Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-11-20

IMA@SyM In many ostil e S
NfWts A - RfsAN that they could
| I'M sSSya#NSNl Z&lnot be counted,
| IEM&MSS@g@SMy,A Wand in their white
| lNlNkzASSgSWV3k%I sheets they looked
| lEM(4zHASyxEEhfMI like demons ready
Hlyyya' N%z8fs|aI for BATTLE" The
Vso& ". = EMN>MI head of the house
lSG fshgS1| stopped reading
nv \ w k1g aloud here and
MIXN EM put down his
| MnAs, A4ySl morning paper
| MHzAaN? ~ long enough to
'4zbSI-N,,.l warm the inner
WuO IN. man with a good
drink of steaming cocoa. We all vol
UNFAIRLY reached for our cups. We
needed something to warm and to
brighten u.s. 1t was not a merry
fast. Every face was sober and
thoughtful, and no word was spoken
as the reading progressed between
bites, as it were. Our thoughts were
with the soldiers who were fighting
the treacherous redskins.
A burst of melody from "the Ma
jor, }" swinging in his cage and enjoy
ing the morning sunshine in the bay
window, at once formed common
bond of sympathy, and we fell to
talking of him who had brought his
canaryship to us and had said: "Put
this little songster where [ may hear
him if ever again visit you"
Jack was a genius. He could do
anything and everything, while he
was regularly employed as ledger
bookkeeper in one of our largest firms.
TO be sure he was somewhat vacillat-
ing, but who ever heard Of genius be-
ing like other people. There was just
one idea to which he ever held stead
fast, and just one goal he never lost
sight of-some day he should be a
soldier, not for the uniform and the
adulation, but for duty, active duty,
he hoped. II he dropped in for an
evening with the boys he would sit
down at the piano with Listen, boys
soldiers funeral march. [ COM
posed it myself" and before they had
recovered from their surprise-for it
was full of solemn, beautiful melody
he would give them a spirited imi-
tation of the fife and drum. His mu-
steal versatility even though it tend
ed toward war, made him great
favorite. All! how he could play. If
he went out with the boys he invaria-
bly, persuaded them to "come in the
shooting-gallery and see me hit the
bull's-eye." II he went for ride On
his little sorrel cob, he would make for
the outskirts, and, dismounting, tie
his horse, and put up target which
he would industriously pepper with
shot until the supply was exhausted.
He wore becoming military overcoat,
all bedecked with cords. He hung
the walls of his apartments with en-
gagements brilliantly executed on
paper. He crossed swords-over his
mantelpiece -and he had what he
called his mess-room and it was
rightly named.
He chafed under the Office re-
straint, and as he thought and
thought he made big blots of ink on
the paper and jabbed his pen through
them, hitting imaginary bull's-eyes
until-well, the upshot of it all was
that he resigned his position and went
to New Mexico, where he joined the
regular army and was soon called into
active service. The day before he
went away he came to bid us good-by,
bringing with him the canary bird
and bidding us to call him "The Ma
jor." Jack fairly beamed with pride
as he said: "Why, just see his top
knot; regular drum major, he is, and
his song is an open challenge. Talk
about your fighters, look at this one"
And there was a battle in which
Jack shed first blood, through the end
of his finger.
Shortly after the new year there
came letter from Jack from Pine
Ridge Agency, S. d. How sanguine
he felt. "The fate of Custer's/ban
shall not be ours" he wrote, and
added: II am doing active duty as
scout" He gave us a graphic account
of the situation and inclosed menu
of the soldiers dinner, "that you may
see what a jolly feed we had," as he
put it.
Some days after this another brief
letter came and the brave scout
wrote: eff matters are all right and
I am alive I hope to see you all in
March,"
Yesterday there came home to an
anxious mother and sisters worn-out,
broken-down son, telegraph opera
tor who, in far Dakota, had held the
wires for seventy hours without re-
lief, and with Winchester rifles on
his table had worked like hero,
sending messages over the wires in
all directions telling of the first In
dian outbreak. He brought news OF
Jack. "Poor old Jack died alone and
on duty. The boys found him where
he had fallen, his fur coat stained
with blood and his honest eyes look
ing toward heaven. Those red devils
took his life, stole his horse, and left
us but the house his brave spirit lived
in. 1 have brought to his friends the
number of his grave, and he shall be
brought back to those who loved him
WE'LL"
The Major has finished his song.
The head of the house has gone down
town to his everyday battle, and
Jack-God knows.-Chicago Times.