The National tribune., 1903-12-03

He looked down at it calmly. At first it
seemed jack. -
".No, i.'s king said Larry. 1T amt
| got any legs
-Four more low cards came out, but
| near the center Of the line two face cards
| showed up together.
My God! said Larry, They're both
jacks. / can see their legs from here
The two who had drawn the fatal bill
let's were heavy. orergrown. rather dull
faced boys, who looked stupidity at the two
/ i*chs. at Briles, as he took them again
from their breasts to show them and in
dicate their fate. The rest of the boys
shivered with horror, but the two doomed
ones hardly changed a feature.
Step out thar one pace commanded
| the Captain, and they moved heavily for
ward.
The fair-haired boy at the right began
crying. the first tear which he had shed.
and the rest looked unutterabiy sorrowful.
Take 'em over to the trees, conf
| manded the Captain briefly. and the Ser
geant walked the boys over to where the
nooses were dangling, and threw them
over their heads.
MANY of the rebel company who had
| that hunger to be in at the killing which
| characterizes the poor whites of the South.
clustered around the trees and began help
| ing to adjust the nooses. Two of them
climbed up into the branches to be of
greater assistance. This made quite a
commotion among the limbs, of which the
quick eye of the Union picket evidently
| took notice, for / saw some more blue
clad men beginning to appear alongside
of him, and presently skirmish line de-
pioyed from the edge of the timber. and
started down the farther slope. Larry
had not noticed it. and 1 touched him eau
tiously with my foot so as not to attract
the attention of the rebel Captain. If |
could only delay the murder a few minutes,
| might prevent it.
Say, Captain 1 yelled, it's beastly
| murder, but certainly you're going to give
those men time to say prayer, or do
something else.
| "It was unavailing. The men of the
company had got the scent of blood in
| their nostrils, and were too eager to have
| the hanging go on to stop for any such
consideration, and the Captain yelled back
| at me:
"'Shet up yo' head, Yank. and tend
to yer own business. Prayin' has been
done away with till the end of this ere
war. You'd better be prayin' your own
self. Yo'll have to go next. Thar. men,
put the ropes over nearer the crotch, SOS
the limbs won't break. Three or four o.
yo' git hold of the end of each rope, SOS
to haul away sharp when 1 drop my hand.
Arter yo've got 'em up a yard or so. wrap
the ends of the ropes round the butts of
the trees, and We'll leave 'em thar for the
| crows and buzzards. an as d warnin' to
their kin-folks and the other black-hearted
Tories
Il had mad thoughts of rushing at the
Captain. and Larry at the Lieutenant. and
engaging in hand fight to delay
the proceedings until the company, which
was advancing with aggravating slowness
down the slope of the HILL could reach us,
But it seemed absolute folly fer us two
with our bare hands to attack a company
of 40 or 90 all of whom were-now tigec-
ishly interested in the awful work.
We'll, good-by, boys said the two
doomed ones as the nooses were drawn up
around their necks. Their dull. animal
like stolidity in the face Of death was
most touching. Larry and could not
stand it, and we sprang to our feet, wild
with excitement. but Lieut.. Claystone and
the OrderlySergeant grinned wickedly at
us with our own carbines cooked and point
ed within few inches of our heads
turned away to look at the oncoming COM
pany, and when l looked back the bodies
of the two boys were swinging in the air,
a yard from the ground.
"'See, Captain, the Yanks are coming
exclaimed one of the men who had hap
pened to turn his eyes from the absorbing
spectacle and noticed the approach of the
skirmish line.
$50 they'uns air. said the Captain
with an oath. Mount your critters. Git
out o. here. Lieut. Claystone. fetch them
Yanks along in hurry. or shoot 'em il
they give you any trouble. MountIey-
erybody! Git down thar to the rightw
1.-The next moment we were all rush
ing away into the valley, and far from the
reach of our people,
(To be continued)