The Virginia enterprise., 1898-02-25

YOU think wen find 1t an impediment on
resurrection day? But l suppose it's no
worse w r. than than a, coffin with tenpenny nails
DO shut up!'
But Lee-Carson wandered on.
=, And Chester-the hyenas have him-if
the crocodies left any. They're birds of
a Gather. crocs and hyenas., What's one
man's meat-one mans meat-how does it
goE1 can't remember!' he sobbed petu-
lantly.
The red glow of the fire burnt like
p.ague-spot upon the broad dark breast of
the waste us Grammel fed it silently.
The wearing: hollow voice went on
ssA9G're looking very pretty. this MORN
hair. You knew I'd come back didn't
YOU. darling?" He looked across admir-
ingly into Grammel's bearded, face. Lets
set tine. the rat traR 81 in the stable-where is it?
Then from the far distance of the
marshes came indescribable noises that
sounded like Titans laughing. ana balls of
fen-6re rolled, dimly; seen through the
fog. while Lee-Carson got exceedingly
afraid because he fancied that he was on
board steamer on q thick night and
that collision was imminent and the
skipper not properly certifcated.
81 tell you, man, l see her lights!
]
excitement, pointing shaking hand into
the darkness. &
Grammel, soothingly. Cant you hear
the sailors singing?' adding to himself,
| will quiet him down, perhaps"
Eee-Carson responded to this at once,
his eyes blazing.
II can hear them! Oh, Lord, it is
good!'. he exclaimed, and seemed to listen;
then added mysteriously, "But it's not
voiccscwhy. it's Fordison and Chester
and-and the rest.''
And the high trembling voice was once
more raised to join i'll the song:
But northward, east. and westward,
| And under the trOpic sky,
The price that we paid to conquer
Were the men who were proud to die!
Hc chanted it over and over, till the
taut sinews loosened, and he fell back'ex-
Presently Grammel crept round and
covered him up carefully. Lee-Carson's
sleep, was the sleep of exhaustion, but it
was better than no sleep at all.
After while Grammel too lay down
and slept:
moon on the horizon seemed very close to
his eyes, and he called out wildly:
Grammel, you're dead!'
And from the other side of the fire
Grammel answered him, his dry lips
bleeding rs they parted:
What's deathY' began Lee Carson
again: Don't let that moon dance aud
gleam in my:eyes, it gets into my brain!
Grammel, what's death?'
"a sleep and a forgetting,'" quoted
Grammel, at his wits end.
NO. it's not that!' said the sick man
! 1r,,1v- (fpo, <,,,4
Where are your he CROPPED about for The
friendly hand that met his. "I.ook! look!
the other side of the fire.
When Grammel could get his heavy
eyes open, he looked across and saw moth
ing, only the snake tongue of the flame
leaping at intervals into the moonstruck
gloom.
"There's nothing he said shortly
trammel had 10 imagination. hence he
was. at a loss. not knowing what he was
expected to see.
"Nothing;" repeated Lee; Carson, peer
ing ~anxiously forward. NO, see moth
ing now-pcrhaps dreamed: 1 think I'm
| dawn"
Rot" said Grammel k,mely. :
| Lee -Carson's lips parted in the Old
whimsical smile. Presently he said, "1've
seen things, Grammel, and I'd like to tell
you what saw."
Grammel was sitting close by. his
hands clasped round his knees. Being
the man he was, he said nothing, only
| waited to hear.
Through the night I've seen them
galloping past, squadrons and squadrOns
of mounted men--our fellows, you know
Il shouted to them-1 shouted who VIC
were, but they were riding fast east
warAs."'-
"No man rides east" said Grammel
looking up.
"You don't understand" said the sick
are. They're the Frontier Men of Eng
land! and. their recruiting sergeant's
Death Don't YOU remember?
| ..They ride for ever up and down
| To guard the land they won"
Don't yo% III; see themmdon,t 3: you see them
60! Oh, the morning of life is. sweet, but
this is better! The end is coming, Gram
mel; it's coming fastv'
He lay down again moaning, and
Grammel mixed much brandy with lit.
tie mud and water and gave it to hom.
| his face distorted in the torchlght of the
| fire, as he shouted huskily:
"Fordison, Chester, stop! I'm coming!
l sha MT be long, and then We'll ride to-
gether: Grammel will come, too-some
| day. He'll never die between sheets, |
SOOu ITdmlucl. L WODuer IL he ii
| ride sixteen stone as Il ghost?'
He laughed out suddenly, and Gram
| mel mlftterrd in his beard
Hes got it bad-very bad"
''We'A ride past our graves together
and scare the beasts! Well gallop into
the sunset! Who's with you? lakewood
and Tommy Brown, all of them!' and in
kets from him. 81 have known many
good things in life-sea dawns, and ships
rushing through the arteries of the world,
but this is better than all!''
Grammel had started up, and was lis
tening intently. Still the voice, strained
| to breaking pitch, rang on.
! .."They start with us on our expeditions,
they head our armies. The Frontier Men
of England! Reinforced in every border
fizzle-by the bullet-by the 'stab-by the
swamp fever: You at home, you needn't
,hd He oe eeases ed to to peer anxicHsly
YOU there, you fellows? can't see you.
That's all right. No one dies alone in
the waste or the desert; you're always
there to see him die. wish I'd told Gram
mel, he'd tell the rest. At every advance
they're with u.s., and. when we die, no
ways there-waiting." 1t almost seemed
to Grammel that he could hear the
trampling hoofs of that shadowy squad
ron. .
A chill wind stirred the vapors of the
marsh. -, :.
II smell the dawn" Lee-Carson raised
his head. ''I'm coming with the dawn.
| know how, it. will rise, like the wet
glistenihg: side of n white bull over the
| sodden rim ,of the marshes Oh, the;
glory Of it,! he shrieked. "All the men
| who have passed ;iWay into the@unknown
and died on. the edge Of the flood. All
of them!
49, "Fer, ever riding up :antf down,'''<.
| TO guard the land they won.''
Aid When~ Armage comes, they'll be
there, the glory. Of the ages!:, The men
who were planted with ii stone on their
chests ITO: mark the frontiers: ;of .. the
| wOrld:'' -
With al unexpected strength he sprang
up and ,tottered forward, his voice Tstill
| calling, as he ran with Il wild shambling
run into the dimness of the daybreak:
The light was filtering through the
cold gray air as Grammel came up with
him. Lee Carson lay with his head
fe,ao 41r,l e