The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-18

| 10 my own trade--so attached that L
do not know what Will become OF me
| after another year"
| What hapens then?" she asked,
| without interest.
| II shall be retlred," he told her. THE
age clause falls heavily on a man like
| me, who has never had a chance TO dis
| tinguish himself"
| Il thought you had Whippett's
/ chance" she cut at him.
| For a moment he stared at her stu.
/ pidly: then said without bitterness.
but reprovingly as fnther 10 a chiid:
! II see you have not understood me.
You have perhaps forgotten that your
| husbands nickname for me was The
4 Duty Soldier F."
Yes" she returned, without weighing
| her words. "and he defined 1t as one
who 80 afraid of God and Man, and
for his Own Skin"
Her teeth closed on her tongue as she
said the last word. for Col Jemmett
arose and shook himself Il see that
my call has been an Intrusion on you;
snail not repeat the indiscretion.
| Goodby."
"Goodby." she repeated mechanical
! ly, and touched the bell She felt pow
! erless to detaln him but looked wis.,
| fully at the door when it had closed
behind him.
Ten days later she had a letter from
| him bearing the Southampton post
mark. II am leaving for the Tlrah,"
he sad ito command n brigade III l
had done what you wished in the Black
Mountains l should have risked the
| lives OF five thousand merl women and
| children. i was afraid to do this Per-
| haps in this new business / may he
| able TO present the Duty Soldier in a
better light-at least, in one which you
can see."
After all. he can be ironlcal," the
| widow said and wondered IL he could
| escape retirement. She thought she
might write to him.
| Col. Nocal Major GeneraD Jemmett
| received the widows letter the morn
ing OF the day his brigade was TO at
! tack the enemy's position. II was the
first battle in which he found himself
his own commander, md such time
| is not the best for reading a woman's
| particularly beloved woman's
| letter. He was a duty soldier, and
though the touch of il burned his fin-
gers, he put ii in his left breast pocket
| unopened.
III was good, he thought, to have her
writing next his heart but he almost
reproached himself for thinking about
II at all. Things were not going 50
weli IN this campaign that any man
could afford consideration of his prl-
Vate affairs. One, by name Winter he
VINO commanded the brigade at Pie
other side OF the big hill yonder by
thinking Of his chances of winning a
Z. ~. had sacrificed the better part of
q battery Of ill-spared artillery. III
Jemmett were to follow his exampi
the welfare of thriving district would
De Jeopardized. AS IL was. he would
nave 10 make head against a very SUI
perior force IL Winters disaster were
10 De retrieved. His second in COM
mand -" observed to HIM that Win
ter's impudence was good. inasmuch
as ne. Jemmett. would be sure of a
now IL be could counteract the.
effects of IT.
In reply. Jemmett did what he sell
uom did: he snubbed the second in
command, who went away and laughed
at him, and then damned an aide-de-
camp up hill and uown dale for doing
the same
The enemy had brought two of the
Iour captured guns into action against
Jemmett and the second in command
Mas TOT opening the fight in the ortho-
dox way by knocking these off their
carriages with round or two: but
Jemmett would not hear of it, mo. no. %
saiu ne; we must have these back in
tact. Iell Captain Maxwell to burst his
smells behind and around them. so az 10
ciear away the supporting infantry;but
we must take our chance OF a BIT OF p
blasting from them until we get near
enough 10 pot the gunners. They're f1r-
ing very slowly, they're ranging badly.
they're not setting the fuses properly.
and they have only one limbers sup
ply"
The second in command was a line
man, and when one of the hostile
shells, the first which did happen 10
burst properly carried off a bugler and
six men. growl escaped him about
waste of life
Jemmett, who saw with half an eye
that things were going as he wished
them. leaned from his saddle to pat his
subordinate on the shoulder my
friend" said he, "it may be inhumane.
but i should not call il waste of life.
though twenty more and myself were
to go. IL we win the day and get back
those guns while a man as good as you
remains to take my place"
Il beg your pardon, General" said
the second in command; "but / wash
| you'd get off your horse. for I'm not
big enough. to do your work, however
pleased should be to try"
| And just then another fragment of
| shell-the last the enemy fired that day
| plunged against Jemmett's knee and
brought his charger down with bro
ken back. Jemmett fell heavily on his
head.
You know what to do" said Jet1-
NETT to the second in command. as he
recovered an hour later from the stun
ming effect OF his fall.
1T has been DONE" answered the
second in command THE Rifles have
cleared the ridge. we've got the guns
safe and sound and the guides are
chIvying the beggars down the valley"
That's A1!' declared the Colonel.
And how long have to live?" he ask
ed.
Bless my soul, How should know"
returned the other. Twenty years,
twenty-five. anything up TO hundred
and fifty. Long enough to bury the
brigade. anyhow"
What's happened to me? thought
felt my leg CO."
Yes, chunk OF " went. I'm afraid
you'll linn a bit. old chap"
You mean II must come off?"
mo- it's not so bad as that-it only
wants absolute rest-and there's the c.
b.. don't you know
I'm too old to care about that. but
] suppose they'll hardly retire me now"
Make you a field marshal more like
ly." said the second in command.
Then Jemmett dictated n ten line ac-
count OF the action 10 the second In
command. and when the latter had de-
parted 10 send II off, and TO attend TO
his prOper work bethouQfnf himself NJ