
Queer, " said a young officer Girl
very clearly worst kind of a rebel and
yet sho falls to weeping and wailing
like mad over ono of her enemies. Be
around in tho morning with all sorts Of
dc'toring-you see if she amt. Queer
Tic sharp lieutenant shrugged his
shoulder After reflection he shrugged
his shoulders again. Ho said, "War
changes many things, but it doesn't
change everything, thank Godp'
THE END.