Middletown transcript., 1898-03-05
Why, you don't mean
0Sken hackH'

The girl felt cry of warning arising
to her lips as she gazed at this sentry.
She noted every detail of his facial ex-
preston. She saw, moreover, his mass
of brown hair punching disgracefully
about his ears, his clear eyes lit now
with hard, cold light, his forehead
puckered in mighty scowl, the ring
upon the third finger of the left hand
"Oh, they won't kill himl Surely
they won't kill him!' The noise of the
fight at the orchard was the loud music,
the thunder and lightning, the 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,
and 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
cred and made its 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 clinched 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 as one party
was giving shouts of supreme exulta-
tion. The firing no longer sounded in
crashes. It was now expressed in spite
full crackles, the last words of the COM
bat spoken with feminine vindictive-
ness.
Presently there was thud of flying
feet. A grimly painting, red faced mob
of troopers in blue plunged into the
barn, became instantly frozen to atti-
tudes of amazement and rage, and then
roared in one great chorus. "He's gonep
The girl, who knelt weeping beside
the body upon the floor, turned toward
them her lamenting eyes and cried:
"He's not dead, is he? He can't be
deadl'
They thronged 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 the
chest of the PROSTATE soldier. "Why,
no." he said, rising and looking at the
man. "He's all right. Some Of you
boys throw water on him.
care 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 hoisted rather awkwardly at her
arm.
"Don't you worry about him. He's
all right
She turned her face with it's curving
lips and shining eyes once more toward
the unconscious soldier upon the floor.
The troopers made lane to the door,
the lieutenant bowed, the girl vanished.
"Queer," said young officer. "Girl
very clearly worst kind of rebel and
yet she falls to weeping and wailing
like mad over one of her enemies. Be
around in the morning with all sorts of
doctoring see if she amt. Queer"
The sharp lieutenant shrugged his
shoulders. After reflection he shrugged
his shoulders again. He said, "War
changes many things, but it doesn't
change everything, thank Godl'
THE END.