The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-01-06
HENRY H. c..
Lieutenant.
til Cavalry.

Twas very busy and preferred not
over the name for a few minutes,
while the servant stood waiting, with
out being able to identify my intended
visitor, looked up and was about to
excuse myself. when certain uncon-
trollable impulse seized me, and sent
q message to the lieutenant to come
up.
In three minutes he had crossed the
threshold and closed the door be-
hind him. knew him at glance.
"AhW said /, cit is you. And to
what, pray, am I indebted for the
honor Of this visit?"
l hesitated a little before speaking
the word "honor," and he perceived
it at once.
II understand" said he. in a voice
that had more sadness than resent
ment in it, and for the life of me I
could not help feeling sorry for tho
fellow. "But you need not fear, ma
jor; my rank is real, not assumed for
the occasion. I won it in the hot
blaze OF battle during the late war,
and I prize it too highly to trade up
on it. Nor have / come to ask any
thing of you save advice.
81 have no claim upon you, even
for that small favor, but you are from
my native town, you know my peo-
pie, major, and you are the only man
in the army that can approach with
a feeling of confidence that the
advice I seek will be good and hon
est"
"But how is it," said I, "that see
you in the uniform of the army and
bearing the title of lieutenant, when
the last time / heard of you, you
we're"
I'm prison, yes and for THEFT" re-
sponded my visitor in somewhat
broken tones. '"You need not hest
tate to speak the truth about it
heaven knows ] have heard it often
enough to get used to it! l have heard
it so often, in fact that I can stand
it no longer. and l have come to a
supreme resolution-I am going
to end it all by taking my own
life!"
At this l made an involuntary mo-
ton of establishment, and then for
the first time realized that had not
asked him to be seated. Criminal
though he was-or rather had been
he should be treated with some re-
spect as my visitor.
Come, G." l said, "take seat
and let's talk the matter over.
hardly think it is as serious as that.
A soldier has no right to take his own
life. That belongs to his country.
"Besides," continued, as c.
took the chair I placed for him, "you
were very young when you committed
your-fault; you had bad associates;
you were led off. Above all, you have
served your country; and you won
your epaulets in battle-that counts
for much. Why can't you forget that
early misconduct and it's results in
the honorable position that your aft
er life has won for you?"
"Heaven knows I would forget it
all, major, most gladly" replied the
lieutenant, 'for look back on it with
the most unutterable loathing, but
they will not let me forget it, Even as
crossed the threshold OF that horri-
BILE prison, where had been sent to
serve for five years, the overwhelming
infamy OF my crime swept everything
but remorse out of my heart, and
was changed being. But what hope
is there for a man with such stain
upon his name?"
''The hope of rehabilitation, II
said, "the hope of leading good and
honest life, and thus wiping out the
STAIN"
"Ah, major" said c., elf they
were all like you! But they are not;
they think that crime, even though
it be committed when one is young,
thoughtless, easily tempted, makes
one a criminal for all time; that there
is no possible reparation, no possible
recovery for the poor devil that allows
himself to fall, even once.
''But l do not wish to weary YOU
with a recital of my sorrow. Let me
say only this: My conduct in prison
was so good that was pardoned at
the expiration of my second year.
The superintendent seemed to like me,
and when he brought my pardon to
me l felt as if my heart would burst
with Joy for seconds time, then
felt as if it would burst with grief.
For, as said to him, what can do,
where can l 60, the 'lailbird, the
'convict?'
eco and fight for your country
said he; she needs your services. 1
believe that you are sincerely and
honestly sorry for the fault that
brought you here. Go and begin a
new life in the army
II took his advice, enlisted at a
station where was unknown, but
how it happened cannot tell-before
/ could be formally mustered in nv
comrades began looking at me in q
queer way; they avoided me, and
finally one OF them, holder than the
rest, came to be and said that had
been found out; that it would be best
for me to leave at once.
II went to the recruiting officer and
told him all. He was as bad as the
rest; he told me to go, that was not
yet legally bound, and that he
preferred not having any convicts in
his company"
confess that his sad story was
making agreat impression upon me. It
was told SO simply, with absolutely no
attempt at working upon my sympa-
thies, and all the while helieutenant's
voice was shaking as if he were labor
ing under the most distressing agita-
ton of mind.
"Let me get rapidly to the end"
continued G. ~ sought another
station, enlisted formally and went
off to the front. With all my heart
wanted to do nay whole duty, and