Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-26
|N = zkgHY ADV
w. f HE :] NORTH pr! III

and am wounded in the head as well as
the body-oh, my Godi' The cry was
wrung from him by a sudden fitting of the
wagon. and for moment my own pain
prevented utterance.
Il hear nothing from the other man"
managed to say at last Colonel Mosby
saio there were three of us: surely the
third man cannot be already dead?"
Mercifully unconscious. | think; at
placed in here"
No, friends" spoke another and deeper
voice from farther back within the Jolt
ing wagon, Il am not unconscious but
less notlceably in pain. l have lost a Leg
yet the stump seems scared and dead
| hurting me little unless | touch it,
We lapsed into solemn silence II was
such an effort to talk, and we had so little
| to say Each man, no doubt, was struggling
as know L was, to withhold expression of
his agony for the sake of the others | lay
racked in every nerve, my teeth tightly
cl1nched, my temples beaded with perspi-
ra!lon. l could hear the troopers riding
without, the jingling of their accouter-
ments and the steady beat of their horses
teet being easily distingushable above the
deeper rumble of the wheels. Then there
came quick order in Mosby's familiar
soce, calling aloud of some further di-
fiectlohs TO the driver and afterward Moth
nf ' was ulstlhgulshable excepting the noise
OF our own rapid progress
Jake drove. il seemed to me- most racl-
| lessly. could hear the almost constant
elach OF MS lash and the rough words of
g9dolhg hurled at the straining mules.
| ne road appeared to be filed with roots
| Whlle occasionally the wheels would strike
| stone. coming down again with lar that
| nearly drove me frantic The chill night air
| SWEEP IN through the open front of the
nuou ana made me feel as if nv veins vera
HIled with Ice, even while the Inflammation
| OF my wounds burned and throbbed as
| WIN nfe. The pitiful moaning of the man
VINO lay next me grew gradually fainter
and finally ceased altogether Tortured as
| L was, yet could not but think of the wife
| ana enid lar away praying for his safe re-
turn: For their sake | forced back the In
/ teISlly or my own sufferings and spoke into
| the darkness.
The man who prayed I said. not know
| ing which of my two companions it might
De Are you suffering less, that you have
ceased to moan?'
There was no answer. Then the loose
nay rustled, as though some one was slow
! ly dragging his helpless body through it, 4
| moment later the deep voice spoke:
He is dead solemnly. God has an
swered his prayer. His hand already be-
gins to feel cold.''
"Dead?' / echoed, ineXpressibly shocked
do you know his name?''
AS am Major Wilkins. 1t must be CO.
onel Colby who has died. May God be mer-~
ciful to the widow and the orphan
The hours that followed We're all but end
less. | knew we had reached the lower val
| ley, for the road became more level, yet the
slightest JoitinS now was sufficient to
der me crazed with pain, and / had lost all
| power of restraint. My tortured nerves
| throbbed; the fever gripped me, and my
| mind began to wander. Visions of delirium
| came, and l dreamed dreams too terrible
| for record: demons danced on the drifting
| clouds before me, while whirling savages
chanting in horrid discord stuck my fren-
| zied body full of blazing brands. At times
| was awake, calling in vain for water TO
quench a thirst which grew maddening.
| then lapsed into a semi-consciousness that
| drove me wild with its delirious fancies.
knew vaguely that the major had crept
back through the darkness and passed his
| strong arm gently beneath my head. L
| heard him shouting in his deep voice to the
| driver for something to drink, but was I'M
| aware of any response All became blur
| red confused, bewildering. I thought It
| was my mother comforting me. The faint
| gray daylight stole in at last through the
| cracks of the wagon cover; L could dimiy
| distinguish a dark face bending over me,
| framed by heavy gray beard and them
merciful Inconsistencies came, and 1
rested as one dead beside the corpse of the
colonel
CTo be continued tomorrow