The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-04-04

see yourself its like hunting a needle
in haystack, and if We strike the
line and find body, how oan we know
it is the right one? It's hard, very
hard, but really think you'd better
try to discourage him and let him
down easy, 30 to speak. A single
body in o wilderness of corn stalks!
The thing is almost imposs;3l
"Discourage him?" answered. "I
csn not dc that. | haven't the cour,
age."
"Theu I must," said the doctor,
and in spite Of my exhortations not to
give up 80 soon, he called to Caleb
Gordon and told him what he had
just told me. The old mans face
grew pale, but the lines of his mouth
were firmly drawn. This wes his reso.
Lutte reply:
II am not wealthy man, doctor,
but have money enough to buy this
farm. My wife knows that am hese
today. If I go home without what I
came for it will break her heart. Be.
fore l admit that this task is hope
less I will buy this place and dig it
over inch by inch until I end the body
Of my son."
The doctor flushed at the fathers
answer but I saw that IL we were to
succeed it must be by reliance upon
myself rather than upon my col.
league.
"Weit here for me-" I said, aud I
started again toward the farm house.
As I emerged fsom the labyrinth OF
seogn and looked toward the clover
field beyond it, I noticed something
significant that had escaped our OBJ
servstion. Across the even surface
Of the clover field ran two parallel and
veil defined lines like ground swells
on the surface Of the sea. Along
these lines the clover was waving
almost kneedeep in rich dark.green,
in sharp contrat: with the sparse and
ragged growth elsewhere. Those were
the lines Of the trenches.
| IF could produce those lines into
the oornfeld and then determine the
point, where they ended I might yet
succeed. With such aid az the mat
ter-of-faot young farmer was able to
give, located as nearly as possible
the site of the old barn, keeping all
the while in my minds eye the rela-
tive position Of those billowy lines in
the clover field beyond. Then I ban
isbed every other thought, conoen.
tTssiDg al! ny faculties upon the. task
Of recalling the past. -. ,:/:.
| I started from the vacant site Of the
old barn hospital and paced slowly
like one walking in a tranoo., Once
more I was trudging at the. end Of .
stretcher with the body Of dead sol
der. My mind ob7iterased eight
yeare and was agsin carrying the
body of Donald Gordon out :for.burial
in the blaze Of :he midday sun. /
crossed the dry bed Of the rivulet,
guessing at the point where che rustic
bridge hsd stood. was only half
|ooasoious :then of.: the. direction i
took, but from the moment 7 crossed
the parshsd stones. in; the bed. Of che
brook j began counting my steps.
Pacing slowly forward with my head
bent coward tho ground hardly knew
I had struck into the corn field again
until had scaled the Fence and was
impatiently brushing aside the tassel!
ed stalks that numbered my path.
When at last stopped, !. kuoW moi
why I stopped, I only followed an NM
eontrollsble impulse. Il could NOT
have told how far I had gone But I
felt that it was just as far as t had
gone eight years. ago that morning,
and, when my friends came hurrying
i>tovard me in response to my shout,
4 Wss in q tone OF. confidence chat Il
said: >; ~.% 4 # !9 *S. E!.: s. B
''The body Of Donald Gordon lies
within ten PAGES Of where I now
stsnd." :zt :11.5: S ,:+ Il $st IS:
Or. Knesland said I: vais y ssaraly
wrong, the trenches lay close 10 sbs
sssese lire. !. 4
.J1es the spade teat that i replied !;
es ! mo.iened to th::s negro dig. he
dug out one BILL of corn ssh sset sirso,m s,
where Istood, struck dona s. sSox 81
Two beneath the surfaae aud 1onnd
lneshing. 3 $: s st; /. si
- osae; Slosarl GO ne and nv again, : s !
Isaid. He lid ano thies, stalk basidS,
the hrst and 5asraokS III HIisS H mad s.pa !l !al.
MOST at ny feet. !. ii " b s.oods 81 SSiin pain
Ynl silanse ;nasphiings asch .l ..alnad aYnIs rf.