The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1899-06-01
IN THE TREE.
The man in the tree vas thinning


Way off under a sunny sky was a
squalid hut on hillside. There were
orange trees around the hut and in the
distanesasrsEe.lo hong stretches Of vine
80 40 .-enAlen and women once sang
rs they worked
Now the women were working alone
save for the presence of a few half
grcwn youths and crippled old men.
And the women did not sing as they
worked. They wept sometimes, but
rs re often they looked silently and
anderingly off into the west, where
tsse sky line was broken by the crum-
ttfg ions Of ruined castle.
II beyond the castle was the sea and
qpa the sea was-they knew not
Strange lands where men and
vwent 10 come back no more.
s..aw Rs the picture that came to the
rl.lnd of the man in the tree.
But oRe cannot sit with q cramped
leg and .dEsam Of distant things for
long So thek nan in the tree moved and
4he pietuse sander the sunny sky gave
place to ap0fhar. which was more i'm
mediate and more distinct.
SPREADING. ouE before him and under.
meath was a wooded valley with q hill |
beyond. DoWEsinte this valley hum
dred yards TO tlaeSight dipped trail.
Yesterday 1t had been a mere mule
oath half closed by underbrush, but
nuw 1t was clearly dAaned. The bushes
bad been broken eGs bent over and
pnGhed aside. while tile tramp Of many
feet had ground to powder the weeds
and grass.
At . distance Of perhaps half mile /
beyond and below him the trail trav-
ersed an open SPACE. As be looked ct |.
this opening In the screen OF green he
saw figures crossing il They stood out
sharp and distinct In the bright sum
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
lance. but their chests were white.
What 6ne targets they made, those
white chaG1ai !,
nan il fhe tree picked up the
lin ep led rife which had been rest
% acls bic bent knees He raised the
'ight sl aRA squinted through it I'M
II be eopla aes the steel pick on the
md Of the barrel outlined against the i
white flesh Of figure in the sunlighted
zap Of the trail
4 little tDngue OF fame AaTted from | !
he muxzle OF the rifle. One Of the ig-
ires In the green frame stumbled ana /
ell
The man in tho tree laughed softly
md patted the stock Of his EiHe
still the men with guns ssreamed
long the trail. Ahai They are run q
ing They win soon begin to run the 4
cher way. just wait until the trenches
et the range A white back makes as
ne target aa q white chest. s
But hour after hour passed and the =
uman current did not ebb. 4
Were they hours on only miuutesf
hat was happening mp on the hillsides \
he man ID ths tree turned 20 see, :,
Far up behind him On the crest was
equare hut. with q matched roof n !,
loked Like q d0RecOA hnt IL was NOT. \
wns hlockhonse. What was taking 4
Lace thaB be- could only guess he n
~ 70 irregular line Of dark figures !,
cEamhlng up the hin. some Of them !.
luing % rise 40 more Why did NOE
le resi- SO hAekf Now they swarmed
1ous the building. How their guns
noksdl
esaraiois The red and yellow tiaa. is 2
swn %
Ihsn The man in the tree Looked into z
= hsaxt e things and saw his fata =
hes half naked pigs who Sought nks =
szslz zAsT would Dpa ha agiTs.. - - g