r on the sky-line, which he took for
those of an officer, and was accurate enough to make the head and
shoulders duck and to get a swarm of bullets in return.

"Children, why will you waste your country's ammunition?" said Stransky,
firing again.

"That's the way to talk!" said grandfather approvingly. "Nothing like a
little gayety and ginger in war."

Now a Brown battery whose fire could be spared from other work dropped a
few shells on the knoll and so occupied the attention of the 128th that
it had no time to attend to occasional bullets from snipers.

"Think we're no account! Shall we charge them now we've got the support
of the guns?" chuckled Stransky.

"You Hussar, you!" Grandfather gave Stransky a slap on the back. "With a
thousand like you we could charge me whole army, if the general would
let us!"

"But he wouldn't let us," replied Stransky. "I could even tell you why."

With the shadows gathering he slipped back to grandfather's side, and
after it was quite dark he said that it was time for the old Hussar to
mount his fiery steed. Grandfather's hands slipped from around
Stransky's neck at the first trial; with the next, Stransky took the
bony fingers in his grip and held them clasped on his chest with one
hand, proceeding as quietly as he could, for he had an idea that the
Grays were already moving down from the knoll under cover of night.

"Yes, sir, I'm glad I came!" said grandfather faintly and meanderingly.
"I wasn't sure about Tom--all this new-fangled education and these
uniforms without any color in 'em. But I saw him firing away steady as a
rock; yes, sir! I was in it, too, under fire! It made my heart
thump-thump like the old days. And we're going to hold 'em--we're going
to teach the land-sharks--I'm very happy--made my heart thump so--kind
of tired me--"

The old man's voice died away into silence. His knees weakened their
grip and his legs swung pendulum-like with Stransky's steps.

"What about me for a sleeping-car!" thought Stransky. "But he's
certainly harder to carry."

Yet it pleased Stransky not to waken his passenger until they reached
the station his ticket called for. Entering the cut, he was halted by
the challenging cry of "Who goes there?" in his own tongue.

"Stransky of the Reds!" he roared back. "Stransky, private of the
53d--Stransky and his bride and grandfather!"

"All right, Bert!" was the answer. "Hurrah for you! I'd know your old
bull voice out of a thousand."