ith excitement, came bounding out
from the grove at the left of the crouching line and made straight to
where the veteran battalion commander knelt in rear of his center. It was
Billy Gray, adjutant of the third battalion, acting that day as adjutant
to the regimental commander. The bullets whistled by his head as he
darted springingly along; and in their joy at sight of him even old hands
forgot the reserve of the regular service and some man shouted: "Now
we're off!" and the popular query: "What's the matter with Lieutenant
Gray?"

At any other time, under any other circumstances both questioner and
respondents who gleefully shouted "He's all right," would have been
promptly and sternly suppressed. But the senior captain at their head
well knew the excitement tingling in the nerves of that long-suffering
line, and only smiled and nodded sympathy. He saw, too, that Gray was
quivering with pent-up feeling, as the boy halted short, saluted, and,
striving to steady his eager voice, said:

"Captain, the colonel directs that you open sharp fire on the woods in
your front and occupy the enemy there. He is about to charge with the
third battalion and drive them out of the trenches we've located over
yonder;" and Billy pointed eagerly to the left front--the southeast.

The captain's grizzled face took on a look of keen disappointment. "You
mean we've got to stay here, and see you fellows go in?"

"Only for a few minutes, sir. The colonel says that for you to charge
before he's got onto their flank would cost too many men. You'll get the
word as soon as he's got the works."

"Well said, Billy boy! That sounds almost epigrammatic. Hullo! You hit?
Stoop down here, man. Don't try to get perforated."

"My hat only," was the answer, as the boy stooped quickly to hide the
irrepressible twitching about the muscles of his lips. A Remington had
ripped from side to side, tearing a way through the curly hair at the top
of his head and almost scoring the scalp. To save his soul he could not
quite suppress the trembling of his knees; but, steadying himself by a
great effort, he continued: "The colonel says to commence firing by
volley the moment our bugles sound the charge. Now I must get back."

"All right, youngster. Tell the colonel I savey, and we'll do our level
best--only, let us into it as quick as you can."

But Gray heard only the first part of the sentence. He was panting when
he reached his placid, gray-mustached chief, a