The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-04-13


selves in projectNe fashion, had pres.
emily expended their forces. They
slowly retreated with their faces still
toward the suffering woods and their
hot rifles still replying to the din Sew
eral officers We're giving orders, their
voices keyed to screams.
Where in hell yeh goin'??" the lien-
tenant was asking in sarcastic howl.
And a red-bearded officer, whose voice
of triple brass could plainly be heard,
was commanding: s;Shoot into 'em!
Shoot into 'em! curse their souls!''
There was a melee Of speeches in which
the men were ordered to do conflicting
and impossible things.
The youth and his friend had small
scufae over the flag. Give it t. me-"
''No-let me keep it," Each felt salts
fed with the others possession of it,
but each felt bound to declare, by an
offer to carry the emblem, his willing
ness to further risk himself. The youth
roughly pushed his friend away.
The regiment fell back to the stolid
trees. There it halted for moment to
blaze at some dark forms that had be-
gun to steal upon it's track. Presently
it resumed its march again, curving
among the tree trunks. BY the time
the depleted regiment had again
reached the first open space they were
receiving a fast and merciless fire.
There seemed to be 1nObs all about
them. ,-..-
The greater part of the men, dis
%has -
MOL, acted as if stunned. They accept
ed the pelting of the bullets with
bowed and weary heads. It was of no
purpose to strive against walls. It was
of no use to batter themselves against
granite. And from this consciousness
that they had attempted to conquer an
uncomfortable thing there seemed to
arise feeling that they had been be-
trayed. They glowered with bent
brows, but dangerously, upon some of
the officers, more particularly upon
the red-bearded one with the voice of
triple brass.
However, the rear of the regiment
was fringed with men who continued
to shoot irritably at the advancing foes.
They seemed resolved to make every
trouble. he youthful lieutenant was
perhaps the last man in the disordered
mass. His forgotten back was toward
the enemy. He had been shot in the
arm. 1t hung straight and rigid o.
casionally he would cease to remember
it and be about to emphasize an oath
with sweeping gesture. The multi
piled pain caused him to swear with
incredible power.
The youth went along with slipping,
uncertain feet. He kept watchful eyes
rearward. A scowl of modification
and rage was upon his face. He had
thought of fine revenge upon the
officer who had referred to him and to
his fellows as mule drivers. But he
saw that it could not come to pass.
His dreams had collapsed when the
mule drivers, dwindling rapidly, had
wavered and hesitated on the little
clearing and then had recoiled. And
now the retreat Of the mule drivers was
a march of shame to him.
A dagger-pointed gaze from without
his blackened face was held toward the
enemy, but his greater hatred was
riveted upon the man who, not know
ing him, had called him mule driver.
When he knew that he and his com
rades had failed to do anything in sue
cessful ways that might bring the little
pangs of a kind of remorse upon the
officer, the youth allowed the rage of
the baf1ed to possess him. This cold
officer upon monument who dropped
epithets unconcernedly down, would
be finer as a dead man, he thought.
So grievous did he think it that he
could never possess the secret right to
taunt truly in answer.
He had pictured red letters of curious
revenge. eve are mule drivers, are
we?" And now he was compelled to
throw them away.
He presently wrapped his heart in
the cloak of his pride and kept the flag
erect. He harangued his fellows. push
ing against their chests with his free
hand. To those he knew we'll, he made
frantic appeals, beseeching them by
name. Between him and the lieute1l-
ant, scolding and near to losing his
mind with rage, there was felt subtle
fellowship and equality. They sup
HSA WV N"SAA OVAAC4 Ill 1-l ludnuCT O1
hoarse, bowling protests.
But the regiment was machine run
down. The two men babbled at a
forceless thing. The soldiers who had
heart to go slowly were continually
shaken in their resolves by knowi-
edge that comrades were slipping with
speed back to the lines. It was diff
cult to think of reputation when others
were thinking of skins. Wounded men
were left, crying, on this black journey.
The smoke-fringes and flames blus-
tered always. The youth, peering once
through sudden rift in cloud, saw a
brown mass of troops interviewer aud
magnifed until they appeared to be
thousands. A fierce-hued flag flashed
before his vision. 49, >....,
Immediately, as if the uplifting of the
smoke had been prearranged, the dis
covered troops burst into rasping
yell and hundred flames jetted to-
ward the retreating band. A rolling,
gray cloud again interposed as the
regiment doggedly replied. The youth
had to- depend again upon his misused
ears which were trarn h1;nor o,1 l,,,,,