The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-11-19
-"&:
The serseant's shot.


In western Virginia. He lay at full
length on his stomach, his feet resting
upon his toes, his head upon his left
forearm. His extended right hand
loosely grasped his rife. But for the
somewhat methodical disposition OF his
limbs and a slight rhythmic movement
of the cartridge box at the back OF bis
belt, he might have been thought to be
dead. He was asleep at his post az
duty. But, If detected, he would he
dead shortly afterward, that being the
penalty of his crime.
The clump of laurel in which The
criminal lay was in the angle of a road
Which, after ascending southwark q
steep activity to that point, turned
sharply to the west, running along the
summit for perhaps 100 yards. There
1t turned southwark again and went
zigzagging downward through the for
est. at the salient Of tnat second an
gle was large fat rock jutting from
the river to the northward, overlooking
the deep valley from which the road
assembled. The rock capped a high cliff.
a stone dropped from its outer edge
would have fallen sheer downward
LOCO feet to the tops of the pines. The
angle where the soldier lay was on an
other spur OF the same cliff. Had he
been awake he would have commanded
a view not only Of the short arm OF the
road and the jutting rock, but of the
entire profile Of the cliff below It,
No country Is so wild and difficult
but men will make it theater of war;
concealed I'm the forest at the bottom
of that military rat-trap, in which half
a hundred men in possession of the ex-
It's might have starved an army to sub
mission. lay five regiments of Federal
infantry. They had marched all the
previous day and night and were rest
ing At nightfall they would take TO
the road again, climb to the place
where their unfaithful sentinel now
slept, and, descending the other slope
OF the ridge, fall upon a camp of the
enemy at about midnight. Their hope
the rear Of 1t. In case of failure their
position would be perilous in the ex-
IRENE.
The sleeping sentinel in the burnh of
laurel was young Virginian named
Carter Druse. He was the son OF
wealthy parents, an only child, and
had known such ease and cultivation
and high living as wealth and taste
were able to command in the mountain
country of western Virginia. His home
was but a few miles from where he
now lay. One morning he had risen
from the breakfast table and said
quietly Father, Union regiment
has arrived at Grafton. 1 am going
to join It,"
The father lifted his leonine head.
looked up at the son moment in ST.
lence, and replied: go. Carter. and
whatever may occur, do what you cen
ceiye to be your duty Virginia, to
which you are a traitor, must get on
without you. Should we both live TO
the end Of the war, We will speak fur
ther of the matter Your mother, as
the physician has informed you, is I'm
n most critical condition; at the best
she cannot be with us much longer
than a few weeks, but that time IS
precious. 1t would be better not TO
disturb her."
So Carter Druse, bowling reverently
to his father, who returned the salute
with a stately courtesy which masked
breaking heart, left the home OF his
childhood TO 90 soldering. BY con-
science and courage, by deeds of devo-
ton and daring, he soon commended
himself to his fellows and his officers
and 1t was TO these qualities and TO
some knowledge of the country that he
owed his selection for his present per-
ilous duty at the extreme OUTPOST. Ney-
ertheless, fatigue had been stronger
than resolution, and he had fallen
asleep. What good or bad angel came
In dream TO rouse him from his state
Of crime who shall say? Without a
movement, without sound i'm the pro-
found silence and the languor Of the
late afternoon, some invisible messen-
ger Of fate touched with unsealing fin
ger the eyes of his consciousness
whispered into the ear of his spirit the
mysterious awakening word which no
human lips have ever spoken, no hui
man memory has ever recalled. He
quietly raised his forehead from his
arm and looked between the masking
stems of the laurels, instinctiyely clos
ing his right hand about the stock of
his rife
His first feeling was a keen, artistic
delight. On a colossal pedestal, the
cliff, motionless at the extreme edge of
the Gaping rock and sharply outlined
against the sky was an equestrian
statue OF impressive dignity. The fig
ure Of the man sat the figure of the
horse, straight and soldierly. but with
the repose of the Grecian god carved
In the marble which limits the sugges-
ton of activity. The gray costume har-
ponlzed with its aerial background
the metal Of accoutrement and capari-
son was softened and subdued by the
shadow; the animals skin had no
points of high light. A carbine. strik-
ingly foreshortened, lay across the
pommel of the saddle, kept In place
by the right hand grasping 1t at the
'grip," the left hand holding the bride
rein, was invisible. In silhouette
against the sky, the profile of the horse
was cut with the sharpness of a cam
60; 1t looked across the heights CT air
to the confronting cliffs beyond The
face of the rider, turned slightly to
the left, showed only an outline temple
and beard; he was looking downward
to the bottom of the valley. Magnified
by its lift against the sky and by the
soldiers testlfying sense Of the formid-
ableness of near enemy, the group
appeared of heroic. almost colossal
size
For An Instant Druse had strange,
half-defined feeling that he had slept
to fha nnd of tho war and was loolsino