The Florence daily tribune., 1899-02-17
MORE THAN HERO.

the civil war the Andcrsonyille camp lay
proiling In tho sun Everywhere the
shadows Of martial men, the gaunt,
ragged, dirty, rnkcnpt, hollow eyed in
habithnts OF the great stockade endcav
orcd 20 shield themselves against his cruel
rays some had oven burrowed into the
earth and now lny with their heads hid
den In "A miniature cave while the re-
mniHdcrof their feeble frames were exposed
60 the terrible heat.
One man near the large south gate was
not 50 fortunate. He lay upon his buck,
with his eyes upturned toward the sun,
but he saw IL not He was whiting for
DEATH not the mercilcss spcotcr we know,
but the welcome deliyerer from suffering
and torture.
Tint evening toward the hour of sunset
the south gate suddenly opened its capa-
cious nav aud spat forth new batch of
prisoners. Morc victims for this DEVILS
caidrun. most of them toredoomed to die
u terrible death
1t WAS not until the moon was far above
the horizon and hnthed the camp in its
mellow light that the prustrate figure
stirr,d
A grpan escaped from the cracked and
swollen lips, lie made an effort to raise
himself ON his elbow, but fell back help
ics,sly A compassionate fellow sufferer
saw IL and came to his aid He pruppcd
him up the best lac could against IA dump
Of dirt Through the slit OF his eyes,
Robert Carson, Tor that was his name,
could see the campiires and know that IL
was evening.
Water, he gaspcd family. He did it
unconsciously, The spirit of self presor-
walton is strong In the human breast.
srt,,, mod Samaritan ghn,E his bpa1
mournfully. The brucSish stuff called
water in the camp was unfit for the liv-
ing ana poison for the sick, but, even such
us IL was, it wns not to be had now The
heat had dried up the water courses; the
supply had given out the day before.
what does IL mntterY" thought Car
son, when tho reply penetrated his weary
brain! Death Is only matter of days, II
not hours Let him come; | am ready. "
Presently the voice of one of the new
arrivals WIS heard, shouting To another,
aud then Rn unholy joy possessed the
heart of Carson. Tom Williams was
there the man who had won the affec-
tions OF Carrie 'rompkins and cut him out.
He ViNidly remembered the night she
married Tom, bright moonlight night
like this when he stood behind n tree, re-
volver in hand, waiting for the couple to
return from church He had meant To
kin his rival, but when he saw Carries
happy radiant fare somehow the weapon
dropped from his nerveleSs grasp, and he
lied
This man was given into his hand, this
man whom he had hated more than
words cold express. lie would see him
waste away dny by day, racked with
disease and mental agony. Life suddenly
became worth living. Reyenge-ayc, re
vcnPe-swrct, sweet revengel
On the following evening he had IA
chance to speak to Tom Cautiously he
led up to the topic OF their northern home
OF course Williams did not know him.
How could he suspect that this wreck of
humanity was tho stalwart Carson he had
known.
Are you married mani" Bob in
quired.
- es. The answer was almost sigh.
Il left devoted wife and fair, curly
headed little hoy to go TO tho front and do
my duty in my country's hour of peril.
Robort-that's : the little fellows name
but why do you startp My wife named
him after friend whom she thought a
great deal Of and who suddenly disap-
pearcd and was never heard OF again AS
was saying, Robert, although but a
little chap, clung to me weeping and
would not let me 90, and Carric-that is
my wife's namo--Carric repeated again
and again; 'Oh, Tom, shall never see
you again, feel it | shall never see
you again,
DO you know" he added, and his
voice sank almost to n whisper II have a
prononition that shall never leave this
place alive And Carrie-poor Garrett
will break her heart, "
The tears wcflcd forth and passed un-
needed down his cheeks until sobs shook
his sturdy frame, while Carson shame
facedly cropt back to his place to mediate
on the bitterness of that which men call
revenge. Tint night he thought as he
had never thought before of the only wo-
man he had ever loved What would he
not do to make her happy?
Several DAYS later Il Confederate SER
gcant approached the place where Carson
lay
is Robert Carson hore9''
II am the man. ."
You arc parolcd. You will start for
the Yank lines tonight"
AT evcntide Bob was with Williams
"When they call my name tonight" he
said, YOU pass out They'll never know
the difference
But whyS' said Tom "You better
go. You are wasted away TO "a skeleton
l am better able to stand this hcllish life
a time ut least, And perhaps some day
shall be parulod too"
But want you TO go.
II cannot understand it Why should
your"
Because | once loved woman who
would await my return as anxiously as
does your wife yours Take my place for
her sake Go back to her. She is yearn-
fr,f fg- l.,
should die on the way, and l might as
well die here Go; your wife is calling
you Make her happy, ake-her-happy
My name? 1t is-Robcrt-liko that of
your little boy-merely n coincidence "
That night Tom Williams left Ander-
sonyillc u free man, When he was gone
the soul OF Carson was filled with seren-
ity he had never known before. He crept
slowly out toward the dead line Fellow