The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-05-30
A Tiaeieeh Anniversary WAR Story
By RANDALL PARRISH
COPYRIGHT. 1909. BY A. c. MeoLURc & co.

OF low tangled OuSneos OF OIIt1n8
smoke clouds. of a solid gray mass
breakin: through. Of sunlight SHIN.
mering along front Of leveled steel;
then ] terlsed the lanyard and mingled
smoke and flame burst forth.
All that followed was pandemonium.
rush. roar. leaping. shapeIess figures.
! could perceive nothing clearly: ail 1
remember was that we were firing
canister. the DETECTED guns ieaping
madly back with the recoil. growing
hot to the hand.
,rod On bodies as toiled. ] heard
through the sitting volume Of smoke.
the internal uur'ar. a hOarse shouting
OF unipcogni2HUlr orders. the wild
scream OF II wounded uulSe. q single
mad oath. an agonzpd voice yelling
from behind. Where the devil Is the
Infantry" Yet all that / actually rea-
hzed then were those distorted black
shapes springing back and forth from
that gun muzzle. and the lanyard
Grasped in my hand. That alone was
my work. my duty. and ! must stand
to It until | died. Two years Of iron
discipline had made me into q ma
chine.
Something burned my shoulder like
a sudden squirt Of flame: feIt sick
from the shock and cIung desperately
to the breech TO keep from falling.
! saw faces here aud there amid the
brown whirls of smoke. strange. un-
known repuisive faces. rendered hide
GUS from the strain OF couuict. My
gun topped over, one wheel smashed
into sp!inters ! saw Wyatt turn and
run tor the rear. and Parkhurst dung
backward us though shot from q cata.
pult. jerked the rammer out Of his
dead. clutching hands. aud began strik-
ing Gercely at the crush OF gray figures
ieaping toward me. Then everything
went blank. and l pitched over under
the wreck.
1t was dark when l slowly reopened
my eyes and endeavored to LOOK about,
dark and still. except for faint CLEAN
OF distant stars. and the awful CUR.
Cling OF some desperately wounded
man lying not far away. My head
throbbed feverishly from pain. and
my right side ached horribly as frst
attempted to move my body. Above
me was the black b-eech of the gun.
and my extended hand touched the
single wheel uphoding II. the spokes
ragged from spiinters. 1t hurt me SO
desperately to turn over that ! remain
ed motionless for long time. staring
straight up at the sky. listening intent.
~ for each sound. and endeavorins to
think. In measure the situation soon
became sufficiently clear-that fierce
charge OF the enemy had reached US
unchecked. and we had lost the guns.
Had we also lost the battle7
How deadly still the night was. not
shot echoins anywhere. not foot.
step. not voice: only that awful
Eurclinc breathing yonder to the left!
Ono of my feet pressed against a body.
and moved 1t carefully. although
even this slight action resulted in a
sharp twinse of pain. could per.
ceive another form huddled in q
shapeless heap against the wheel. and
as my hand reached out cropping to-
ward the right It touched an ice cold
face. ! was afraid to ascertain the
truth. Had been badly injured!
Was I crippled for life?
At length. my teeth clinched In fnal
! determination to know the worst. ]
cndeavored to feel along my side
where the twinges Of pain seemed
most severe. but only to discover my
rough wooden shirt stir from con.
Eealed blood. My Iins were dry and
cracked. my tongue parched and swol'
lea. Suddenly in the stiffness dis.
tinguiShed the sound Of some one ap-
preaching and sank down again. mo.
tionless. listening.
They came sinking toward me from
out the night much US jackals might,
creeping along from body to body
mumbling to each other as they crop
ed around in the darkness. occasion
ally lifting their heads to listen. like
hunted wild beasts. recognized them
| a. the scourge Of the battlefield j. hu