Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1920-12-09

! to fear upon his right, and so he be
! gan to use us in another way. The
French had pushed their skirmishnrs
past the farm, and they lay among
the young corn In front Of US, popping
Mt the gunners, SO that three pieces
out of six on our left were lying with
their men strewed in the mud all
round them. But the Duke had his
eyes everywhere. and up he galloped
at that moment, thin. dark, wiry
man, with very bright eyes, a hooked
nose, and big cockade on his cap.
There were dozen officers at his
heels, all as merry as If it were fox
hunt; but of the dozen there was not
one left I'm the evening.
"Warm work, Adams" said he as
he rode up.
every warm, your grace" said our
general.
"But we can outstay them at It, /
think! Tut tut! we cannot let slsir-
! mishers silence battery. Just drive
those fellows out of that, Adams"
Then first I knew what devils
thrill runs through a man when he Is
given bit Of fighting to do. Up to
now we had just lain and been killed,
which is the weariest kind of work.
Now It was our turn, and my word,
we were ready for 1t. Up we jumped,
the whole brigade, In four-deep line,
and rushed at the cornfield as hard as
we could tear. The skirmlshers snap.
ped at us as we came, and then away
they bolted like corn-crakes. their
heads down, their backs rounded, and
their muskets at the trail. Half Of
them got away, but we caught up the
others, the officer first, for he was
very fat man who could not run fast.
II gave me quite a turn when / saw
Rob Stewart on my right stick his
bayonet into the mans broad back and
heard him howl like a lost soul. There
was no quarter in that field. and II
was butt or point for all OF them. The
mems blood was afiame, and little won
der. for those wasps had been sting
ing all morning without our being able
so much as see them.
And now, as we broke through the
farther edge Of the cornfield we got
in front Of the smoke. and there was
the whole French army In position be-
fore us, with only two meadows and
"A narrow lane between us. We set up
a yell as we saw them. and away we
should have gone. slap at them. II we
had been left to ourselves, for silly
young soldiers never think that harm
can come to them until II is there In
their midst. But the Duke had cam
tered his horse beside us MS we aa-
vanced, and now he roared something
to the general. and the officers all
rode In front of our line, holding out
thaE agaps TOW pa stop. There was
a blowing of CasSes, "a pushing and q ]
showing, with the sergeants cursing
and digging us with their halberts.
and in less time than 1t tskes me to
write 1t there was the brigade In
three neat little squares all bristling
with bayonets and in echelon, as they
call It, so that each could fire across
the face of the other.
1t was the saving Of us, as even so
young soldier as was could very
easily see. And we had none too
much time. either. There was low.
rolling hin on our right flank, and
from behind this there came sound
like nothing on this earth so much
as the beat of the waves on Berwick
coast when the wind blows from the
east. The earth was all shaking with
that dull. roaring sound, and the air
was full of 1t. STEADY. Seventy-1rst,
for Gods sake. steady" shrieked the
voice of our colonel behind us, but in
front was nothing but the green, gem
tie slope of the grassland, all mottled
with daisies and dandelion.
And then suddenly, over the curve.
we saw eight hundred brass helmets
rise up, all In moment, each with a
long tag of horsehair flying from Its
crest, and then eight hundred fierce
brown faces, all pushed forward, and
glaring out from between the ears of
as many horses. There was an instant
OF cleaning breast-plates. waving
swords, tossing names. fierce red nos
trils opening and shutting. and hoofs
paving the air before us, and then
down came the line Of muskets, and
our bullets smacked up against their
armor like the clatter Of hailstorm
upon window. / fred with the rest,
and then rammed down another charge
RS fast as could, staring out through
the smoke In front Of me, where |
could see some long, thin thing, which
tapped slowly backward and for
ward. A bugle sounded for us to
cease firing, and Whit Of wind came
to clear the curtain from In front OF
US, and then we could see what had
hannopnA