The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-03-25

I'm several weeks now the town had been
! rounded by close ring of armed foes. OF
nights boniires lit and a multitude OF
fiery eyes looked out from the darkness upon the
walls. They glowed omnously these fires as if
warning the inhabitants of the town. And the
thoughts they conjured up were of gloomy kind
From the walls 1t apparent that the moose of
toes was being drawn tighter and tighter. Black
shadows could be moving this way and that
about the fires. The ncighing of welfed horses
could he heard and the chatter of arms and the loud
laughter and merry songs of men confident of vie
iory-and what Is painful to listen to than the
laughter and songs of the foe9
The enemy had filed with corpscs the streams
winch supplied the town with water: they had
burned down the vineyards around the town
tramped down the fields, and down the trees of
the ne'ghborhood. leaving the town exposed on all
sides; and almost every day missiles of iron and
the foe.
Dctachments of half-starved soldiers. tired ont
by SkrmiShcS. passed along the narrow streets OF
tho town; from the windows of the houses came the
groanS of wounded, the raviug of men in delirium
me prayers OF women and the crying of children.
Everybody spoke quietly. in Subduod tones inter.
r"Pt!ng on" anoth"r> speech IN the middle of
word To listen inenty to detect whether the foe was
not commencing 10 storm the town.
Lie became especially uuheaIable I'm the evening
when the groau> and cries became louder and more
noticeable in the stiffness when buc-biack shadows
crcpt from the farotf mountain gorgr> hiding the
enemy camp and moving toward the hal t-shattcrcd
Bf IIp
talnS. the moon appeared Dix, d lost shield battered
by the blows of heavy swords
Expecting no assistance from without. spent with
toll and hunger, and losing hope more and more
every day. the people looked fcarfuly AT the moon
at the sharp crcSt~ and thr black gorgcS of the noun
talnS, at the noisy camp of the enemy-cyerythIr,
spoke to them Of death and no single star twiuk.ed
solace 10 them.
They afraid 10 light lamp, i'm tho houses.
thick log envcloped the streets and I'm Thu, fog like
hsh at the bottom of river, woman fitted silent
IN and fro Il tp.r, loo. Il
mantle
People. noticing her, asked one another:
is it she ~
''Ycsi"
And they drew back into the recessc, Of the door
ways or, lowering their head, ran past her silently
The men in charge Of the patrols warned her
stcTly:
You are in the street again Norma Mariannal
Have care They may kill you and no will
trouble 10 search for the rulprit'
She stood erect and waited. but the patrol passad
her By. either lc,-dtiug or not wishing to harm
her. Armed men walked round her o~ IT she had
been a corpse. Yet ~h" fingered on iu the dark.
ness, moving slowly from street 10 street. solitary
silent and black seeming the Drr-ouifica' lon of tl.
towns miSfortuurs. And around her moIruflIv
pursuing her ~urgoi depressing sounds, groauS
>obs, prayers and tHe grim talk of soldiers who had
lost all hope Of victory.
She was a citizen and a mother. and her Thought,
were OF her son and 81 the town OF h'r birth. And
her son, a handsome but gay and hrartIc~, youth.
was at the head Of OBJ" mon who We're destroying
the town not long ago ~h. had looked az him with
PRIDE o. upon h' precious gift tu 'ho itfhCrlaud as
upon heue.cout force created hv her for fh. wei
fare Of the town her birthplace and th. place also
where she had born" and brought mp hcr SON. Hun
drcds Of iudi,,oluhlc t., bound her heart 20 the
ancient stones. out of which her ancestors Dad built
the houses aud tho city wI.- io tho sol. boo which 1v
the bones of her kindred 90 fl. legends -oue ard
the town. For long time they watched h.r from
hope, Of Lor uatit. p,op. And fbi. heart now had
lost him whom If Dad loved most and o. v.a- r.uf
10 twain: 10 was It. balance BOO which her love for
her son was 'n'Hl weighed against har love for The