Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-02

lay lovely and serene under the tran
quill blessing of the New England
spring, whose memory draws its sons.
soon or late. from all the world $
places to go home.
1t was such a morning. promising to
become hot" as had lain on Massachu-
setts in the dawn of April 10. 17l5.
when men were gathering at Concord
and Lexington.
The country was as still as it must
have been in that far-off day. The
mill towns were still and smokeless.
The machineries were still There
was no cry of plowmen in the fields.
1t was a supine New England, hush
ed. apprehensive and conquered. So
At least it seemed to the invaders,
whose patrols, spreading fanwise, were
beginning to pierce the country IN all
directions. pushing forward far in ad-
vance of their armies and finding no
opposition.
through New England the church
and town clocks struck 8. The land
was peaceful as death. The hour passed
The lazy clocks began to strike g.
In a village north of New Bedford
stood little crowd of farmers. gath
cred around the general store and MS
tening to the sheriff. He was warning
them that they must not attempt to
resist the invading troops when they
came.
7 know that you-and YOU, said he.
pointing to men as he spoke, brought
arms with you. You'd better give them
up to me-"
And you ar American growled one
of the men, The sheriff did not retort
He was scarcely passed middle age, but
there was a great, slow patience In his
face that made him look old.
He shook his head and said: It's only
for your own sake.
Look" cried a farmer. Who is
coming here"
The man who was coming was man
on a motor cycle. Man and machine
we're so coated with dust, were speed
ing so desperately, that even without
war IN the land one would stare at this
fl inc thing, one would wait with eyes
an. ps open to learn ahat startling
es-ase il as carrying.
Man, roaring motor and their brother
PIMA OF Gust crashed by. They had
DISAPPEARED before the greatness
watchers realized that the man had
waved an arm at them ana hao
screamed: Soldiers"
A farmer ran to his wagon and pulled
a rifle from its hiding place under the
wagon seat Come on, boys" he said
Listen, LISTEN The sheriff Shout
dered forward Men! Neighbors! Old
1rlenQSi FOf CIOQ Sdhe liStcA. AOA
have no right to fight.
What" The sheriff's young brother,
sturdy, handsome. suddenly feroclous'
brought his face close to him. No
right to defend our country? Are You
The patient man shook his head
again. 1T is against the rules OF
VAR.
ed the younger. Are you a coward? -
The sheriff reached out and touched
the brothers arm. 1t was secret, al
most a timid, act The brother threw
IF the appealing hand;
Don't touch me" He spoke through
set teeth. III you are a coward and
traitor may you be damned through all
eternity, Again. for the last time Will
YOU fght?''
The sheriff raised his hands. dumbly.
The men went to their wagons and re-
'urned with arms
To that stone wall yonder" said
one
n. pointed into a field with a rough
stone wall dividing its center three or
four hundred Yards from the road TINS
man was an old hunter. and the others
had followed him often He took COM
mand now as a matter of course
The sheriff watched them founder
through the plowed field. He stood
still for a minute. Then he hurried to
his house, emerged with a gun ana
Joined the party
aIrymen cantered over ridge and ek-
amined the country through their neld
glasses. They studied the ground loot
by foot, almost inch by inch satls-
ned they trotted toward the village
*
Around a turn they came on little
knot of women and children. who sour
RED. screaming. into the ditch A rider
headed off a woman who was carrying
a child He stopped to her from his
tall black horse. Laughing, he nodded
AID said something to her in foreign
language.
STOPPING still lower. he snatched the
child suddenly and swung it out of
the trembling woman's arm. He llfted
II. and danced it up and down
He fumbled in his saddle-bag ana
brought out some chocolate. which ne
fed to the baby Then he handed 1t
back to the mother. roaring again with
laughter at her frightened face. The
other riders. laughing also, waved their
hands at the group and cantered on.
They entered the village. swiftly ex-
aruined it, riding through gardens and
into alleys. assuring Themselves that
there was nothing there to mask dan :
ger for the troops that were behind
end and into the road leading past
TIE plowed field with the stone wall.
II was still and very lonely. There
was not a living being in sight
throughout all the softly tinted land
On a tree branch that hung over the
stone wall. a bluebird began to sing
with all the power of it's little throat.
II brought hot choking to the
throat of farmer who was lying be-
hind the stone wall, just under the
bird. It's song had welled out just
as he was raising his rife. But his
gray Yankee eye sought the sights,
his sineuy brown hand gripped the
weapon. and he fred.
He fred, and pumped another cart
ridge into the breech and fired again.
so quickly that his second shot had
roared out before a cayalryman. who
had pitched forward with the first bull
let through his side, had quite toppled
from his saddle.
All along the stone wall they fred,
and pumped their magazines. and nred.
They were men who had hunted deer
In early autumn cover and learned to
send bullets driving after them at hot
and the big men, broad in the open
road, were easy targets. But they were
rot deer They were men. More than
one of the rife bullets went wild. be-
cause the marksman's horror shook
his hand.
In the road lay two men. flashing in
the dust. Down the road went a
bleeding horse that screamed. 1t
dragged its rider. smashing his face
against the ground. In the field was
soldier. trying to balance himself
on his saddle, with one hand gripping
e, his breast, while the other reached
,ut srotesauely. if cropping for
something to which he might hold.