The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-01-21
AGift on the
Field Of
Battle
Story Balkan War
By F. A. Mitchell


One Of those bloody battles between
The allied Balkan forces and the Turks
near Adrianople, had been fought, and
the latter had been defeated. but moi
without terrible cost to their enemies
From the field arose the mingled cries
Of Turks and Balkans, the former ap
pealing to Allah to send them sucGOr
the latter to the Christians God.
Two wounded Montenegro soldiers
lay side by side. One of them. whose
leg had been shattered by a rife ball
sat up and. pulling little flask from
his pocket, was about to take the
single drink it contained when he saw
the other, who seemed to be wounded
unto death. looking at it longingly. A
struggle arose within the man who
possessed It. He would soon likely
be carried Off the field to recover from
his wound, while the other gave evi
dence of being in dying condition.
Both men craved the single dram
that remained In the flask. To eithel
1t was more than untold wealth. But
the possessor of the treasure could moi
withstand the look on the face of the
other. Slowly, reluctantly, longingly
he reached out his hand and held II
to his companion's lips, who drank II
down greedily.
The latter closed his eyes for q few
moments, then, seeming to gather
strength, there came q regret that be
should have been so weak as to accept
a gift of what fellow soldier needed
for himself.
Pardon" he said family. 1.-THE
temptation was too strong for me;
couldn't resist It,"
You needed it far more than l.
will recover without it. 1t may be
the means of saving your life"
Il would that might live to reward
you for your sacrifice, but cannot;
am dying"
Cheer up. Exercise your will power
Remember that there are those at home
who love you and are looking for your
return. This will pull you through"
"There is but one such person In the
world-my wife-and she would prefer
that l should never return"
do you mean itT
II do. She loved another Fate de
prived her of him and gave her to me
Our parents arranged a marriage be
tween US. My heart was In it, but moi
hers. have hated this man, though
have never seen him. l only know
that he exists. But now, since / am
about to die, all that has gone from
me. lam even willing that my wife
should be happy with him"
AS he spoke the last words he passed
into inconsistencies, while the atten
ton Of the other, hearing sounds Of an
approaching rescue party, was turned
In another direction.
Darkness fell upon the battlefield, but
only caused the cries of those lying
there to sound more melancholy, as the
whippoorwill sings saddest when the
twilight has passed.
Lights appeared here and there, NOV
ing about from place to place as rescue
parties relieved the wounded or carried
them away to the hospitals. The man
with the broken leg. supporting him
self by an arm, looked eagerly at the
lights, praying that some Of them
might come his way. A party drew
near him and he called to them. but
either there were too many such calls
for them to heed his or he had not the
strength to make them hear. At any
rate they passed on, leaving him bleed
ing in the cold He sank in stupor
doubtless from loss of blood, from
which he was aroused by a bright light
which dazzled his eyes. Behind 1t was
the dark figure of a soldier.
'sThis one is alive" said the man
Bring a stretcher."
There was just enough animation In
the sufferer to remember the compan
ion to whom he had given his last
drink Of liquor, and he wondered If he
still lived and would be carried of the
field or would later be shoveled with
the other dead into trench. But with
bodily weakness both our finer and
coarser feelings are benumbed, and be
did not even ask the question. He was
carried to a hospital-or. rather, de
pot for the wounded-where surgeons
were at work amid hundreds of poor
wretches who were awaiting theiI
turn to be examined. Finally a sur
geon approached him. looked at his Les
and at once began to amputate it.
Louis Nader when he left the hospi
tai did so with the help of a pair Of
clutches. He had made his contribu
ton to the grim god of war in a les
and was reserved to die a natura
death, for his fighting days were over
He sought his home In a little noun
tain village of Montenegro, where. with
other of wars wrecks, he was received
thankfully that he had returned at al
by those who were near and dear t.
him. He would sit by the fireplace
telling his friends of the battles IN
which he had fought and the privations
he had endured.
One day young widow who ha(
lost her husband in the war came from
q neighboring village to see Nader
AS she entered the room his eye light
ed, and he exclaimed:
'Maryap
"Louisr'
She approached the MANNED man
who started to rise from his chair, bui
she hurried to him and gently prevent
ed him from getting up. Sinking OF
her knees beside him, she suffered him
to draw her closer to him.
"Alas," he said, you are now free
but IL am a worthless cripple. You
win doubtless marry again, for you are
young and comedy, and again l shall
suffer the pain Of seeing you pass to
the possession of another"
81 will never infiict that upon you
again."
"And 1 VIII not permit you to sacri.
fee lifetime of comfort with husband
and children for me. To be near you
and not possess you would be wretch.
ed existence for me. No. As soon as
my wound permits 1 shall go away,
perhaps to America, where they tell
me that even such as may earn
enough to prevent his being burden
on any one"
Louis, my life henceforth is yours
shall take care Of you and If neces-
sary work for you. But that will not
be necessary. My husband has left
me a competency, enough to live the
simple life to which we have been ac-
customed from our childhood / have
done my duty toward him so long as
he lived, and now that he is dead what
was his is mine, and am sure be