The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-01

IL seemed "a him snDernstuyally strange
that he had allowed his mind 70 rnaneuver
hss hcry into such q situation. lie under
stood tina. II might be called drama tealiy
great.
However. Re ha8 no fun appreciation OF
anything excepting thai he was actually
conscious Of being dared. lie could feel
his duIIed mind creeping after the form
and color OF this incident
Too. he wondered why he ds7 not feel
some keen ag0av Of fear cutting his sense
Ike a knife. He wondered at this, be-
cause human expression had said loudly
for centuries that men should feel afraid
81 certain things. and that all men who
iii rot feel this fear were phenomena,
heroes
He was then a hero He suffered that
disappointment which we would all have
IL we discovered that We were ourselves
capable OF those deeds which we most al
rntre in history and legend This. then.
vas a hero. After ali, heroes were not
much.
No. II could not be true lie was not q
hero. Heroes had no shanaes IN their lives.
and as for him. he remembered borrowing
SIS from friend and promising to paw IL
back the next day. and then avoiding that
friend for ten months When at home his
mother had aroused him for the early la
Dor OF his life on the farm. II had often
been his fashion to be irritable. childish,
diabolical. and his mother had died since
he had come TO the war.
He saw that in this matter OF the well.
the canteens. the shells, he was an intrud-
e- in the land of fine deeds.
He was now about thirty PAGES from his
comrades. The regiment had just turned
It's many faces toward him.
From the forest of terrific noises there
suddenly emerged a little uneven line OF
men. They fred fiercely and rapidly at
Af-a- - l.
puffs of white smoke. The spatter OF
skirrnish firing was added 20 the thunder
of the guns on the hill. The little line Of
men ran forward. a color sergeant fell
fat with his flag as IL he had slipped on
Tee There was hoarse cheering from this
distant field
Collins suddenly fel. that two demon
fingers were pressed into his ears. He
could see nothing but flying arrows. fam
ing red He lurched from the shock OF
this explosion, but he made mad rush
for the house. which he viewed as a man
submerged 10 the neck in broiling surf
might view the shore. In the air, little
pieces of shell howied end the earth
Quake explosions drove him insane with
the menace Of their roar. As he ran the
canteens knocked together with a rhyth-
mical tinkling
AS he neared the house, each detail Of
the scene became vivid TO him. He was
aware oi some DFlchS or the vanished
chimney lying on the sod. There was a
door which hung by one hinge.
Rife bullets called forth by the insistent
skirmishers came from the far-off bank of
foliage. They mingled with the shells
and the pieces of shells until the air was
torn IN all directions by hootings. yells
howis The sky was full of fiends who
directed all their wild rage at his head.
When he came 10 the well, he flung
himself face downward and peered into
It's darkness. There were furtive silver
gIintings some feet from the surface He
enlng It's cap. swung 1t down by the cord
The water flowed slowly in with an in
dolent gurgle.
away he was suddenly smtten with the
grasp Of claws. All the power faded
from his muscles For an instant he was
no more than dead man.
The canteen filled with a rnaddening
slowness in the manner OF all bottles
Presently he recovered his strength and
address a screaming oath to IL. He leaned
over until IL seemed If he intended to
try to push the water into II with his
hands. His eyes as he gazed down into
the well shcne like two pieces of metal
and in their expression was a great ap-
peal and a great curse. The stupid water
derided him.
There was the blaring thunder Of
shell. Crimson light shone through the
swift-boiling smoke and made a pink re-
Election on part OF the wall of the we'll
Collins ierked out his arm and canteen
with the same motion that a man would