The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-05
Soc. and $I.os, all druggists.
SCOTT & BOVINE, Chemists, New York.

When she sent down her light, he crouch.
ed and waited. In quarter of I'M hour
he had crossed the field. With infinite
precaution he climbed the fence, and he
made no more noise than field mouse
as he crept under the trees and around
the bushes. The picket should be here
about. To that creeping, skulking man,
whose home had been in the path Of war.
there came no thought Of fairness. War
meant kill. To kill an enemy in any sort
of manner was not murder. He was
there to kill in revenge for the home
which was in ashes. He was crafty and
cunning. He advanced inch by inch and
took no risks. Under that spreading tree
must be the lone picket, and the BUSH
whacker was finally within ten feet Of it.
The moon had long been under a cloud,
but AS the man turned bush and was
about to rise to his feet to peer about him
the cloud drifted away, and down through
the tree tops, focused on that one spot,
came burst of moonlight. The skulker
dared not move. He cursed and waited
and made ready to dash forward IL chal-
lenged. Thus for two long minutes, and
then the boy, stretched at full length on
the ground, raised his head. His face was
white and pinched and old. His own
mother would have passed him by as a
stranger. He looked directly out upon
the patch Of moonlight, and his eyes
grew large, and new terror crept into
his soul as he saw his midnight visitor.
He did not call out or spring up to run
away, nor did his hands reach out for
the musket among the leaves For 80
dc In YaI mt Eo to- k.<
moonlight, and then his head sank down
until his face was buried in the soft,
black soil. A sh,dder passed over him,
and he was still. The bushwhacker crept
forward again suspiciously and ready for
sudden attack, and by and by he made
out the figure on the ground. Asleep?
No. A picket sometimes stood on his
feet and mapped, but never one stretch
ed himself ont on the ground to sleep.
He couldn't have got bullet" unused
the buslwhacker, because there has
been no shooting. He looked me square
in the face, but what is he lying there
for?'
The prower drew back, fearing a trick.
Presently he reached out for stick and
hurled it Mt the recimbent figure. There
was no movement. Then he called out:
'You there--do you surrender"
There was no answer. The prowler
called again and again and then crept
forward. Holding his gun ready to fire,
he advanced with cautious steps until he
stood over the soldier. Curiosity had got
the better Of his desire to kill. With the
muzzle of his gun lie poked the bluecoat
in the body to arouse him il he slept.
There was no movement in reply. The
man who had come with murder in his
heart knelt over the body and turned it
on Its back. Then he placed his hand On
the heart and found it stilled forever.
The body was warm, but 1t was the body
of dead man. A sudden chill and feel
ing of panic came to the bushwhacker,
and with a wild look he dashed AWAY in
the direction he had come.
Eyes, dead" said the corporal as he
came with the relief again and opened
his lantern that 1t might shine on the
face Of the stiffened picket "He hasn't
been shot or stabbed or dubbed. 1t was
the night horrors which gripped him by
the throat and choked him to Death
Cleveland Plain Dealer.