Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1903-12-24

| 1 ne WIND bowed the treetOpS and swept
bowling over the level country, the rain
| drops battered down, and night birds,
with hoarse cries, fiuttered over our
heads.
We could not see an inch beyond our
| eyes, and it seemed an impossibility to
find our way TO the farmhouse | was
just making up my mind to turn back
when a light cleaned some distance be-
fore us.
The house! Hurrah--theres the
house," whispered one of the men, and
took my field glasses and anxiously
tried TO discover the building
Yes, the light was shining through
| the glass--it must be the window pane.
and at times was obscured as though
shadows were gliding before it.
The room was evidently occupied by
the enemy.
We rejoiced. The stormy weather ia
vored our approach, the wind and rain
would drown the noise of the horses
hoofs. We had the best prospect of be-
! ing able to reconnoiter unseen.
So we rode forward, first cautiously
examining the ground; then. as it
proved to be grassy, yelvety meadow
land. growing holder and moving more
! rapidly.
We advanced for some time noiseless
/ ~ and swiftly. then the ground suddenly
became harder. and sometimes there
was grating noise, as ii from loose peb-
| bles
Yet we rode on at rapid pace, for
we were coming nearer and nearer TO
the light. and. according to our calcula
lions, must reach il in ten minutes at the
latest
II seemed strange that neither ploweo
land nor fences appeared In the vicinity
of the house. but it was possible that
these signs of habitation We're on the
opposite side, while the front over
| looked the open moor.
! The light burned steadily and bright
ly in the midst of the raging gale.
was riding In advance Of my men.
with my eyes fixed intently on the flame,
whose brightness grew still more daz-
b, SUDDENLY started so violently that al
most unconsciously | refined my horse
back, thus stopping'the riders behind me.
With dilated eyes and hair fairly
bristling with terror gazed at the white
robed form of a woman who had APP
peared out of the darkness, waving me
baclS--my mother! Really, and in bod
lily form, the mother who had been sleep
ing three years in German cemetery al
home.
| saw her distirotly-every line OF hei
dearly beloved face her eyes, her lips
her figure In the white shroud, just as
had gazed at her for the last time in de-
spairing grief-my mother.
Now she suddenly stood before me in
the midst of the darkness of the night
in TIE enemy's country on the lonely
moor
Mother" | cried, mother"
The corporal seized me by the arm in
horror.
For heavens sake! Captain"
Then the strange apparition faded
from my sight Again, with every sigr
of the most intense anxiety, she mo
toned. Back. Back" Then the
thick darkness again surrounded me,
| sat in my saddle utterly incapable
of speech | felt my horse tremble un-
der me as I drew It back snorting.
Captain"
"Haekert--didnt you see anything?
| gasped at last.
mo, captain. What?"
"And did the rest of you see nothing
NO, captain" they answered, in evil
deaf surprise
I drew myself up resolutely.
Halt, Not another step! Some dan
ger is threatening us. Haekert, hold my
horse!' ] sprang TO the ground Let
me go few steps forward"
Loose pebbles creaked under my feet.
and | heard one roll along the ground
and then rattle as though 1t was railing
| into some deep chasm.
What was the meaning Of that?
AS I stood irresolute, hesitating TO
move another step forward, the moon
ehone brightly through the clouds and
7 looked into the yawring depths of a
stone quarry upon VIII ose opposite side
! a lantern had been hung.
A trap set for us by the Franc-tireurs'
A chill ran through every limb. Two
steps more and we would have been
/ crushed at the bottom Of the cbasm.
| leaped back upon my horse,
Wheel We are on the edge OF a
( stone quarry" said, In low tone and
my brave men, who had seen the dan
ger at the same moment, turned their
! horses.
Then shots ratified from the opposite
side of the stone quarry. Bullets whis-
/ tied over our heads; one struck my cor
poral's carbine, but he had already
raised II to his cheek, and We, too, fired.
Twice we fired into the darkness, The
! moon was again hidden. We no longer
saw the foe and now dashed through the
wind and rain to the shelter Of the
woods.
Not until later, when we had rejoined
our own troops In safety, did the mem