The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-10

yards farther IN | crawled toward 1t.
The fire was getting fercer and fercer.
/ looked back just in time to see one Of
my ten throw up his hands and fall. !
waited a moment to see what the rest
would do, but they worked on, paying
not the slightest attention to their fallen
comrade, and / turned to my self i'm
posed duty. It was no light one either,
for the enemy had stretched and woven
wire into that tangled mass. They had
plenty of time, and their work was well
done.
"All of their wires but one were with
in my reach as / knelt there, and spent
abont 30 minutes cutting them. To
reach the top one / had to stand. / new
er cut it. In fact, I had just placed my
pliers ON it when / felt a blow on my
hip and a sharp pain under my left
arm, and down. went. just how long
twas unconscious l don't know. When
I came to, Colonel Patterson was stand
ing beside me. He asked what was the
matter. / started to tell him that / was
wounded in the hip, but the blood
choked my speech. ] was breathing
with difficulty and then understood the
meaning of the sharp pain under my
arm. AS you know, the ball entered my
left side. passing through both lungs
1.-The colonel turned to two men and
said. Here, take this man to the rear
then stumbled and fell. Getting up
again. with the exclamation, Con
found it, I've got it myself, he limped
off.
Zone of the men wrapped the first
aid bandage around my hips and then
began the march to the e a S~tretchers
there was none, and | was carried by
the knees and nnder the arms to the
field hospital I shall never forget the
sights I saw-men lying in all positions
as they had fallen. Poor Kelly lay with
his head in a ditch, his eyes staring up
into the ~eloudless sky. Staggering boys
in blue passed with bandages around
their heads or their arms in slings. Ifelt
a sudden Tightening of the heartstrings
as. I bitterly thought: so this is war
and the path to gloryi For this the girls
kissed us goodby with tears of pride in
their eyesl'
81 felt no special pain. The only trou-
BILE was my throat would fill with blood.
"For IL hours I lay in the grass be-
fore a surgeon attended me. They were
very busy, stripped to the waist or with
their sleeves rolled up and smeared with
blood. / seemed to be paralyzed per-
fectly conscious, able to hear and see,
though / could not speak
"All around me lay the wounded,
some of whom awaited the end with
calm, firm faces. Their worst pain was
over, and in a short time inevitable
death would place them beyond all pain.
sOneI remember distinctly. He was
only a lad of not more than II, with
curly brown hair and big blue eyes. I
imagined that he had been rosy checked
and full of life. but now the pallor of
approaching death o%verspread his fea-
lures. which wore the strained appear
ance you so often see on the face Of a
wounded soldier who suffers and will
not cry out.
"A hospital steward came by and
stopped to give him a drink. He asked
if there was any hope. The doctor
shook his head, and, passing his hand
gently oyer the boys brow, asked 1t
there was anything he wanted, and the
poor fellow whispered. Write.
"As near as ] can remember he said:
" Darling Mother-I have done my
best and have laid down my life for the
old flag. ! had hoped to come back to
you with the straps you We're SO sure |
would win. but it can't be. Some had
to go, and it has fallen to my lot. Don't
grieve over me, mother, dear. Tell ia
ther how I loved him. Kiss Rose and
little Tom for me. Oh, mother. mother,
I love you SOP That was all, captain.
His pain was over, and another moth
er's heart was doomed to breaking.
"A short time after this came uncon-
seriousness. Iawok6 under the surgeons
probe. Then followed the weeks of
burning fever when it seemed to me
that the Spaniards were crushing my
bones.
81 saw them numbering women and
children. Sister was among the victims,
and / could see her with o~utstretched
arms begging me to come to her; yet |
could not. Then the devils stood around
and tainted me, twisting my bonds
and heaping fire on my head.
when / awoke, mother was sitting
by the bed. Sister Jennie was there
too. Was I dreaming?
IT tried to take mothers hand, but
was SO weak-could barely move. She
saw the movement, and in a moment
was on her knees, her arms around my
neck and crying and talking as only a
can. No, / was not dreaming.
1t was mother, and / was-well, I was
too tired to try and think where ! was.
But here she comesl No, mammyl I
dom feel the least bit chilly. The cap
tain and I nave been gassing away here
for an hour. But I was wondering
you were. Cincinnati En-
A Lover of China.