The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-02-23

better business for Rose if you let the.
fellow die. And besides you can't save
him He'd take months to heal up in
hospital. with every care and attention"
Somebody might come along and
give me hand to get him to the nearest
town." said Roland vaguely, but tena-
ciously.
':The nearest town is thirty miles
away, How would you get him there?
It's impossible. Besides, look at this.n
He pointed to the sky, an even blank of
thick, gray cloud 'sThat'H be falling
in another hour. You'd be showed up.
And then-hang it all, man, must be
as mad as you are to discuss the thing
at all. You don't suppose that you're
going to get leave of absence to nurse
Johnny RebY'
II might take it, said Roland.
And be shot for desertion?''
That's as may be. The chances are
shouldn't be missed till you were too
far away to send back for me- 1 must
go and answer to my name and then
see if I,can't drop behind
Ned held his head in his hands as if it
would else burst with the folly of his
friends idea.
II can't stay here all day talking id
nonsense" he said angrily. 'srm off
into camp"
He strobe away and Roland kept pace
with him. He did not need his friends
assurance of the folly of tho act he
meditated. He quite recognized that,
but it was only in the background of his
thoughts. which were filled with the
memory of a woman's face. How could
he leave the man Rose loved to die
while any possible effort of his might
suffice to save him?
The first fakes of the coming snow
storm fell as the detachment started. It
marched in very loose order, for the
road was rough, the snow deep, most of
the men more or less broken with wounds
and fatigue, and it was known that no
enemy was within sixty miles. Roland
fell little by little to the rear, where the
clumsy country wagons numbered along
full of the wounded under Ned's charge
You'll take care of the letter. he
whispered, and thrust it into his friends
hand. "Goodby shall fall in with
the next detachment if l pull through
long enough. If not
He nodded. and at sudden turn of
the road, here thickly surrounded by
maple and hemlock, darted among the
trees and listened with his heart in his
ears to the jingle and clatter of arms as
his comrades marched on. It died away
upon the snow laden air, and he retraced
his steps to the shed with an armful of
dry leaves and twigs, with which, by
the sacrifice of one of his few remaining
cartridges, he speedily made y blazing
fire. Vickers lay quiet watching him
through half shut lids.
Say. Roland" he said presently.
what sort of game is this?''
I'm going to see if can pull you
through" said Roland, with an affecta-
ton of cheerfulness,
You can't" said Vickers; Il heard
what Ned said just now. I'm booked
for the journey through, know it.
Don't you be a fool. Follow the boys
and leave Ine here. I'm beyond any
mans help. You won't? Well. you al
ways were a nutmeg headed sort of
creature. l never knew you to have more
than one idea at time, and that one
wasn't worth much, as general thing.
"But this is madness-sheer, stark
madnessi Look at the snowl Another
hour or two and we shall be showed
up. It's just chucking good life after
a bad one. know you amt doing il
for me; it's for Rose. Well, if it was
any use wouldn't say no. But it isn't
shall be dead man in twenty-foul
hours at most. Nothing can save me-"
I'm just going to the wood" said
Roland, taking up his gun and speaking
in quite casual tone. IF there's any
game about. this weather will drive il
under cover. I'll. be back presently
anyhow"
He flung some of the broken timber oi
the shed upon the fire and went out.
He had not taken six PAGES through
the binding fakes when Vickers' voice
rang out with startling Ioudness ani
suddenness, ''Goodby, Rolandr' and 6
loud report seemed to shake the crazy
old hut to its foundation.
Roland ran back. Vickers was lyine
dead, with freight playing brightly OF
the barrel of revolver clinched in hi.
left hand.
Ten minutes later he was lying in
deep snowdrift, and Roland was tramp
ing through the snow on the track O.
his detachment. = Henry Murray IL
Strand.
Why They Leave the Door Open.
There are two occasions that are usual
ly improved by the leave-the-door-opel
man. One is when he comes in with tn,