Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-09-29

grace bI Slduulu- htloit MS tolll dutst
for neglect Of duty, lie. Pri-
vatc Morton, who had served six years
in his regiment and had never a mark
against his name before. This was
worse than death. II he could only
sleep a little while and forget that part
of il. But that tooth would persist In
painlng 50. and one ragged point kept
cutting his tongue and filling his mouth
with blood that almost choked him at
times. So that no sleep would come.
Outside the guard was pacing back
and forth. keeping faithful watch over
the wretched prisoner within, who turn
ed and tossed upon the hard floor in
vain effort To find relief In sleep.
He could hear the sentinels steady
pace aud began TO count the footballs
as "A sort of relief for his wakefulness.
About 40 of them would make min
ute. or would II take II hundred; per-
haps not more than 80. He would
count awhile and then try and fix the
time Strange that his mind should
dwell ON such trifies at such Il time
Perhaps the sentinel would 20 to sleep.
Possibly he WAS asleep now. and he
might walk out To liberty. If only he
were not SO tired, he would try it. But
he must sleep.
With such feverish fancies did the
night pass away, and then the brief
forenoon seemed all too short. They
would come for him in a few moments,
and he would march out and meet his
doom before the whole regiment.
Who would come and who would be
told of for the firing party He hoped
they would be good shots. "Rcddy'
James would surely be one He WAS
always on every special detail aud
that bristling red muStache would be
day. "Mcaly" Mason would be an
other.
He was the man the sergeant always
detailed to shoot the sick and disabled
horses the summer they were up in the
Bad Lands. But before he could count
up one more the lieutenant came to
inform him that the time was up and
he must march to the place of eXecu-
ton.
1t struck him as little peculiar just
then that no chaplain had been sent to
help smooth his pathway to the grave,
but II did not give him much concern,
as he never had much use for a chap
lain anyway, and all the boys knew 1t.
Another thing seemed queer-had he
not seen the lieutenant fall there at the
barbed wire fence with a bullet through
his head? But here he was and did
not seem TO be any the worse for 1t,
only his face was terribly white and
CHASTITY, and a great splash of blood
Now he came to think OF it, 'Mealy"
had fallen at the fence with the whole
side OF his head torn away, so after all
he would not be one OF the firing party.
He wondered IL his mother would
know OF his disgrace and II she would
be there. He remembered now that he
had heard her voice singing Rock Of
Ages" some time last night just as she
used TO when he was little chap and
she sang him to sleep at night.
The officer started to read something
from large roll of manuscript, but
stopped with an oath. You know
what II is he said. Forward.
March" And Private George Morton
took his blanket from the floor, rolled
1t up properly, as became a United
rnu,,lor nd fpilnTaI hiu nnn.
tenant TO the scene of his death.
Here 1t was as he had pictured 1t Il
hundred times through that long, ter
rible night. The regiment was drawn
up on three sides of n square. in light
marching order The firing squad that
was so soon to put an end TO his earth
ly existence stood at ease little to one
side, and here he must stand in front
of that ugly black hole which was to
be his grave. They did not bind his
eyes or tie his hands, but there he
stood. erect and firm, as though on duty
on sentinel duty. he grimly thought,
where he was not likely to fall asleep.
He began to wonder how it would
feel to be hit, whether he would know
anything about ii, and how long 1t
ing squad as 1t slowly filed into posi-
ton. He counted them as they wheel
ed into place-one, two, three, four,
five, six and the officer. Why did 1t
take so many to kill man? But, then,
not all the guns were loaded.
oIyn 20
everything ready, though perhaps his
thoughts were running n little more
rapidly than usual. One thing brought
him satisfaction-there would be plen-
ty Of time to sleep after 1t was all
over.
His Imagination must be playing
him false again. else how was IT that
he saw the white, agonlzed face of his
mother there, breaking through tnat
solid line of blue on the right? lie
wanted to rush to her and tell her it
was all dream, that he would not he
hurt, but he could not bring his limbs
to obey his will, and then in moment
the stern, fixed faces of the men In
front brought back with sickening
force the reality and awfulncss Of 1t
all
1t must come to an end some time.
Yes, the officer at the head OF the
squad had stepped n pace forward, and
Il command was given that he could
not understand, but the guns We're
lowered with jerk; another COM
mand, and with q jerk and clang the
guns came to "aim," and all seemed
pointing directly into his eyes. 1t
would soon be over.
The,c Was flash, but he could hear
no report. Would those bullets never
come or must he stand there through
all eternity waiting for the end? Could
they have missed him? Perhaps he
was dead already. Death had come
with the flash, and death was not so
different from life after all. Then