The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-22
The Marpshooters' Duel


ed ed IN labs absolute quiet. When that silence
| WAS broken however, it was by "Sure-
/ death pulling the trigger, and the bullet
made flesh wound in Masterman7s hand
ana CUT "a Jagged hole through. the stock
or his rifle The duel lasted four hours
| before Masterman finally sent his lucky
shot. and saw the other man tumble from
| the tree. ~
At this sight, all Mastermans hatred
vanished 1t was no longer the numbering
| Iepel sharpShooter, but a dead or wound
19 man. II the latter, humanity called
Upon MN to do something He made his
mdy 70 the base of the tree He went
obbIIeiously, 1or the man might still be
s s1 so ognT, or there might be other
! o. Ine confederate told him the shot was
T 11.al, II mad gone through the body.
side. and W Vdta9e Solder was lying on his
Iu.nm1DIlng for an inside pocket.
What is 1t, Johnny; what do YOU
i MsnI bes,a asked ed Masterman, kindly, kneeI-
In there-letter-my little girl" was
the almost inaudible reply
man 1ste b1nse put put his hand inside the
ter e. The envelope was red with blood.
rs this it, Johnny" he asked
me Confederate nodded
| is this from your little girl. JobnnvoS-
AGAIN a nod. The Union man with
tears In his eyes, drew the letter from
It's us. st tan covering. A curl of brown
mar fell to the ground. The dying father
tried to speak, but only gurgled instead.
and died before Masterman could raise
| the canteens to his lips. :
tS Chattanooga had beer. fought, Sherman
nad packed Johnston into Atlanta, de-
reared him, and was in control of
georgia, the workshop, granary and ar
Sc senaI OF the Cohfederacy" The march
A small division of the great army that Z
was devastating Georgia camped for a
rev days In one spot. Masterman was
win ohls body of men. Sharpshooters Z
da1 IL,
memorable trip of fifty miles in latitude,
3O0 to the MAN, and he had been re-
lleYed of special duty. The name of he
village near by reminded him of a blood +
stained letter which he carried in his
haVersack Inspecting it, he found he
was near the very postoffice from which
1t mad been mailed.
Whlte persons avoided the Union armv.
put negroes We're plentiful, and from
them Masterman learned that a family
named Brewer was living on farm close
there for him.
The next day an old man, dressed in
noineSpun' came to the Yankee camp and
asked for Sergeant Masterman The 1t
ter was easily found. Masterman dis
covered the visitor was the father of the
confederate sharpShooter, who, under the
eXlgencles OF war, had died at his hands.
He Gid not explain the details of the
seldlers death, but told the gray-hafred
man his son was no more and gave him
the letter he had carried from Tennessee.
ana the little girl?' asked the ser
geant, after they had talked awhile as
she alive and well?''
60, Yes; well in body answered the man,
but many an hours cry has she had
ter. It's been a long time, sir since we
heard. Even his own comrades didn't
know what happened to him. They wrote
deserted. and we hoped he hadn't been
Killed. If he'd been took a prisoner, you
Know; he might get back to US some
HAD ne family?" inquired the SER
geant.
only his wife and baby. The wife had
dled since he went and the little gals
alvin with us-we're her grandfOIks
Every day she wants to know if he amt
a-eomfn' home, and when you all come
along she made sure it was her dads reg
fment comm back"
MaSterman asked the grandfather to
bring the child to see him the following
day, in case the army did not move on
No change in location was made, and it
happened the next day that Masterman
was sergeant of the guard. His duties
Kept him at the outposts. In the middle
OF the forenoon he saw the old man and
the child coming across a wasted field
The little girl was dressed, in tattered cal
leo, sunbonnet upon her head and she
was barefoot. She walked slowly and
kept firm grip upon her grandfather's
hand.
The sergeant hailed them, passed them
through the lines and took them inside
the guard tent. He found seat for the
man and talked with them about his
son. The little one on her grandfather'S
knee sat with curious eyes looking out
through the tent opening at the pacing
sentries, the sleeping forms of the men
off duty and the quiet camp scenes. She
turned her head and watched the kindly
looking man who sat before Them fhen
her eyes rested upon a rifle leaning
against the tent wall. Masterman grew
uneasy. 1t was the same weapon that had
killed her father. 1t seemed to fasclnate
the child. She looked at it's owner as if
to make an inquiry, but MasteTman. an
ticipating her. went on talking. A mo-
ment later, when he stopped, she asked:
Mister, how did yore gun git broke?
MaSterman made no reply He could
not tell her it was her own fathers bullet
that had broken the hole in the stock.
Again she asked the question, but the
sergeant pretended not to hear. Her in
terest in the weapon was too much for
him. He arose as hint to the old man
that the interview must close. He took
them to the lines and passed them out.
AS he told them good-by the Sunbonnet
was pushed back down the brown curly
head and in disappointed voice the girl
said:
But, mister. you hain't tole me how
yore gun got broke"
The pleading voice of the little Southern
orphan still sounds perfectly plain in the
ears of the old man of lightweight and
if he should tell YOU the story, he would
close 1t with those words.-St. louis
Globe Democrat.