The National tribune., 1903-04-16

idu the great iSSlSI3nce OF >.rS hiegS :
father. here. who has been II wonderful
help to me in all my work
Il know the Deacon has been n right
hand TO you" answered the General
He is power for good wherever he may
he placed. While 1 am naturally very
anxious about all our boys. | am terribly
50 about those two. The whole regiment
is. None of us wants to enter the field
without them. which. however, we shall
have to do. But we shall go with far
better heart if We can feel that they are
going to get well. I'm going to tell the
regiment that they will get well. They
nust get well. | won't consider any other
possibility
The General walked into the room
where the boys lay, and scanned their
wasted faces with sad intentness.
Say, 81. here's the Colonel" said the
Deacon, gently shaking his sons shoulder.
81 opened his eyes for second. gazed
vacantly. and then recloSed them wearied-
". Shorty only moved uneasily and
mOancd.
Il think those boys need a mental
stimulus or shock. more than medicines.
Surgeon. said the General. Il know
them. The prospect of a fight was al
ways the most powerful of tonics for
them. 1t would arouse them from any
fatigue. 1 wish the rebels would attack
us. II would cure them. | think"
Yes. and thousands of others in the
hospitals here. \ battle beats quinine and
iron all hollow for putting tone into mems
systems. I'm going to tell them that
You have been made a Brigadier-General.
They are so devoted to you that ought to
| wake them up
He shook each of them gently. and said
in loud tone: Col. McGillicuddy has
been promoted to BriGadier-General.'
81 opened his eyes for second longer.
| hut closed tbpn M ripIly IL hp-
fore.
| Full or brevet:" muttered Shorty. be-
fore his eyes closed. The plan had
| failed, and the two men stood baff.ed,
| heart-sicll and silent.
well. I must hurry back to camp"
said the General. III come in to-mor-
row, if we are here But we are in hour
ly expectation of marching orders. Good
by, and good Wishes
y little after noon a procession ap-
| preached the house. 1t was led by Capt.
| Ellison. helping along as best he could
| Mrs. klegg. weary of much walking from
one hospital to another, in consequence of
| misinfOrmation. She was overcome. too.
| by what she had seen and heard She
had felt that the supreme exigency was
| her sons desperate illness. but here were
| thousands Of other wOmens sons just as
| ill-very many of them dead. as testified
| the groups of corpses. gathered under
| some leafy bower waiting for the collins
! the busy carpenters We're making. Then
| there We're wagons hauling loads of the
| Imprinted boxes mOurnfully significant i'll
shape. to a hillock. where the yellow earth
rose in pillows of new-made graves. Alas,
| too. very many of these We're Indianians,
| and Mrs. Klegg felt kinship for every
| boy who had enlisted from the State.
| Capt. Ellison had learned that one Of his
schoolmates was among the dead as well
| as several acquaintance. \ deadly fear
was gripping Mrs. Klegg's heart as to ST
| when she should find him. Respectful in
| terest in the ladies was shown by the men
as they passed, and many of the cOnva-
lescents brightened.up as they approached.
Subdued and silent, fighting the fear
| in her own heart. Maria walked behind,
with Annabel. who shuddered at the sight
| of every coffin, and wept whenever she
heard of an Indiana man mentioned as
dead. Behind them came three young
| contrabands. impressed into carrying the
ladies' carpet-bags.
| As they entered the yard two peaked
| faced boys. whose uniforms tapped
around their forms, rose in surprise from
the shade of a gaily-blooming young
peach-tree. and said:
Hello. if there amt SerG't Klegg's
mother and sister. Good morning. Mrs.
Klegg," called out one, in a tremulous
| treble.
The ladies' looked at them in astonish-
ment.
That's surely little Pete's voice. but it
looks as if some skeleton had stole it." re-
marked Maria.
rs that you, Peter:- asked Mrs Klegg
brokenly.
whats left of me- answered the boy.
webbing forward to e.eet them 'And
here's Sandy Baker. Monty Scruggs. Aft
Russell and Harry Joslyn; Gid Mackall is
inside there
You mayn't know u.s. We're all lit
tie thin apologized Monty Scruggs. try
ing to put on his best manners. Were
training down for the next campaign
Only just a little off our feed now"
said Harry Joslyn. like a young courtier.
We'll be all right in a few days
Most people have trouble in the Spring
until they can get their b,ood purified"
added Sandy Baker.
Mrs. Klegg stood and looked at them,
trying to summon courage to ask about 81.
She hoped that they would say something
without the question, and that they did
not. While speaking so promptly Of the
others. filled her with dread.
The same fear with regard TO Shorty
seized Maria. and her face paled.
\ heavy gun Numbered out from fort
beyond the river. and was answered by
another Il mile away. and then a chorus
of cannon followed, With enthusiastic
cheering in tie camps.
They all turned to look and listen.
4 courier galloped by, and shouted to
them:
"Richmond's taken. The Generals or
dered salute from all the guns" As he
passed on down the line faint muffled
cheering followed the hoofbeats of his gal
ioping horse. The news almost brought
the dead to life.
Richmond taken?' echoed Maria.
"Why. we knew that this morning. on the
way up. Does it mean such lot?''
Indeed it does, Miss Kless." said
Captain Ellison. 1t means life to the Ma
ton. | suppose the General has waited
for official informat ion.''
.'For heavens sake, tell us how 81 and
Shorty are:' burst out Maria. Il feel
just now as though their lives were worth
more to me than that of two nations"
They're in there. purity sick quay
cred Pete. But they'll pull through
same's the rest of us. We amt the kind
that gives up" And the little fellow tried
to straighten up proudly.
As the thunder of the cannon shook the
windows. ST and Shorty sat upright, and
gazcd at one another in1uiripgly. Can
non? Yes, but they had heard another
sound The light of Intelligence began re-