Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-09-15
THE LAST SHOT
By FREDERICK PALMER
TContinuedl
Copyright. 1914. by Charles scribner's Sons.

Come on. 49,. is not made
that can get me! Come on!" cried the
giant Eugene Aronson.
Nearly all felt the exhilaration of
movement In company. Then came
the sound that generations had drilled
for without hearing; the sound that
summons the Imagination of man in
the thought of how he will feel and
act when he hears it; the sound that
is everywhere like the song snatches
of bees driven whizzing through the
air.
That's I'll Wore under fire! We're
under fire!" flashed a crooked light
ming recognition OF the sound through
every brain.
There was no sign Of the enemy;
no telling where the bullets came
from.
Whish-whish Th-ipp-whing! The
refrain gripped Peterkin's imagination
with an unseen hand. He seemed to
be sufrocating. He wanted to throw
himself down and hold his hands in
front of his head. While Pilzer and
Aronson we're not thinking, only run
ming, Peterkin was thinking with the
rapidity OF a man falling from a high
building. He was certain only that
he was bound to strike ground.
"An inch is as good as a mile!" He
recollected the captains teaching
only one of thousand bullets lre6
in war ever kills mcn'-but he was
certain that he had heard a million
already. He looked around to find
that he was still keeping up with Eu-
gene and felt the thrill Of the bravery
of fellowship at sight of the giants
flushed, confident face reveling in the
spirit OF a charge. And then, just
then, Eugene convulsively threw up
his arms, dropped his rifle, and
whirled on his heel. AS he went down
his hand clutched at his left breast
and came away red and dripping.
After one wild backward glance, Pc
terkin plunged ahead.
"Eugene!" Hugo Mallin had stopped
and bent over Eugene in the supreme
instinct of that terrible second. sup
porting his comrades head.
"The bullet is not-made-" Eugene
whispered. the ruling passion strong
to the last A flicker of the eyelids, a
gurgle in the throat. and he was dead.
Here, you are not going to get out
this way!" Fracasse shouted, in the
irritation of haste, slapping Hugo with
his sword. 60 on! That's hospital.
corps work"
Hugo had glimpse of the captains
rigid features and a last one of Eu.
genes, white and still and yet as II
he were about to speak his favorite
boast; then he hurried on. his side
glance showing other proserate forms.
One form few yards away half rose
to call Hospital" and fell back,
struck mortally by a second bullet.
That's what you get IL you forget
instructions" said Fracasse with no
sense of brutality. only professional
evaporation. Keep down, you wound
ed men!" he shouted at the top of his
voice.
AhO NOlOuGl vi lu6 lEOln Udu nOI
looked for immediate resistance. He
had told Fracasse's men to occupy the
knoll expeditiously. But by the COM
mon impulse OF military training, no
less than in answer to the whistles
call, in face of the whitening fire they
dropped to earth at the base of a
knoll. where Hugo threw himself
down at full length in his place In line
next to Peterkin.
Fire pointblsnk at the crest in
front OF you! saw a couple of men
standing up there!" called Fracasse.
Fire fast! That's the way to keep
down their fre-pointblank, tell you!
You're firing. into the sky! I want to
see more dust kicked up. Fire fast!
Weu have them out OF there soon!
They're only an outpost"
Hugo was firing vaguely, like a man
in dream. Pilzer was shooting to
kill. His eye had. the steely CLEAN
of his rifle sight and the liver patch
on his cheek was a deeper hue as he
sought to avenge Eugenes death.
Drowned by the racket of their own
fire, not even Peterkin was hearing
the whish-whish of the bullets from
Dellarme's company now. He did not
know that the blacksmith's son, who