The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-24

Private Byers. for. by the symbol on
his blouse and the stripes on his trous-
ers, he bore q non-comnaiss!oned OIL
GERS warrant in his pocket. 3sst
Thus was William Reddington BYers
levelled by the uniform he wore and by
the sign OF q numbered tag about his
neck, made into common clay like the
men who messed and marched and slept
by his side. But by the tiny gold lock
ct he wore hext his heart he was lifted
above t!lem-far above them. In the
locket was picture OF a girl and she
waited and watched and hoped for the
Homecoming of Billy Byers.
The Thirty-siXth had spent fortnight
in the field. but through Bataan and
Tarlao the serried ranks in khaki had
seen nothing of the men who fought
under the trailing flag OF Auguinaldo
In the pampagna the weary soldiery had
heard the wall of the Mauser bullets
but the regiment pressed on toward
Bacolor with an empty field before It
AT night the men had reached the
Capitol. and. Worn with the WEAKNESS
of the smarch. burnt with the heat of
the sun, and bathed with the fever
Tapors of the endless morass, had fallen
whore they stood when the halt had
been called. And by the camp where
they lay ran the waters of the Rio
Betis. muttering on their way to the sea-
beaten by the whipping winds and pelt-
ed into miSts and foam by the torrent
of the binding rain
When the gray crept into the east and
for a moment the red sun shot forward
TO lose itself again into the biackness
of the clouds, bullet beat its way
above the sleeping forms of the Thirty
sixth and noaned in its malice as it spent
itself beyond Another followed. and as
the regiment awoke to action the air
secthed, burned, and quivered with the
wailings of the stecl-clad missiles from
the Mapse-s of the Brown Men, who lay
entrenched before Bacolor.
In the dim light of the sombre dawn
the Thirty-sixth rose from tho PADDY
fields and stumbled into position in a
long, @lithinS Inc of Brown that stood
sullen and silent the perfect fighting ma
chine awaiting the word that would hurl
| It forward to crush the enemy OF the flag
II bore.
| Against the one thousand of the Thirty
| sixth stood the five thousand of Luna S
| gaunt army. In numbers outtold. with
out knowledge of the ground. weary and
| without food, w from restless SUM
| Der sprang the Men of the Service grim
| in the face Of the scaInine fire-soldiers
of the Blue and Brown, men OF an army
born in a day. trained in q night.
| When the line went hurrying forward,
4 silent. Yet Sullen, ANltltam Red6ingtOH
BNers. with his squad charged with the
! Others. With half the spacs covered
| that lay between the guns of tho man
nikins and the camp left deserted be-
| hind. the advance wavered. weakened and
! reeled as it encountered tbs steady and
| whitening fire from the trenches Sad
| denly Krag-Jorgensen sputtered to the
| left OF Byecs. and before the sound had
! died in the midst of the trembling air,
| half a thousand American rifles leaped
1 into action and sent the wailng bullets
screaming above the brown earthworks.
| Far down the line above the roar of the
| battle VOICE thundered: Forward"
Private Byels leaped at the sound and
! shouted in the madness that seized him
and hurled him on in the face of the
splitting guns that flashed from the
/ trenches
A man ran by his side and another
leapsd At his left. The face of one was
| Miclsv McGNSala and the other was Tonl-
my Ellis. But back on the grass Of the
paddy field lay the stricken form of Cor
pcral Cook, who shouted and writhed in
4 a madness greater than that surging in
/ the breast of Billy Byers. for 1t was
born of the anger. surprise. the pain.
and the hatred of a man struck down
/ by ap enemy's steel.
Somewhere to tho right the line