Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-04-08
IN THE TREE.

The man in the tree was thinking
Way off under a sunny sky was a
squalid hut ON hillside There were
orange trees aronnd the hut and in the
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 few half
grown youths and crippled cid men.
And the women did not sing as they
worked They wept sometimes. hut
more often they looked silently and
wonderingly off into the west, where
the sky line was broken by the crum-
bling bastiuns uf 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 noved and
the picture under the sunny sky gave
place to another. which was more inn
mediate and more distinct.
Spreading ont before him and under
Meath was wooded valley with hill
beyond Down into this valley hun
dred yards to the right dipped trail.
Yesterday it had been Il mere mule
path half closed by underhrush. but
now il 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 IA mile
beyond and below him the trail tIav-
ersed an oper space. As he looked at
this opening in the screen of green he
saw figures crossing il. They stood ont
sharp and distinct in the bright sun
light They were men with guns. Few
of them wore coats. Many of them We're
bare from the waist up. Their faces
were dark. almost black AT that dis
tance. but their chests were white.
What fine targets they made. those
white chests!
The man in the tree picked mp the
slim barreled rifle which had been rest
| ing across his bent knees He raised the
sight slide and squinted through IL un-
til he could see the steel pick ON the
end of the barrel outlined against the
white flesh If figure in the sunlightcd
gap of the trail.
A little tongue of flame darted from
the muzzle Of the rifle. One Of the fig-
| Al n. 4 4
| fell
| The man in TIE tree laughed scftly
/ and patted the stock of his rifle.
Still the men with guns streamed
along the trail Aha, They are run
ming They will soon begin to run the
other way. .Inst wait until the trenches
get the range. a white back makes as
fine target aS II white chest.
But hour after hour passed and the
human current did not ebb
Were they hours or only minutesT
What was happening mp on the hillsideT 7
The man in the tree turned to see.
Far mp behind him ON the crest was
square hut, with matched roof. II
looked like dovecot, but il was not
| Ii was blockhouse. What was taking
place there he could only guess He
saw an irregular line of dark figures
scramhlng up the hill. some of them
falling to rise no more Why did not
the rest 20 back: Now they swarmed
about the building How their guns
smoked
"Carajor' 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 he 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.
Ii passed He looked again down tine
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 IA big fel-
low with something red sewed Ia his
shirt sleeve. p;ohahy an officer. S-r-r-r!
That must hnvc gone too high. S-r-r-r,
Just little T. The left S-rrr That
went true He's down Very busy was
the man III the tree.
Not too lusy however. to ncte the
approach of little squad of men who
stopped AMI lool.,d mp into the trees
and now AMI then fired into the dense
foliage of the branches.
The man iii the tree laid his rifle
carefully across his knees and reached
into the leaves #hove him. He brought
down gonrd water bottle. held it 10
his ear and shock it, From the pocket
of his blue and white cotton blouse he
fishcd out piece of dry black bread.
His meal ended. he threw the empty
gourd from him and tegan to count the
cartridge clips still remaining in his
hat
"Un9 dos, tres quatro- Christi y
Onls ~ more -nbtS ana tntH- WHY,
then the war would he at an end for
the mnn i'll the tree. II remained hut
10 die. Think you. good ST. jose, who
watches over the vineyard folk ut home
heard that prayer or did the guns make
tee much noiser
On came the squad. The leader was
tall and fair He Wore Il blue shirt with
chevrons ON the sleeve and a stripe
which had once been white down the
outer trousers seam. He was making
straight for the tree in which sat the
man with the rifle.
At distance of 100 feet the man in
the tree had brought the pick ON the
end of his rifle down So that its tcp just
reached the space between the blue eyes
of the man on foot His last shot should
be- a fancy one.
Two of the squad eyed tree TO the
right. hut the rest pressed ON behind
their leader.