The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-28
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS. wEDNENpAY, NOVEMBER %. 1894

tween his lngers and heard Il voice which
seemed to come out of the inky air muir
muir, "Adios."
"Adios,'' no answered and followed the
sound Of the hoofs of his captains horse.
In the midst of tho chaparral, trotting
slowly along with ~thecolEmn, he struck
a match and looked ali the bit of paste
board in his hand. The light was uncer-
tain, but he could MAKE out a head and
neck, and the eyes seemed to glitter.
Then q gust of wind blowout the match,
and a coyote yelped near by.
The rations were alifost out, and orders
were to return to the post for fresh sup
plies. King was happy at the prospect
naturally. He drew out his mascot from
time to time and looked at the beautiful
face thereon, the lips half parted, the eyes
glancing from under heavy lids. 1t was
only a head, with masses of fluffy hair fad
ing into the shaded background, but 1t
was beautiful, perfect.
The twilight came on. They had march
ed all the afternoon. They were weary OF
chasing phantoms, Of following useless
trails. They passed through a pine forest,
and the darkness deepened.
A creek at the bottom of agully flowed
along in the shadow of the pines. The
column went down to it, listening to the
sound Of the ripping water. All else was
quiet. No one spoke. The black wings OF
the pines, like u shadow of doom, lay over
the troops. \
A crack, a hiss, a bullet striking through
flesh, a startled murlnur, orders ringing
on the air in the midst of the shots. Then
the soldiers returned the fire Of their IN
seen foes. On all sides they were sur
rounded, but the gully was wide enough
for a little m%aneuvering. The men got
under the shelter of an abrupt rising OF
the bank and had only to defend them
selves from three sides.
They were badly frightened-not as cow
ards, but as men who are fond of life and
mean to sell it dearly. 1t was an ugly
position, and not a few fell face downward
in the dancing mountain stream. The
only person who seemed completely to ig-
more the danger was King. A cigarette
between his teeth, he strolled, with ap-
parently utter carelessness, up and down
under cover of the bullets of his men and
in full range of the Indians hidden up
above behind the tree trunks.
Some way the thought of the mascot
under his coat gave him a sense of securi-
ny. I1c uedEQ dSdIA bnS ia u liz VIM
which said to him from the darkness, "If
my picture is with you, no harm can
come near" He felt again the touch of
the phantom1ike hand, the warmth of the
lips he could not see.
There was a sharp pain in his breast.
He gave a little cry aad fell, his head half
buried in the pine needles.
The girl, when she heard of it from the
dust stained courier, grew uneasy. She
was afraid that her picture might be found
ON the body, and that the man she had
promised to marry-the middle aged colo
mel, who had great ideas of her constancy
might hear of it.
But he did not. There was a photograph
found in Kings pocket, but the bullet
had plowed right through the face, and
it was SO smeared with blood as to be un-
recognizable. 1t wal sen back east to his
family. Gwendolen Overto1 in San
Francisco Argonaut.