Evening star., 1896-12-19

driven to the commanding officers quarters.
Mess call vert in a few minutes, and we
were all naIched in to dinner. The mess
hall was on the floor below the sleeping
quarters.
We mad scarcely sat down and begun 20
bully the kitchen police before we heard a
loud shot from the floor above We made
rush for the stairs to find out what the
matter was. AS We scrambled up the am
bulance carrying the young naval officer,
returning to the launch from his mission,
drew up out In front of the quarters. The
sea officer had heard the shot, and was
hopping out of the ambulance to investi-
gate.
We found Wilson sitting on the edge of
his bunk, in his shirt sleeves. His shirt
was soaked with blood, and there was big
hole In his right breast. His rifle lay on
the floor beside the bunk He had taken
off his right shoe and pulled the trigger
with his great toe. He was very white in
the face, but smiling.
Well he said in a low voice, as we
stopped over to examine him, you fellows
can sit around the stove and have some
thing to ,alk about on rainy afternoons
how. But it's all right-all right
Just then the young naval officer pushed
through the crowd of us around the bunk.
When he caught sight of his brothers face
he reeled, and one of US had to catch him
to prevent him from falling.
Jack! Oh, my God.' was all the young
fellow with the silver anchor could say.
1t was easy for us fellows standing around
to see how his heart was aching under his
blouse.
IT'S all right. Ed, all right We all
sneaked away then. Well. no, 1 can't say
that any of us felt very hilarious just then
for fact.
The little lieutenant Of our battery went
in. In a few minutes he came out, just
almost carrying the young naval officer. a
man about twice as big as he was.
We all volunteered for the firing party,
and the four young wind-pushers VINO
trumpeted for the batteries quarreled over
which of them should blow TAPS over
the grave. We'd all spent many an after.
noon cleaning our guns after firing vol
leys who had passed from our outfit over
the divide. but that certainly was the-well,
the breakingest-up funeral that Candy ever
saw. Wilson's brother was there, in full
dress. But the name that was printed by
the post painter on Wilson's head stone
was not Wilson. 1t was the same name as
that of the young naval officer. The ceme-
terry al Candy Is only couple of hundred
feet from the roaring sea. In few weeks
two ladies, one quite old and white-haired
the other young. pretty, but sad-looking,
came to CAnby in mourning. They had
Wilson's" body sent somewhere back to
the states.
1t was a long time before we got at the
inside of the story. Then we found out
that Wilson had gotten his commission
at West Point and had resigned a year after
his graduation on account of some diff
Guilty. He had shipped in the navy as a
bluejacket. After his first cruise he had
been drafted to ship on which his brother,
who had meanwhile graduated with distinc-
ton at Annapolis, was serving as a watch
and division officer. The humiliation of it
had been too much for him, and Wilson
had promptly deserted. Then We got him.
He had probably been meditating suicide
for long time, and the final sight Of his
brothers face in such an on-the-earth
place as Fort Candy wrought upon him as
the working of fate that seemed to him
to be crushing. Thus the rife ball. We did
not talk of him around the stove at ALL
But his gun was taken out of the rifle
rack and slowed away out of sight.