Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-02-28
THE MAN WITH A HISTORY.
The Sad LIES Story That Was Ended By an
Arabs Bullet.

CAAPTRR I.
81 can't see those palm trees" said the
major, gray-headed "ranker" who sup
ported wife and family of six in West
Kensington out of his pay.
He and the best part of his regiment
under his command were winding their
way along the desert, through thick
thorny shrub between treacherous looking
low ridges.
"I can't make out those palm trees"
said the major. "Lieut. Lovett, shoot
the guide at the first sign of his playing
false"
e'Lieut. Lovett's gone with two files of
men and the guide to the ridget to recon
7oitre, sir"
Lieut.. Lovett and the two files of men
never came back, and the major said no
more for volley from the ridge laid
him lifeless.
Officer after officer, sergeant after ser
geant fell, marked out by their uniform
as distinctly as if they had been branded.
The Arabs evidently had some renegade
among them we'll up on European uni
forms.
Still the column fought it's way on dog
gedly. At last there was only one com
mlssioned or uon-commissioned officer
left-a smooth-faoed boy, fresh from
school, Just through Sandhurst. But
still the magic of discipline held the men
together. And then he, too, was picked
off by the sharpshooters; and if had been
Crimean veteran, the effect could not
have been more instantaneous. The men,
who were half of them little better than
recruits, commenced a sauve qui peut-
each man rushing for the nearest boulder
or thorn bush to shelter himself for one
minute from the murderous hail of bullets
which poured from the ridges. The
Arabs had been waiting for this, like vul.
lures waiting for lion to die, and sprang
out of the scrub with spear and knife to
make SHAMELESS.
Next moment one of the rank and file
sprang forward to where the dead boy
lay, sword in hand, olutohing the colors
which he had seized as the color sergeant
fell. Quick as lightning he caught hold
of the sword, and waving it in the air,
Numbered out the command, form COM
pany square," The men, when they saw
the familiar signal and heard the familiar
word of command, sprang into their
places with one accord. They were again
q regiment, and not flock Of sheep with
out a shepard. They had strange COM
mander; a fine man enough he must have
been once, but his ruined complexion and
bIoo6shot eyes, with their look of devil
may care, told the tale of dissipated years.
Still, the men felt that they had a master
among them once more, and neither bull
let Dor blade could make any impression
on their firmness, though their numbers
diminished wOefully fast, and, owing to
their commander being one of the rank
and file like themselves, the sharpshoot-
ers could not pick him out.
The ammunition was failing, and they
knew that In a few minutes death must
await them as surely as it did an hour ago,
when each was covering to save himself,
when suddenly they heard the tattoo of q
machine gun and saw the swarthy hordes
of Arabs mown down.
The heart of everyone but the man with
the bioodshOt eyes beat high. He did not
value his life. In another moment he was
dead, pierced to the heart by a shot fred
by an Arab in his hight-at random.
A moment sfterwaTd the general dash
ed up at the head of his cavalry, and the
main force appeared on the tops of the
ridges. The Arabs were in full flight,
and the hussars were ordered to complete
the ropt. It appeared that there had
been double treachery. The regiment's
guide was one of the enemy, who had led
them into trap, and the enemy was an
Arab in the service of the English, who
had slipped away at the earliest oppor-
tunity, and taken the alarm to the gener-
al, who had FASTENED to the rescue with
his whole force. The general found the
soldiers crowded round fallen comrade,
a man in private's uniform, with the
regimentaI colors in one hand and an
officers sword in the other.
He leapei from his horse, and while
the saved men told the story of the man
whose presence of mind saved them he
uubuttoned the dead mans tunic and
shirt, for he had caught a glimpse of a
slender gold chain round the swarthy
neck.
The chain was attached to leather
wallet, brown with sweat, and wet with
the blood from his death wound. 1t
hung nexs to his skin. The general open
ed it reverently, and as he examined it
the rough soldiers standing around him
were moved, for tears rolled down his
cheeks. The wallet contained only three
things, q tress of fair, silky hair, the
miniature of beautiful young girl with
q delicate, high-bred face, and letter,
worn by being carried about 10 the pock
ct, addressed: Captain the Honorable
Charles lie Grey, White's.n The paper
inside was coroneted with the writing
splashed with tears. The note was very
brief:
"My first and last darling:
''After this terrible morning ] can new
er, never marry you-oan never see you
again. But, by my hope of heaven, | am
yours, and yours only till l die, she whose
fondest wish on earth was TO be your
wife. G. c."
sc. G. Gwendolen Carbis," said the
general in husky voice, and he kissed
the letter and miDiature fondly, and re-
turning them to their wallet, put them in
his pocket. Bring the body to my tent,
he commanded, and they hastily Knocked
up stretcher, and on it they laid the
body of Private Harris, with the boy
officers sword in his hand, and the tat
tered colors of the regiment laid over his
body as if he had been by commission, as
we'll as in fact their commander.
CHAPTER II.
The Castle of Doom, where the long
line of the earIs of Morvah had reigned
in feudal splendor, commanded st. Ives
bay, and, like most of the Cornish cast
les, was quite close to the sea. On the
ordnance map it was marked Carbis cas-
ties, out for generations and gen Grafton
Cornishmen had called it the Castle of
Doom, for its owners had always met
with some terrible fate.
Not one of the Morvah, not one Baron
de Carbis before them. had died in the
natural course, and the gloomy Norman
keep on the brow of the beetling cliff with
the waves roaring in the galleries they
had honey-combed beneath, seemed it