The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-01-22
CHAPTER XiI-ContInued.


knew not what, through the dining
room, and, coming to the veranda,
stopped short, with dilating eyes and
a cry Of grievous shock. Two Of his
men were carrying Dellarme back
from the breastwork, where they had
caught him in their arms as he fell.
They laid him gently on the sward
with knapsack under his head. His
face grew whittier with the flow Of
blood from the red hole in the right
breast Of his blouse. Then ne opened
his lips and whispered to the doctor:
"How is it?" Something in his eyes,
In the tone Of that faint question, re-
quired the grace Of q soldiers truth
In answer.
Bad" said the doctor.
"Then, good-byl" And his head fell
to one side, his lips set in his CHEEKY
smile,
His company was q company with
his smile out of Its heart and In its
place blank despair. Many Of the men
had stopped firing. Some had even
run back to look at him and stood,
caps off, backs to the enemy. miser-
able In their grief. Others leaned
against the parapet, rifles out of hand,
staring and dazed.
"They have killed our captainl"
They've killed our captain!"-
"a captain to them. A generals stars
could not have raised him a cubit in
their estimation.
"And once we called him Baby Del
larme,' he was so young and bashful!
Him a baby? He was a king!"
F'Men, get to your placesl" cried the
surviving lieutenant rather hopelessly,
with no Dellarme to show him what
to do; and Marta saw that few paid
any attention to him.
In that minute of Generalization the
Grays had their chance, but only for a
minute A voice that seemed to speak
some uncomfortable thought Of her
own broke in, and it rang with the au-
thority and leadership of q mature Of
from a gardener in blue blouse and
crOWn1eSS straw hat.
"Your rifles, your rifles, Quick!"
called Teller. Were only beginning
to f1ght!"
And then another voice In a bull
roar, Stransky's:
"Avenge his deathl They've got to
kill the last man of us for killing him!
Revenge! Revenge!"
That cry brought back to the com
pany all the fighting spirit of the
CHEEKY smile and with it another spirit
for Dellarme's sake!-which he had
never taught them.
Stransky picked up one of several
cylindrical objects that were lying at
his feet.
"He wouldn't use this-he was toe
soft-hearted-but / Wilt" he cried, and
flung a hand-grenade, and then a sec
ond, over the breastwork. The explo
sions were followed by agonized
groans from the Grays hugging the
lower side Of the terrace. For this
they had crawled across the road in
the night--to find themselves unable
to move either way and directly under
the flashes of the Browns rifles.
Feller's and Stranskys shouts rose
together in peculiar unity of direc
tion and full Of the fellowship they
had found in their first exchange o.
glances.
You engineers, make readyi"
"Hand-grenades to the men under
the treei That's where they're goins
to try for it-no wall to climb ovel
there!"
"You engineers. take your rifles
and bayonet into anything that wear'
Grayi"
Get back. you men by the tree, t.
svuid their hand-grenades! Form VI
behind them, everybody"
mo matter IF they do get In at first
Back, you men, from under the tree!'
There was not a single rifie-shot. Ii
q silence like that before the word t
Ere In a duel. an orders were hear'