Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-01-24

rable charge up San Juan hin. Private
Carter was a fragment Of that long.
thin blue line I'm support Of the rough
riders. He was volunteer and had
never experienced the baptism OF fire.
He was afraid OF the morrow His
heart almost shriveied up i'm his broad
chest at the thought of what he might
expect TO face. and then i'm turn II ex-
panded 10 almost sufIocation. lie was
afraid OF himself. Would he walk up
bravely 10 whatever fate was in store
for him. or would he shrink and quail
before the foel were questions that he
asked himself as he looked up at the
twinkling southern stars. BY right OF
his physique his place was at the head
or the first four of his company. At
the preparatory camps he had learned
the foot maneuvers and manual OF
arms with an aptncss that placed him
in line for promotion TO that of non
commissioned officer IL nothing better
He was the right pivot for his four.
Would the conduct of any OF the other
AANh AhA Al vi htN AiNllN tAl tAlt atAlOu
Of the morrow Would he come out a
corpse. n craven coward or man
worthy OF promotions
His thoughts flew away. skipping
over the waters with the SwiftncSS OF
bird. Nothing impcdcd their prog
ress rs they went back over the track
OF the vessel that had brought him To
this unfamiliar southern cline. His
body lay back in a drOwSy state. and
soon he slept Soundly. hut his mind
his soul. was somewhere else. Ii
touched lightly nj New York city and
went on ont into the rural districts
with bound. lie saw his comfort.
able home. At thar very moment his
aged father was reading from a daily
paper To his anxious mother while she
sat with claSped hands on the opposite
side of the lighted lamp He could see
that they We're deeply interested In the
story of the impending battle at the
great southern gate TO Cuba. The very
dread on his mothers face almost
made him sorry that he had enlisted
against her wishes. But something
seemed 10 pull him on from that be
loved spot. There was the old family
dog curled up in his kennel He saw
him as plainly as day as he passed out
the back way. lie felt like Stooping
down and patting the old fellow on the
head as lie passed. Strange 10 him.
the dog did not even look up. Always
before the dog had been ready ~
bounce to his feet at the approach OF
his young master in anticipation of a
Observation-Disclosures.
lectiOns of the dear old home caused
him TO linger. Private Carter could not
stay. Some uneXplainable power drew
him onward. He was of on the wings
Of thought again. A touch here and
touch there brought him back To Camp
Alger The great Washington monu-
ment flashed on his vision as he pass
ed, the same as il was the day the cars
bore his regiment to the Seaboard Cor
embarkatiOn for the front. There was
neither pause nor delay until he
walked into ward 8 NJ the corps hos
pital. He passed down the narrow
aisle between the cots. He brushed
against the Red Cross nurses as they
went to and fro mnistering to the
dying, but they paid no attention TO
nlm. Iney ulu not seem 10 see MN.
AT last he stood before No. 2l. The
card on the curtain gave the record OF
the fever patient for the day. To one
not familiar with il II looked Ike a
plain card with lines drawn across II
at right angles to each other and a
heavy. wavy line running from left to
right and as crooked as the average
river line on n map, the variance being
several degrees i'm crossing half the
card.
Private Carter had been there before
and knew exactly what that card
meant. He looked closely and saw
that In the previous hour the wavy
chart line had taken II decidedly
upward tendency. indicating that the
fever was high. The patient was talk
Ing in Il rambling sort of way. and the
purse was trying 10 soothe him. hut
he die not appear 30 recognize her cr
what she was doing fO9 him. lie did
not seem To know that there were 500
other poor fellows languiSh!ng on al
sides or hin in thai cr.."t !"rtcd huN;,i-
tai, Priv? q Carter stopped tn hear