The times., 1894-07-27
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something that looks like it far to the
south. We think it may be some of our
fellows coming back, but it is too faint
and far to make it out yet.
The corporal is the speaker, his reso-
nant voice contrasting strongly with the
feeble accents of his immediate supe-
! rior, the wounded sergeant.
"Then have something that must
be told you, lieutenant, something Miss
Harvey already has an inkling of, for
she has met and known my dear moth
er. il this pain continues to increase,
and fever sets in, l may be unable to
tell 1T later. Some of the men thought
had enlisted under an alias, lieuten-
ant, but they were wrong. Wing is
my rightful name. My father was
chief officer of the old Flying Cloud
In the days when American clipper
ships beat the world. The gold fever
seized him, though, and he quit sail
ing and went to mining in the early
days Of San Francisco, and there when
was little boy of 10 he died, leaving
mother with not many thousand dol
lars to take care of herself and me.
You will have your brother to help
you were words he spoke the last day
of his life, and even then noted how
little comfort mother seemed to find in
that fact. 1t was only few months
after fathers death that Uncle Fred,
from being an occasional visitor, came
to living with us all the time-made
his home there, though seldom within
doors night or day. He was several
years younger than mother. He was
the youngest, it seems, of the family,
the baby, and had been petted and
spoiled from earliest infancy. l soon
found why he came. Mother was often
in tears, Uncle Fred always begging or
demanding money. The boys at school
twitted me about my gambler uncle,
though I've no doubt their fathers gam
bled as much as he. These were just
, before the early days of the great war
that sprang up in 1861 and that we boys
out ON the Pacific coast only vaguely
understood Sometimes Uncle Fred
came home drunk, and I could hear
him threatening poor mother, and things
went from bad to worse, and one night
when / was just 13 l was awakened
from sound sleep by her scream. In an
instant 1 flew to her room, catching up
as / ran fathers old bowie knife that
always hung by my door. In the dim
light 1 saw her lying by the bedside,
man bending over and choking her.
With all my strength l slashed at him
just as he turned. 1 meant to kill, but
the turn saved him. He sprang to his
feet with an oath and cry and rushed
to the washstand. l had laid Uncle
Fred's cheek open from ear to chin.
"It was long before mother could
check the flow Of the blood. 1t sobered
him, of course, and made him piteously
weak. For days after that she nursed
and cared for him. but forbade my en-
tering the room. Men came to see him
insisted on seeing him-and she
would send me to the bank for gold and
pay their claims and bid them go.
At last he was able to walk out with
that awful slash on his thin white
face. Once then he met and cursed
me, but I did not mind-I had acted
only to save mother. How could l sup
pose that her assailant was her own
brother? Then finally with sobs and
tears she told me the story, how he had
been their mothers darling, how wild
and reckless was his youth, how her
mothers last thought seemed to be for
him, and how on her knees she, my
own mother, promised to take care OF
poor Freddie and shield him from every
i'll, and this promise she repeated to me,
bidding me help her keepit and to con-
ceal as far as could her brothers mis-
deeds. For a few months things went
little better. Uncle Fred got COM,
mission in California regiment toward
the close Of the war and was sent down
to Arizona. Then scame more tears
and trouble. l couldn't understand it
all then, Sbut / do now. Uncle Fred
was gambling again, drawing on her
for means to meet his losses. The old
home went under the hammer, and we
moved down to San Diego, where father
had once invested and had left little
property. And then came the news
that Uncle Fred had been dismissed, all
on account of drink and gambling and
misrepresentation Of funds. Miss Har-
vey knows all about this, lieutenant,
for mother told her and had reason TO.
And next camo forgery and we were
stranded. We hoarl that he had gone
after that with Il wagon train to Texas.
/ got empioynlcnt Oh ranch. ard then
mother married again, married man
who had long beiTiendcd us and who
could give her comfortable home.
She is row 2Ira. Malcolm Bland of San
Francisco. and MIR. Bland offered to
take me into his store. but L loved the
open air and Independence. Mr.. Bland
and Mr.. Harvey had business relations,
and when Uncle Fred was next heard
from he was starving to death, he
said, actually dying He wrote to
mother from Yuma. Mother wired me
to go to him at once, and l did. He was
considerably out at elbows, but in no
desperate need yet. Just then Mr.. Har-
vey offered him good salary to take
charge of his freight train. We all
knew how that must have been brought
about, and felt that it would only be
o matter of time when he would rob
,,oxxy y,1ovar TJa did and was