Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-08-23
The song In the Night.

The young lieutenant crouched in
the mud fthe gully. Every man OF
the squad was wearied to the limit of
endurance, and the leader was burden
ed with terrible responsibility The
enemy was close at hand and absolute
silence was imperative, The colonel, a
few hours before, had detailed this lit
tie force to cut cut a detachment of the
enemy.
Remember, my boy,n he had said,
with fatherly hand on the lieute-
nant's shoulder, ait will not be enough
to scare them. They must be routedn'
and the colonel emphasized with a
savage sweep of his hand. "Clean them
out! You would be tier not attack I'M
less you mean to do that
Fer hours they had plewed through
the mud, eager for the encounter. Be
fore darkness fell the discovery WAS
made that the enemy numbered four
times as many men as supposed, 1t
would be madness TO hope for more
than drawn battle, the lieutenant
reflected; and yet-the colonel had
given his orders. At daylight the COM
mander would march on the assump-
ten that the work was done.
II cal't go back and say l was
afraid, u the boy told himself; but it
would be murder to charge with this
little band. II had to think oRly iof
myself
The men lay in a dark line against
the bank Of the gully, waiting for the
decision Of their leader. If he said
"Charger'-well, they knew it would
be one against four.
There was another hour before he
need act, and the youthful offices gave
way Ia moodiness. 1t was far from be-
ing poetry-this killing of human be-
ings ia muddy rags like their own.
Hung. y, tired, weary of the siekening
duty; surrounded, trapped; a coward
sacrifice the other way-there is little
pomp IN II all.
And wonder" he thought, in a
listless way, 81 wonder where she is
tonight? A half-dozen uniforms about
her, mayb be. all spick and span, gener-
ais, coionels, captains-the devil take
the pack that started this hungry
war;
A few hundred yards behind the gully
loomed up an old mansion. AS the men
now lay in silence, save fol the dreary,
pattering prelude of the rain and the
slushtng of mud as one changed his
position slightly, light shone out
across the wet field from 3 window Of
the house. a moment later the distant
sweet toues of a piano were audible.
The lieutenant heard the opening
chords 18th sense of their familiar
isy.
Some one began a song. Theworis
were not distinct; not even the music
was sharply defined at that distance.
But as the song proceeded, coming out
into the night with mystic sweetness
and power; the lieutenant remembered
lis mesmeric harmony. Strong IN It's
glad volume, and thea Infinitely, gra-
clously soft; gliding TO passionate
heights anu sinking again, gently, 10
fsr-away notes, it was song with a
peculiar swaying power.
Granton called 10 mind certain day
before his uniform grew ragged. The
settings of the song then had been
fine old room, a glorious woman, fas-
cinating- voles. IL MAS Lot song that
luis; il thrilled and iifted-hIgh and
higher 1t exalted, until the impossible
seemed easy 10 grasp.
AS the song proceeded the lieutenant
fell the full strength of it quicken
ing impulse; and gradually he put
away from himself the weak and I'M
nerving dependency. Il was not alone
the memory of the music that inspired
him, but the power Of the song Itself.
Instinctively, too, he knew that the
men had been sharers in the benefit of
taelrassloaste harmony. Almost be-
fore the last note died away .on the
night he had the squad afoot, conf
dent that his own spiritual IntoNica-
ton was shared in some measure by
his followers.
Quickly, ste@thily, but with q thrill
of expected triumph, he led the
way through depression of the
ground toward the little strip q
woods, beyond which WAS the outnum
berlug foe. The leader had already