Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-04-11
N INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
FROSTBURG, Md, SATURDAY, APRIL IL, 1896.

a regard for him that was almost like
that of younger sister for brother in
whom she implicitly believed and trust
ed For his part he was proud of the
position and would not have lost it for
anything else that the world might Of
fer. 10 all others besides herself he was
the same dull, stupid fellow that he had
ever been.
She came to him one day weeping
a.d III great distress and told him that
her lover had been ordered to Africa
with his regiment. War was looming on
the horizon, and the work there would
be desperate.
81 know how brave he is" she Sob
bed, "and 1 know that he will 60 there
with no arm save his own to stand be-
tween him and death. / think would
give the world to know that there was
some one with him who would watch
over him and bring him back to me at
last
The words were carelessly spoken
said only in the agony of the moment.
But her heal was OH the poor, foolish
fellows breast, her hands were touching
his, and the words spoke to him trum-
pet tongued, even as a command.
He had no thought in his simple
heart but that he might be of service to
her and might help this man whom she
loved. The next day William Tucker,
ESQ.,, left the world wherein men had
laughed at him, and Private William
Tucker entered the regiment which had
been ordered to the front, and of which
Lieutenant Charles Lacey was one of
the officers.
In the course of time Private William
Tucker became merged as mere unit
in tho regiment to which he belonged,
and, with certain latent purpose in his
mind, was glad to lose sight Of the
world he had left behind and to take his
place as one of the rank and file. The
latent purpose was never known-at
least until the end--but it became a ira
dition among the rough men with
whom he served that wherever the 1.-the
and active form of Lieutenant Charles
Lacey was seen in the fight, there, close
beside him, was one grim faced Tommy
Atkins, fighting with a ferceness un
known in the character of the William
Tucker, Esq, who had disappeared.
AS matter of fact, Lacey knew
nothing about who the man was or
whence he came He had met him but
seldom in those old days, and the fact
of Private William Tucker was scarcely
one to Eo remembered.
Thorn co,no Iau xpbon Taoov with
mere handful of men, was sent on a
forced march, in an endeavor to Join
forces with another camp. But the
march was not success, and they pres
emily found that they were cut off, in
the midst of the hills, with the day fast
closing in, and the hostile, yelling war
riors all round them. They closed up
silently with a dim feeling upon them
that there was but small hope, and
fought there steadily and doggedly,
while the light failed.
1t was certainty from the first of
their being absolutely outnumbered,
and they fell one after another, with
those horrible black faces swarming
round them-with fiendish warcries in
their ears, and with only the determi-
nation in their hearts to fight to the last
for the honor of the flag they served.
There was one gallant young figure
standing there and cheering on his men
and overawing for u moment even those
who swarmed about them. A spear
thrust had reached him at last and he
staggered backward, with score Of
weapons leveled at him. But there was
another who sprang in there before him,
with clubbed rifle swung madly round
his head--one who knew only that the
man he had sworn i'll his heart to serve
was lying there beneath him; one who
saw only a woman's face in faroff Eng
land, as it had lain last Oh his breast !;
one who knew that they should not
reach the figure at his feet while he had
the power to stand and to fight.
81 have come back to you, my dar-
ling, Charles Lacey was saying. when
we were cut off there, with mere
handful of men, little thought l should
ever see your face again. I-of all those
who We're with me-alone escaped, al
though my wound took long time to
heal.
"But how did you escape?" she asked
breathlessly, while she clung to him.
"There was soldier there-a brave
fellow who, for some unknown reason,
had stuck to me through all the cam.
paign. They found him lying across me,
with broken rifle in his hand, and they
told me that his wounds We're frightful
enough to have killed half dozen
men. only found out afterward who
he was. They called him Private Will
| liam Tucker.
He wondered why she wore a black
dress that night at dinner. When he
asked her, she said, with the tears shin
ing i'll her eyes, that it was for the sake
of the dead soldier who had sent him
back to her.-Illustrated Bits.
Free Lunch With a String to 1t.
In most of the free lunch places down
town there is a nickel in the slot ma
chine device, which is placed in close
proximity to the lunch. So big is the