Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-07-05

GI[CIg3
CARE YOU THE STRANGER WHO Is HELP
ING BRADLEY?"
flag ought to look. They went to him to
decide both questions, and found him in
bed, red, glaring and delirious with
| fever. When they asked him about the
stars he howled: LAS many as there are
in the firmament!" and when they just
mentioned the English flag the sulphur
GUS decorations of his speech completely
shrouded any information it might have
contained.
Having had, like all New Workers, far
too many opportunities to become famil-
lar with the British flag, through its pre-
dominance among the shipping in our
harbor, was enabled to tell them how
it was made, and the other matter they
had already settled by deciding on thir-
teen.
We had a great deal Of difficulty in
getting British army. There were in
all 1877 men enrolled for service, and
they all wanted to be in the patriot
forces. Yet it was fully recognized that
there ought to be larger British than
American army in order that the final
victory of the latter should appear in
properly bright and historically correct
colors. Bradley finally settled the mat
ter in an autocratic fashion, that was re-
luctantly accepted by all. He wrote the
word "British" on eighty slips Of paper,
"Continentals" on fifteen and Patriots"
on forty-two. Then he chucked them
oil together into a powder keg, shook
them up and made each man draw an
assignment Of place in the coming strife,
from which allotment by chance no ap-
peal was allowed. The respective forces
elected their own officers.
"Are the blank cartridges nader"
innocently asked Bradley.
BLANK nothin'," he replied, with evil
dent surprise at such q question; "the
boys all use fixed ammunition and II
would be no end Of trouble to change it.
"But," demonstrated, sit will be ter
ribly dangerous to have all those fellows
pumping lead OUT in the excitement of
even q sham battle"
"Well." he responded with calm In
difference, "some accidents may happen,
but If they do, why, they'll only make
the racket seem more natural like and
give an air Of earnestness to the exhil-
aration."
"At the expense Of human ife."
"No fellow ever gets killed without his
time has come; and II it has, a bean
dropping of shelf will do him up just
a. fine as cannon ball could"
Notwithstanding his fatalistic philoso-
ply did succeed in getting him to
promise that he would request, and even
urge, the men to shoot up in the air,
though" he remarked. "rve no doubt
some of them may, in the excitement,
forget themselves, and taking aim. ius3
from force Of habit, unthinkingiy and
innocently plug friend and neighbor."
An Irishman named Michael Clarity
came in from q prospecting tour the
evening of tho Sd, and was wild with
eagerness to DO enlisted in the patriot
army, but even Bradley thought he was
''too excitable to be permitted to mix in
the proceedings il the health Of othera
was any consideration. By dint Of great
persuasion Michael was induced to fore
go the pleasure Of taking pop at even
sham Englishman," and to lend his In
valuable aid in certain work Bradley and
I had cut out for US as soon as the tide
of battle should have swept through the
town. When that was satisfactorily set
tied started out for q stroll.
Just outside the town young woman
entering the road from a steep mountain
path accosted me, demanding:
care you the stranger who Is helping
Bradley get up the fight tomorrow
admitted that l was doing what /
could in that direction, and, although l
said nothing Of the sort, I could not help
thinking what a superb Goddess of Lib
erty she would make in an allegorical
tableau IL we had time to arrange such
a thing. She had a magnificent Juno
like form, fine regular features, full Of
expression. and a natural grace of move
ment and attitude worthy Of goddess.
81 am glad that met you without
having to send after you to the hotel, as
expected would have to-" she said.
was so much surprised that I could
only stammer some stupid nonsense
about either way being good enough for
me, which she of course took no notice
of and went on:
"There is something l wanted to
speak to you about-something you must
attend to. Two young men have. as l
happen to know, agreed to mako the
sham fight tomorrow the cover for a
deadly duel, in earnest, between them.
Chance has helped them by putting one
on the American and the other ON the
British side, just as they hoped for.
While others will be banging away in
the air, just to make noise, they will
be aiming to kill each other. You must
find some way to prevent it."
as it not possible that you may be
mistaken? Low do you know that they
entertain any such purpose?"
Her handsome face flushed deeply as
she replied, with little embarrassment:
each has been to see me, for what he
nhS" might &c Tile last lAutCy duO tllOuku
neither betrayed the purpose in words. l
was conscious of it"
comprehended. They were rivals
for her love, prize well worth risking
life for in the estimation of such fear
less and resolute young men as abound
ed in that country. could do no less
than promise that l would do what l
could to prevent the carrying out of
their deadly purpose; but really l did
not suppose that anything l could say
would have the slightest effect in influ-
encing them. She told me who they
were, and when got back to the hotel
/ found them both there. in the bar
room, drinking and talking together in
the friendliest fashion possible, to all
outward seeming. Surely, l thought,
the girl is mistaken Still. as l had
promised her that | would speak to
them, did SO, having first learned from
Bradley. who pointed them out to me.
that they were, as they appeared to be-
friends. They walked of little to one