Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-02-09

burned cheek, and whimpered. and
kissed, and showed his delight It was
the strangest kind of luck The faith
er had said he would write to his sol
der boy that he had been obliged to
sell Harry, but he had not done so.
His heart was too sore over the part
ing. Sans joy was great 1t was
like coming across a brother. His own
hands had first bridled and saddled
him---had first broken him to harness.
Every infantryman has his chum.
Every trooper two of them-his horse
and a cOmrade-his horse first. The
father had pleadingly said to the
mother, hoping to tighten her sorrow,
that Sam and Harry might find each
other down at the front, and chance
had brought it about. A hundred en-
vious men crowded around the black
and looked him over and groWled at
chance. He was game horse, they
said-one to thunder down into battle
with eyes blazing and foam flying, and
his heart set on victory.
~ l1OUSdIlu lIOOptlS nave
for a charge. The men are pale-faced
and gritting their teeth-the horses
lifting their feet and working their
ears nervously. There is the bugle.
Walk-trot-gal lop-charge! They
sweep up the hill in a solid mass, ev-
cry trooper cheering-every sabre
glinting and glistening in the sunlight.
u H. 1,iI
across the meadow, over the cotton
field. and then they strike the foe. 1t
is 4 crash as if thousand feet Of
stone wall had been toppled down.
There are cheers, shouts, shots and
the clash Of steel.
The black horse and his rider were
in the front flank. With the bit in his
teeth and his ears laid back the black
horse dashed at the foe, and with sa
bre whirling about his head the rider
cheered and tXulted. The thousand
break through and scatter the foe, but
when they draw off there are only
seven hundred to ride away. Down
there on two acres Of field the dead
and wounded almost touch each 9th
err and as the sun goes down and
night comes on the groans and walls
of the wounded are a sound to make
one SILVER. An hour goes by-tWo-
three hours. Then one Of the wound
ed men-one who has been lying as if
dead-struggles up and braces his
| back against a dead man. He pants
and groans with the eXertion, and
presently he purses up his dry. lips
and sends forth signal call. 1t is a
| shrill, quavering whistle, and many
another wounded man listens and
wonders. Once-tW1ce--thri And
then the signal is answered. From
where he is lying, forty rods away,
slowly bleeding to death from gap
| ing wound, the black horse gathers his
| feet under him and utters a shrill
neigh. Again the whistle, and now
the stricken animal picks his way
among the dead and wounded, moving
at snaiIs pace and grooming as he
moves, and by and by he halts and
sinks down in his tracks and thrusts
his muzzle against the breast of the
man who called him.
II YOU, " ulSlJtIS tlC
as he puts out his hand Il knew you
were hit, but hoped you had not left
me. Got your death. eh. Well. same
here. But wasn't it a glorious charge,
though! How we Numbered down.
How we crashed into 'em! How we
slashed right and left and drove them
before us. Men had to die, Harry
men and horses. Back there at the old
! home there'Il be weeping and grieving.
but they'll be proud to know we died
| with our faces to the foe"
Dear old Harry" said the trooper,
as he stroked the soft muZZle with his
| stiffening fingers. Eyes, men and
horses had to die, and why not we, as
well as others? All! but how strong
| YOU were under me as we swept up
the hill, 1t was your first battle
your first and your last-but you had
| q heart of oak. and we struck the en-
| envy first of all our regiment. How
strange and queer that you came down
to me! Poor old dad! Poor old Nam!
| 1t must have wrenched their hearts
to part with you! Are you here.
| Harry? Are you talking to me? Poor
old chap. That was a terrible yolley
! they gave us, but that's the way for a
soldier to die. Dead. are you, Harry,
dead with your head on my knees?"
Again the woman sat on the kitchen
| doorsteps. with her hands under her
apron. She leaned her head ON the
| decreasing. and her eyes were fixed
on a man coming slowly across the
barnyard He had been to town and
he had letter in his hand. He did
not wave it and shout. He looked
| this way and that-any way but to-
| ward the woman. She grew white as
! death as he came nearer. but she
neither moved nor spoke. At last he
sat down beside her with groan. He