The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-10-25

pflicer from the darkness. whats all
lhis rowS
without answering, Burke dragged
he tall man into the weeds. doubled
lin up, sat on his head and rubbed
lis ears After few seconds of this
orture he asked mildly:
Are you going to bo still2'
The tall soldier nodded, and they
ltumbled back into line Half an
iour's plugging over tho thick roads
brought the two columns into the little
Fiilage--where they found the streets
,luttered with laggard regiments of
/ brigade supposed to be miles farther
10 the south. The congestion on the
road was as nothing to the tangle in
tho village. Men ran hither and thith-
or, calling the names of their regi-
ments and tho letters of their compa-
nies; hurrying aides pushed their fret
ting horses in vain against the packed
masses OF jeerlng infantry; sweating.
hustered officers were openly laughed
Mt by their own men. The moving
columns came to halt, and Burke. q
blade of grass thrust between his lips,
wandered away in search of informa-
lion. confident that no officer had time
10 prevent struggling. Half an hour
later he strolled back to find his COM
panions of the night seated where he
had left them.
what did ye find out?" demanded
the old man.
at makes me SICK" complained
Burke, dropping down on to grass.
i'We'ye got to sit here till everybody
gets out Of everybody else's wayl'
In tho increasing sticky heat. the
fianling column slowly untangled IT.
self and cleared It's front. One after
another the green regiments were
pushed out along the broad pike.
The uniforms were new and clean. but
they were hot, and the blanket-rolls--
each making q thick, oblique stripe
across the greenish brown Of the
khaki--wore painfully on uncalloused
shoulders. Half a mile from the vii
lsge the tall soldier loosed the buckle
and tumbled his roll into the ditch
"What's that for?" demanded Burke.
The tall man did not answer, but
glared fixedly at tho offending burden.
''Now stay there, drat ye!" he
Etormed.
"That's tho last you'll see of 1t,
warned Burke.
Tho tall soldier shook his shoulders
gleefully. "Oh, I'll find 1t when we
come back" no announced confidently
"Maybe you'll be goin' TOO fast to
see It'll" ehuckled Burke. digging his
elbow into tho boys ribs.
The column reached wood road two
miles beyond the village and turned
into it. After tho cold chilling rain
of the night before, the day had turned
uncannily warm. The ground steamed,
the sun blazed, and the unconditional
fnfantrymen sweltered and swore
The bitches which lined the road be-
came Uttered with blankets, haver
I sacks, extra Hhoes--even cartridge
belts. Tho men were not standing
"the gaff."
"Gollyl" painted the tall man, push
ing back his hat and wiping his
streaming face, there ain't goin' to
be no fight. left in mel"
Burke looked at the men about him;
they looked wilted-done up.
"There's lot of you'll" he comfort
ed tho tall man.
"say!" exploded the tall soldier, "is
this a battle?"
| Burke, his keen eyes fixed on a
! gIaring white road that trailed stead
\ lily Off into the distance beyond the
yeIlowing fields, looked around.
"It's goin' to be-" he promised.
officers. whose nerves and mannerp
alike seemed worn to shreds, bullied
the column to its feet and pushed II
toward the cleaning road. The tai
soldier (who had thrown away his hal
and only been made by force to keef
his bayonet) stopped suddenly and
raised his gun.
"Heyl" he shouted In high-ptched
voice, Took at that" and without
waiting he fired
The heat-hammered column acted
| like a hysterical woman. Men shouted
and fired their rifles crazily; officers
beloved; the whole line billowed In
confusion.
"There he goes!" yelled the tall
man.
Burke had time to take a quick,
| snapshot at gray figure which
showed an instant In the bushes, and
| then the fringe Of scrub" on the slope
across tho turnpike was dotted with
| bpurts Of angry red flame, and the air
| was full OF humming noises. The
| Hanking column had stumbled onto
| the first Of the enemy's outpostsl
Keep under covert" Burke shouted
Ut the trembling boy. IT'S going to
| be hotl"
The column acted like herd of cat.
Ito assailed suddenly by an angry
swarm Of bees, but gradually 1t com
fnenced to hit back, wildly, but with
volume. Burke grasped the tall mans
arm as the latter was alamming the
third clip into the smoking receiver
pf his rife.
what in thunder 20 shootin' at?
demanded Burke, but the tall man
erked his arm loose and sent bullet
Efter bullet plunging into the ground
scant twenty feet In front Of him.
The skirmlshers In the immediate
front scampered back as the column
,lumsily deployed. but thore was a
falling fire from the copses on the
,idge across the road, and men fell
hickly.
what shall do7" whimpered The
oy in Burkes ear. 81 don't see moth
4 to shoot!"
lTs 81 ssaIissed1
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