The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-06-04

q burden 70 me for years-in feet, svse
since that which l nrst told you Of.
For your mother. when I dared think
Of her (could think Of her, I should
say. I never knew anything but love.
! was not % grief stricken when l
heard Of her death al thought I
should have been. I have loved her
better and been more at peace since
then.
Your father never let me know Of
her death; l heard Of it from a casual
friend. So instead of a possible recon
eiliation between your father and me
a thing which / would have almost
welcomed then over her grave, I think
I hated him more. They say love can
only turn to hatred. never to friend
ship, and 20 that chance passed.
1t 1s midnight now.
Well, the next thing I must ten You
70 that the man In my regiment whom
I killed was-as they said at the court
martial %today-an enemy Of mine.
His name was Williams, and he was
until recently employed in our nrm In
q comparatively subordinate position.
he was a troublesome. self opinionat-
ed man, Of no great value to the bust
ness. and not long ago he was gotten
rid of, largely at my instigation and
thoroughly as he deserved.
However, he belonged to the militia,
and when the war broke out he was
given q commission in this regiment
I volunteered for service, and I. too.
was put into this regiment 90 private,
and thus It came about that he 90 soon
found himself in a position to take his
revenge upon me, and we'll did he do
It, the backyard. That's immaterial
now, but it II necessary that you
should understand that the whole regi.
ment knew these facts. and knew, too.
that although I had supported his bull
lying for a long time without aamur-
'mur It was not unlikely that I should
try to get even with him II he'd. an
opportunity.
Our regiment was almost in the
center Of the first line the day before
yesterday at the storming Of the big
redoubt, and we had had the brunt of
the fighting all day. The enemy had
thrown up some very strong earth
works in front Of the main defenses,
and our artillery, aided by the in
fantry, had had a lot Of work to do
in demolishing them and driving the
enemy from them.
We had stormed the earthworks
twice already and had lost at least a
third of our officers and men. I had
two minor wounds only.
The captain Of my company. Frank
lin, was killed in the second assault.
and Williams took his place in com
mand.
Then the big assault was ordered on
q. weak point in their main defenses
where our heavy artillery had made q
breach, and we were hurled at It, regi-
ment upon regiment
There was a surge and q roar Of
fighting. One was conscious OF nothing
but explosions and shouts and screams.
blood everywhere and men struggling
and men fallen. At last I was on the
slope at the foot Of the breach, stun
Bling over bodies and fighting my way
blindly. half choked by smoke and
dust.
And then suddenly I saw your IA
ther.
I cannot explain what happened
within me at that moment was half
mad and dazed from a wound in the
head and perhaps half a child again.
l cannot explain. but I saw him as
though he were the only man before
me. Despite all the years since l had
last seen him and the state he was in,
with blood and CRIME on his face and
In his grizzled hair, l saw him as
though we were at home together in
the old days.
1t was as though a vision flashed on
me and made me unconscious Of the
CHASTITY holocaust around us. Perhaps
your mother was lei
But 1t was only to be an instant. He
saw me also. and whether the same
feelings were in him l do not know.
but he stood as II turned to stone with
his gaze full on me.
The next instant some M In front
Of me and to my right, I could not see
who It was, dashed forward and buried
q sword half its length in his chest
I can see Georges face now. His
Jaw dropped. but his eyes remained
fixed on me till he fell.
Then I went quite. mad. 1 think. 1