The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-07-20

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"Thank you, sir" said Jeoffrys, az if
a great favor had been conferred upon
him.
In half an hour he was back again at
the colonel's tent ready to start.
"What are your orders, sirG" asked
Jeoffrys.
81 have none" answered the colonel.
Then, as he looked at the eager, hand
some boy, his face softened.
"Jeoffrys, how old are youY" he
asked.
II enlisted as 81, and that's the only
lie I ever told. colonel; but I had to
get In the army 1 couldn't waitl I'll
be 90 next month-but please, sir, don't
tell"
'Never, on my honor" said the col
onel.
you seee sir" said Jeoffrys, my
mother had pursuaded me not to &C.
cept an appointment to West Point
when it was offered to me-. Her only
brother was in the army, and was
killed in an Indian campaign, and she
said she couldn't bear to give me UP;
but I couldn't stand it. I had wanted
to be in the army all my life, SO I ran
away. l couldn't go IF and leave her
without a word, but neither could I
tell her what I was going to do, 80 I left
a note for her, just saying that I wanted
to try to make my own way in the
world, and that if I succeeded I'd let
her know, and that I'd go back to see
her anyhow in five years."
Don't you think that for her sake
you ought to give up this wild goose
chaseR asked the colonel.
"No, sir, for her sake I think I'd bet
ter go on" said Jeoffrys.
Shed be very proud of you if she
knew, said the colonel.
"O1, colonel, this isn't anything, and
she'd be proud of me anyhow" said
'Jecffrys, with a smile; you know how
mothers are, sir. Good-by, sir"
"Good by" said the colonel, holding
out his hand.
And Jeoffrys rode out silently into
the moonless night.
He pushed on steadily, through des-
erts, through the arr belts of wood
that edged the water courses, across
the almost stagnant streams. When
dawn began to break he dismounted
and led his horse into a tangle Of brush,
on the bank of a little creek. He loos.
ened the girths, watered the horse, and
selecting a small, partially open spot
in the jungle, settled down to spend
the day. He drowsed along until
nearly noon, when suddenly, some
thing-not q noise, he was sure there
was none, but a sense of approaching
danger-brought him to his feet, and
he saw through the leaves six Indians
coming straight toward him. They
were about 500 yards away. He Whis-
pered "doWn" to his horse, and owing
to the perfect training of our cavalry
horses, down the creature went. Jeof-
frys crouched beside him, a pistol in
each hand. The brush was so thick
near the ground that he could not see,
but he could hear the Indians as they
came nearer.
After what seemed an interminable
of time, they were close beside
his hiding place. He decided not to
fire until they were upon him-and
they passed by For moment every
thing whirled before his eyes, and
then the temptation to shoot came on
him. It was so strong that he had to
lay down his pistols and clinch his
hands until the nails cut the flesh.
He kept his horse down nearly all
day, and started out again as soon as
it was dark. At dawn he tied his horse
and climbed a tree to take a survey of
the country, and what should he see,
not three miles eff, but the Seventeenth,
baggage train and ali!
They had been concealed from him
when he was on the ground by a slight
elevation. He scrambled down the
tree, mounted and started toward the
command, shouting in a rush of exu-
berance of spirits. AS he went down
the other side of the elevation he came
face to face with three Indians who
had been hiding under bushes, watch.
ing the troops.
If Jeofrys had been a boy up to that
minute, it all died in him then. It did
not occur to him to value his life for
personal re8sons-all he wanted was
to accomplish what he had started out
to do before he was killed.
When the troops came up, for the