Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-08-14


let man cit back! Scatter, now, roight
an lift. Coppyral Frost, would yez
moind givin' me that arm av moineP
'What in | began. Mick opened
three middle buttons of his Jacket and
said sOftly-the first time | had ever
heard a soft note in the nutmeg crater
voice Of Mick McTwyny:
ITS been around me swateheart.
If Oi'm kilt, Old loike it buried wild
me-"
Twas no time for ceremony, yet |
bowed twice, first to the arm, then to
its owner, as Mick thrust the fragment
of himself into the front of his jacket,
and he and made way to the left un-
der cover Of the fence.
The skirmishers came on IN fine style,
fixing bayonets as they ran. We after
ward learned that they had supposed
the way clear and had merely come to
make assurance dOubly sure. They
soon found themselves in error and the
next few minutes were uncomfortable
in the extreme for all concerned. Shoot
lis at lLtil tll GLlOl IlolOl AtbAlSI 10 NAO
pressing work unless the shooter Is
drunk. Shooting any man in the back
is unmanly work. To fire into the
backs Of brave soldiers for whom you
know that fathers and mothers and
brothers and sisters and sweethearts
and wives and children are longing and
hoping and praying is not doing as you
would be done by. But war is war.
Besides, not all our shots took effect.
Revolver shots seldom do except when
men are never out of practice. l beg
gcd Mick to save his own revolver
charge for self defense, but he snarled
at the suggestion. Then | reminded
him that an empty revolver would do
some effective work If held by the bar
rel and used as a hammer. When the
pistol firing began to slacken, Sergeant
Mick shouted:
Don't fcrgit the fince rails! Glory be
to the poikes av auId Oirelandw
4 fence rail could not be welded with
one hand. but Mick did not seem en-
| barrasscd. lie thrust his empty re-
| vOlyer into his belt and fought with his
uninjurcd arm, the winner In many a
| fist fight He did wonders at lodging,
| tripping and smuggling" as he ran to
and fro near the fence to head off such
/ gray skirmishCrs as might attempt to
/ fall back. |, with my fence rail, fol-
| lowed him closely and succeeded In
preventing some awkward situations,
. lg y,fa Y,p Il
| that Of a musket with bayonet on it.
/ When either Of US downed a man, Mick
/ followed with n vigorous kick below
| the belt. The kicks were brutal, but it
was MiCk's duty to hold the line Of that
/ fence. The odds were heavily agains:
him, and he was obliged to use any and
/ all means within reach.
/ Fighting with fence rails as weapons
/ was new to US, but we took to it kind
/ ~. We had to. They demanded a lot
/ Of free space, which was not always
1 to be had, for the tree trunks would not
/ get out Of our way, and some Of US came
/ to grief while downed by our weapons
/ having collidcd with trees. Once |
rushed to BTainard's assistance, sup
posing him in deadly peril, for two Of
/ the few remaining JOhnnies closed on
/ him with thcit bayonets ready to lunge.
/ But Brainard turned like a teetotum,
1 holding bis rail horizontally. 1t struck
| one of the Johnnies and knocked him
down. In az instant Brainard jumped
and landed with both feet on the stom-
ach Of the fallen man. He also said.
Il beg your pardon" but the fallen
mans reply was couchcd in language
unfit for publication. Then Brainard's
rail struck the other man below the
belt, and he, too, fell. Sergeant Mick
saw the encounter and screamed:
"Uo0rav, Brainardl Ye little dhivill