rom his perch and wandered among the other guns,
talking to the men who were lying on the sod, or interested in the
battery horses behind the shelter of trees quietly munching the thin
grasses. He returned to Cushing's guns, and being in the mental attitude
of intense attention to things he would not usually have noticed, he was
struck with the young captain's manly build, and then with his delicacy
of feature, something girl-like and gentle in his ways.

Penhallow remarked that the guns so hot already from the sun would be too
easily overheated when they were put to use. "Ah," returned Cushing, "but
will they be asked to talk today?" The innocent looking smile and the
quick flash of wide-opened eyes told of his wish to send messages across
the vale.

"Yes, I think so," said the colonel; "I think so,"--and again observant
he saw the slight figure straighten and a quite other look of tender
sadness come upon his face.

"How quiet they are--how very quiet!" Then he laughed merrily. "See that
dog on the Emmitsburg road. He doesn't know which side he's on."

Penhallow looked at his watch. "It is one o'clock." Then his glass was
up. "Ah!" he exclaimed, as he closed it, "now we shall catch it. I
thought as much."

A mile away, far on Lee's right, on the low ridge in front of his
position, a flash of light was seen. As the round ring of smoke shot
out from the cannon, the colonel remembered the little Leila's delight
when he blew smoke rings as they sat on the porch. Instantly a second
gun spoke. The two shells flew over our line and lit far to the rear,
while at once along Lee's position a hundred and fifty guns rang out and
were instantly answered by our own artillery from Round Top to Cemetery
Hill. General Hunt beside him replying to the quick questions he put,
said, "We could not place over seventy-five guns--not room enough."

"Is that all? They are distributing their favours along our whole front."

At once a vast shroud of smoke rose and hid both lines, while out of it
flew countless shell and roundshot. At first most of the Confederate
missiles flew high and fell far behind our Crest. The two officers were
coolly critical as they stood between the batteries.

"He must think our men are back of the guns like his own. The wall and
bushes hide them."

"The fuses are too long," said Hunt quietly. "That's better and worse,"
he added, as a shell exploded near by and one of Woodruff's guns went out
of action and th