The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1912-03-23
me. There are times when . HIGHER |


should control our actions. an &c
ing there. orders % 10 orders FJeI
can commaad your detachment aaI ar
compish al the service you % aibl.
could. Your rightful place IS ,y-l"es.
these rulEans aud the woman yot
love. How many additional men viii
be required to make the back Of tht
house securo7'
q feel like : rev man, Wayne" ht
said thankfully and | know you are
right. -Four more would lie sufficient
Ie=ides the one IN command
Good. Eiers." ! said, as nay portIy
sergeant again emerged from ont The
darkness. take your four men bach
10 the kitchen aud assume command
The Sleri'las are preparing to make
q rush there, and you must drive them
back by i rapid fire, Hurry along
now
The little group had barely van
ished beyond the glow of the light
when from without our ears were sud
denly assaiied by wild, exulting yell
/ t4lat GcSpCke tue charge.
There they are!" cried Now.
lads. come with mel"
The dull, gray. chilling dawn re
vealed q room in utmost disorder. the
windows shattered. the blinds cut and
splintered, the walls SCARED with bull
lets and disfgured with stains of
blood, the furniture overturned and
broken. A dead soldier In gray uni
form lay in the center Of the floor. bis
life blood a dark stain upon the rich
carpet: man with coat OF. and blue
shirt ripped wide open. was leaning
against the further wall vainly endeav.
oring to staunch q wound In his chest.
Brennan was upon one knee near the
central window. q smoking gun In his
hand. q red welt showing CHASTITY
across his cheek All this | saw In q
single glance. and then. with the leap
OF a panther I was beside him, gazing
out into the morning mist. and firing
as fast as could handle my gun.
Through the shifting smoke clouds
we could see them advancing on a
run-an ugly, motley line. part blue.
part gray, part everything-yell!ng
as they swept forward like a pack of
Infatuated wolves, their fierce faces
scowling savagely behind the rifles.
1t was half war. half riot--the reckless
onslaught Of outcasts bent on plumber,
inspired by lust. yet guided by rude
discipline
knew little of detail; faces were
blurred, undergraduate; ell | seemed
to note clearly was that solid. brutal,
heartless. Dlasphemous line OF desper-
ate men sweeping toward US with re-
lentless fury our puny bullets could
not check. Reckless ferocity was In |
that mad rush; they pressed on more |
IKE demons than human beings. |
saw men fall; saw the living stumble
over the dead. heard cries Of agony. /
shouts. curses, but there was no pause.
could mark their faces now. cruel. |
angry, revengeful; the hands that |
the veranda ratings: the leap
ing bodies: the rifle butts uplitted to
latter down our frail defenses.
AS trapped tigers We fought. hurting
hem back from the windows, slashing,
clubbing. striking with fist and steel.
Two lay dead across the sill before
me, cloven to the very chin. but their
bodies were hurled remorse-
essly aside. while others clambered
mad from lust OF blood.
crazed with liquor. With dubbed
guns we Cleared 1t again and again,
mercilessly at every head
hat fron;ed us. Then great giant
If fellow-dead or alive. know
lot-was hurled head-ioug through the
opening, an inert. limp weight. that
core the two soldiers beside ne to tbs
l0or beneath his tody With wide
weep of my gun l struck him. shat
ering the stock into fragments. ana
wung back to meet the others, tie
lot barrel falling to right and let IKE
fail. They were through and On
ne. Wild rs any sea-royer OF the
orth | fought. crazed With blood, IN
conscious of injury. animated solely
y desire to strike and stay! BECK
lad to go: back-I trod on dead
odies. on wounded shrieaing in pain.
ct no man who came with,a sweep OF
hat iron bar lived. | loved to hear
he thud of 1t, and l frcnted those
l2ring eyes, my blood afre. my arms
Ike steel. Through the red mist be
ED Cation for an instant as twenty
rutal hands upilfted. and then hurled
i'm into the ruck beneath their feet.
Whether l fought alone l knew not,
AIRED not. Then come one pressed !
ext to me, facing as / did. welding a
word like mailman. We had our
acks against the piano. our shout
ers touched: before us that mob