Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-05

day into their own inverted images A
AttIe loot bridge had been built across the
stream at the point where ii narrowed
again, and went meandering through a
charming landscape sOuthwestward on its
!CnS, winding way to the Tennessee Farm
lands, houses and buildings dotted the bill
railway enbankment to the west The
white tents of Prdes four companies
cleaned in the sunshine close to the wooden
truss bridge that bore the iron way across
me s"irling waters. Paralleled with the
railway and 800 yards east of it. ran the
dIngy line of the pike, while still further
toward the foothills, at the fork of two
wood roads, good three-quarter mile from
camp, stood little frame church where
famous Ethiopian preachers ofttimes ex-
horted In the past, and where now a rude
soldiery stacked arms without and spread
blankets within. 1t was the post Of the
reserve OF the picket guard of the buck
eyes. the post from which the supports were
thrown out, fanlike through the woods, and
on this night in June, soft, still and sensu-
Gus. half the Emmets were covering that
sou sou, Il front with Leuts. Malloy
and Scarcliffe in command. use the ut
most vigilance" were Prdes stern orders
al nightfall. That is where they'll try to
break through, if through anywhere. and
we want no reb cavalry running off our
fellows in rear of the line"
The Emmets were tired and worn There
mad been an alarm the previous night and
a long reconnaissance. Some of them had
not slept six hours in thirty-six. and felt
seedy in consequence. After midnight when
Corporal Connolly should have relieved Pri-
vate Darcy at the foot bridge, it was Bren-
mans turn, and Brennan was sleeping
scundly and YEARLY as a tired child. He
had been failing strangely Of late, and
seemed far from we'll Let him sleep, Con-
molly said Norman. I'm take his turn.
Then if he's all right at 3 he can take
mine. If not, can stand It," And so it
was Connolly and Holt that went forward
toward 1 o'clock and found Darcy crouch
ing by the north abutment of the little
bridge and more than glad Of their coming
Il can hardly keep my eyes OPEN" said he,
AN haven't seen nor heard a d-n thing
'cep that time l whistled. Cavalry amt
coming up to no foot bridge
NO. but cavalry can ford these shadows:
easy enough. Same old signals, Holt. Take
your post And away went the corporal,
with Darcy stumbling alongside, leaving
Norman to himself again.
1t was as breathless night as the young
soldier had known in the whole campaign,
and the day had been almost insufferabIy
hot. Somewhere toward noon there had
been lively stir along the picket line west
or the railway, where valiant regiment of
boosters held the ground. For twenty min
utes the cracEle of musketry had been so
brisk as to bring the brigade into line and
later to cause patrols to push forward all
along the front. They found three dead
horses, but the visiting troopers had left
nothing else beyond a favorable impression
ana & written promise. tackled to a tree at
the bend of the pike, to "call again in the
near future" Then a squadron of Ken
lucky horse pushed out on each Of four
southwark leading roads, and for two hours
rLmmaged the woods without finding a
thing, the pickets meanwhile being alert
and eager. But just about supper time,
away to the left front, the southeast the
explorers stumbled on a stronger force had
sharp setto with sabers and Colts and
then had. to give way. After that all was
quiet again from shutdown to midnight.
save only the mournful plant of the whip
poor wills. but even they had ceased as the
night wore on. Johnny Rob is as tired as
We are said Scarcliffe, when visiting the
outer line of pickets at midnight. Johnny
Reb Is never so much TO be dreaded as
when he is STILL said the colonel as he.
too, made the rounds on his ambing
charger. Watch for all you're worth
men. and whatever happens, hold your
ground as long as you possibly can"
Every caution spoke of the need of sleen
less vigilance. The covering force was
small. but all that could be spared at the
moment, and. as Pride said, enough to
stand off double their weight The general
had faith in the Buckeyes and he didn't
spare them.
1t Is one thing to pace up and down a
beaten path and be alert and yigilant 1t
Is another to crouch or lie upon some grassy
bank, and, keeping ones self hidden from
possible foe at the front, to also keep