The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-04
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Copyright abya cha Tribune
{ Continued from last weekly


get past the wooden legged man now.
They were wild, beside themselves.
Houston struck the first full in the
face with his revolver. The recruit
went down and lay quiet. Houston
struck the next and staggered him
back. Corporal Ashby-whose bust
ness now it was, if it was any ones,
to hold those men to their positions
got up and faltered toward them. But
was it to join them against Houston
or to help the wooden legged man?
Jim stopped himself from joining the
two now trying to run, but he could
not help Houston.
Too well he knew his duty was to stay
and make them stay. :, drive them to
ito stay there and be slaughtered
How could he do that? Why should
he? What sense was there in that?
He must be crazy. The wooden legged
man must be mad. Every one must
be mad except those men who were
trying to get away. 1t was murder,
plain self slaughter, to stay.
"Houston!' he appealed-"Houston!
"And you, too!' the wooden legged
man bawled back at him. II shoot
you too! Go back to your place there
or you get 1t too! Hang you cow
ards! Go back-go back!' The wood
en- legged man in his fury drove the
others before him. Jim skunk back
with them and stared dizzily again
out toward the East river.
It was Houston now-who told him
that he would shoot right through the
head the first man who left his posi-
tton, who shot down man for run
ming back-it was stark, physical fear
Of Houston that was holding Jim in
his place. Jim knew that; he could
not deny it. He was planning whether
he could shoot Houston before Hous-
ton killed him when he turned. If the
shells were killing every one why
weren't they killing that wooden legged
fiend who made man lie still to be
murdered.
"Oh, God, kill himw Jim prayed.
''Kill him, and let me go!'
"Hold your places and watch the
river! The range will be battle sight
when you first will see anything. Put
down the leaf Of your sight. When
you see them take aim-with the leaf
down-and fire slowly!' Houston was
going from man to man and looking
at the rifles. He had examined Jim's
also.
"Watch the river!'
Jim was watching the river-that is,
he was staring fixedly out of the slit
between his cotton bale and the win
dow. But instead Of seeing out he
seemed to be looking into a close, con-
fined room in which fame was burn
ing. It was blush yellow fame at
the end Of pipe, and he knew that
the flame was himself. Its burning was
his life. AS the shells burst in the
room they blew the flame down and
down so that it almost went out; then
slowly the flame Strengthened and burn
ed yellow till another shell came and
blew 1t almost out again. He follow
ed the fame, gasping. fascinated each
time it blew flat. If it blew out he
knew he was dead. For many min
utes-how many Jim did not know
the hallucination held him; he saw
nothing else. Then the flame and the
pipe and all was gone, and he knew
that he saw boats taking form in the
haze over the river. Besides the shells
bursting about him he heard again the
gun which had fired from behind N
81, and Houston's fingers fixed the
sight Of his rifle and Houston's voice
commanded hin, to fire.
He fired as they were firing from
the other windows and all up and
down the river front-rifles, machine
guns, artillery; they all were going
There boat sank; but, oh, the shells!
The gun behind was not firing any
more.
"Aim ahead of the boats or at the
front Of them. Pick out one boat and
shoot at that; don't shift from boat to
boat! Keep on one and fire slowly,
slowly! Sight your rifles Aim, aim,
aim, men; then fire! Aim at the front
Of the boats!'
That meant the boats were coming
on. The shells! They were smother
ing the guns on this side; they were
killing all the rest of the rifemen on
both sides of N "a. There couldn't
be any question Of it, and the boats
were coming on. Jim and those few
men about him who hadn't been killed
yet were the only ones firing at the
boats. They were fighting all those
men alone.
"Fix bayonets!'
Company f could not do that.
Though the first boats from the smoke
were dashing to the docks before N
81; though the shell fire from across
the river had stopped now that the
regents men were landing; though
they were rushing "a with boat
load after boatload of yelling men,
Company F could not move to meet
them. Company F had held under
fire. Winslow and his sergeants some
how had held his men behind the bales
Of the first floor Of N "a; above, 1t had
been Houston.
Jim Ashby was the only corporal
there; the lieutenant and the sergeants
were killed. Corporal Ashby therefore
was in command But he could not
even fix bayonet to his own rifle. He
could not rise and start to charge
those yelling men below. much less
force others to charge. He could stick
to his post at the window and he could