The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1915-02-04
CHAPTER xII-continusd.


knew not what. through the dining
room. and, coming to the veranda.
stopped short, with dilating eyes and
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 knapeack under his head. His
face grew whiter with the flow of
blood from the red hole in the right
breast Of his blouse. Then he 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 a soldiers truth
in answer.
"Bad!' said the doctor.
Then, good-by!" And his head fell
to one side, his lips set in his CHEEKY
smile.
His company was 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 captain!"
They've killed our captain!"-still
captain to them. A generals stars
could not have raised him cubit in
their estimation.
"And once we called him Baby Del
larme,' he was so young and bashfu!!
Him baby? He was king."
Men. get to your places!" 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 mature Of
ficer's command, even though coming
from gardener in blue blouse and
crownless straw hat.
Your rifles, your rifles, auick!''
called Feller. We're only beginning
to fight!'
And then another voice in bull
roar, Stransky's:
"Avenge his death! They've got to
kill the last man of US for killing him /,
Revenge! Revenge!"
That cry bronrbt b,.,.
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 severa,
cylindrical objects that were lying a,
his feet.
He wouldn't use this-he was tor
soft-hearted-but Wilt" he cried, ant
hung hand-grenade. and then a sec
ond. over the breastwork. The explo
sions we're followed by agonizet
groans from the Grays hugging tn.
lower side of the terrace. For th;.
they had crawled across the road ir
the nisht-to find themselves unable
to move either way and directly unde,
the flashes of the Browns rifles.
telier's and Stransky's shouts ros,
together in peculiar unity of direc
tion and full of the fellowship the,
had found in their first exchange a
glances.
You engineers. make ready"
"Hand-grepades to the men unde
the tree! That's where they're goin,
to try for it-no wall to climb owe
there!'
"You engineers, take your rifles
and bayonet into anything that wear
gray"
Get back. you men by the tree, t
avoid their hand-grenades! Form u
behind them, everybody"
mo matter II they do get In at first
Back, you men, from under the tree!
There was not single rifle-shot.
q silence like that before the word t
are in duel. all orders were hear