The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-12-21

THEN THE Wild RUSH CARRIED HIS LITTLE
BAND UPON THE ENEMY. b..
by the feeble light Of the burned build
ings The difficulties OF the battlefield,
the snow, the darkness, the fierce resist
ance sf the enemy, his inability TO drive
them back, filled him with the unreason.
ing rage OF youth. 4 man who despised
Oaths he began to use them with rapidity
SEanl,SSan and,Tva:s- -'lreors-:1us ,7ss goa
ing SO. But his soldiers needed no spur
from their commander. Evans. the sec
ond lieutenant year younger than him
self-Fleming had reached the honorable
age Of e0-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 splashed and
begrimed men with courage and energy
equal to those of their leaders.
A wall OF a house fell on a bed of live
Goals and the tinbers blazed up with sud
den viyidness, cutting through the dark
ness and casting a distorting light over
the snow, the ruined village and the fight
ing men.
Fleming paused for moment TO grasp
his field of battle hy the new light that
had come. The flames magnifled some OBJ
jects, diminished others and made the
whole unreal and fantastic. The forms OF
his enemies wRvered as the flames flick
cred and grew to gigantic size, the bloody
spots on the snow spread and united, and
the scOrched rafters OF an abandoned house
made an ugly black tracery in the sky. In
the momentary stiffness that had seized
them all Fleming heard the sputtering OF
the snowfiakes 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 10 at
once and cut of his enemy. -
The soldiers fired a 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. Ii seemed 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
building, until then outside the line of
battle, seemed to have been untouched
The light from the blazing house flared in
ab the window and fell across the faces of
his enemies, who were entering at the
farther door. Neither side gave thought
To- the character of the place, but both
knew that fierce struggle was sure to
follow for the possession of so strong "A
fort as 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 "A good
breastwOrk, and standing behind it Flem
ing and his men waited to see 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 and the light from il now
shone through the window with a steady
radiance and drove the dusk from the
room
Fleming listened intently and heard
nothing from without The battle, save
for his own part in it, seemed TO have end
I'd 20 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 moment. aud then
Fleming turned the fHll attention Of eye
and ear TO mis- enemy That rhe two little
bands had been left 10 fight their battle
alone was no inducemenu TO him To draw
away from the conflict; rather Il increased
his desire 70 triumph fOJ the field W as now
vIholiy his sMR Evans Ye-fNsrsd 30 AiEa
5NM ~ ~ II ~