The Florence daily tribune., 1899-04-21
IN THE TREE.

distance were long stretches of vine
yards where men and women once sang
as they worked
Now the women were working alone
save for the presence of a few half
grown youths and crippled old men
And the women did not sing as they
worked. They wept sometimes, but
more often they looked silently and
wonderiugly off into the west. where
the sky line was broken by the crum-
bling bastions of ruined castle.
of beyond the castle was the sea and
beyond the sea was-they knew not
what Strange lands where men and
youths went TO come back no more.
This was the picture that came to the
mind Of the man in the tree.
But one cannot sit with cramped
leg and dream of distant things FOR
long So the man in the tree moved and
the picture under the sunny sky gave
place to another. which was more inn
mediate and more distinct.
Spreading out before him and under
meath was wooded valley with a hH
beyond Down into this valley hun
dred yards To the right dipped a trail
Yesterday it had been a mere mule
path balf closed by underhrush, but
now it was clearly defined. The bushes
had been broken off, bent over and
pushed aside while the tramp of many
feet had ground to powder the weeds
and grass.
At distance of perhaps half mile
beyond ard below him the trail uav
ersed an open space AS he looked at
this opening in the screen of green he
saw figures crossing it. They stood out
sharp and distinct in the bright sun
light They were men with guns, Few
of them wore coats Many of them were
bare from the waist up. Their faces
were dark. almost black at that dis
tance. but their chests We're white.
What fine targets they made. those
white chestsl
The man in the tree picked up the
slim barreled rifle which had been rest
ing across his bent knees. He raised the
sight slide and squinted through it un-
til he could see the steel pick on the
end of the barrel outlined against the
white flesh of figure in the sunlighted
gap of the trail.
A little tongue of fame darted from
the muzzle of the rifle. One of the fig
ures in the green frame stumbled and
fell
The man in the tree laughed softly
and patted the stock of his rife
Still the men with guns streamed
along the trail Ahal They are run,
ming They will soon begin to run the
other way Just wait until the trenches
get the range A white back makes as
fine target as white chest.
But hour after hour passed and the
human current did not ebb.
Were they hours or only minutes1
What was happening mp ON the hillsider
The man in the tree turned to see,
Far up behind him ON the crest was
a square Init. with thatched roof 1t
looked like dovecot, but it was not
1t was IA blockhouse. What was taking
place there he could only guess. He
saw au irregular line of dark figures
scramrlng mp the hill. some of them
falling to rise no more Why did not
the rest 20 backr Now they swarmed
about the building How their guns
smoked
'Caraiol" The red and yellow flag is
down
Then the man in the tree looked into
the heart of things and saw his fate
These half naked pigs who fought like
devils, they would not be driven back
He was cut off To the right. to the
left, in front behind-they We're there,
these men with guns who fired and IAN
forward, and fired and ran forward
again.
The picture of the faraway hut ON
the hillside. the women and the vine
yards came once more. and the man in
the tree bowed his head and wept
1t passed He looked again down che
hillside Not alone on the trail. but in
many other places the figures moved
now
The man in the tree frightened the
strap which passed under his arms and
around the tree. He fitted the rifle
stock to his shoulder and peered out
under the leaves There was big fell
low with something red sewed to his
shirt sleeve, Probably an officer. S-r-r-r
That must have gone too high. S-r-r-r
Just little to the left. S-r-r-r That
went true He's down. Very busy was
the man in the tree
Not too busy, however, to note the
approach of little squad of men who
stopped and looked up into the trees
and now and then fred into the dense
foliage of the branches
The man in the tree laid his rifle
carefully ACROSS his knees and reached
into the leaves above him. He brought
down II gourd water bottle. held it to
his ear and shock it. From the pocket
of his blue and white cotton blouse he
fisheo out piece of dry black bread
His meal ended. he threw the empt,
goard from him and began 70 count th