Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-16

his cartridge belt one day. and, like
the pup that he was, he said SO that
the other fellows in the room could
hear him:
"Oho, but hasn't Wilson done that
lot O. times before, I'd just like to
know!"
One of us reached over, caught the
cub by the scruff OF the neck and
dropped him over the bannisters of
the donble.decker quarters. Wilson
said nothing, although there was an
odd FORT of gleum in his black eyes.
There were no illusions to his past
after that, you can bet.
Fort Candy is beautiful, gloomy
post. 1t is at the mouth of the Colum-
6ia River, under the shadow of the
mountain that forms the extremity of
Cape Disappointment. Oh, but the
Pacific batters wildly. wildly at those
black rocks. In the quarters we could
always hear the roar of the sea. The
sound used to break some of lis mp a
little, kind of, at night, after the
lights went out. I don't know why.
The sea is inournful, anyhow, think.
A hundred salmon fishermen from AS.
toria and II Waco got upset and
drowned on that wicked Columbia bar
while we were there.
Well, anyhow, Wilson used to spend
nearly all of the time that he wasn't
on duty down by the sea. He had q
big dragon tattooed on his knotty left
arm, and barkentine in three colors
on his breast. Besides, he knew q
great deal about Japan and South
America, as some OF us found out
without being inquisitive. and we
knew that he had been to sea. When,
how, or in what capacity, we had no
iden. But he was fond of the sight
of the sea. Only once in while did
he join in the football game with the
gang on the parade ground. When
he did, he always kicked goal. On
pay DAYS some of us used to go across
the trail from the post to II Waco,
three miles away-and there were a
lot OF ugly looking black bears on that
trail, too, l can tell you and well.
we'd load up on Jawbones's barbarous
Siwash whisky. Jawbones was the
half breed Siwash who sold it. Will.
son never went along with us. He
didn't drink. We kind O. liked him
for that, too, for, with big heads and
sore stomachs, we were all swearing
off every pay day--after our money
was spent at Jawbones's.
No, Wilson put in his off duty time
tramping through the pine and spruce
forests along the beach, with stick in
his hand, always alone. One day the
tide rushed in suddenly and caught
him at the foot OF the cape. He had
to climb the 600.foot rock, which was
almost perpendicular. 1 wouldn't
have tried it for a million, even to save
myself from drowning. He smiled a
little when I told him 80. He's been
aloft on ships, you know.
Well, this is the finish. 1t has been
long time in coming, but you had to
understand what manner OF man Will.
son was.
One bright day the sentry up at the
lighthouse yelled down to the sergeant
of the guard that an American man
of.war wus coming over tho bar. Can.
by is saluting station, SO that men.
of.war are always reported by the
guard. Wilson was walking number
one post, in front of the guard house,
and he repeated the lighthouse sen.
try's call to the sergeant inside. When
the old guard was marched off, re-
lieved by the new one, Wilson went
up to the lighthouse with one of us to
have a look through the glass at the
man of.war. He grew little pale as
he made her out through the coast
guards binocular, but said nothing.
She was one OF the old black ships of
the old navy, and had dropped her
mud hook off Astoria, ten miles across
the bay. Her steam launch, dancing
on the rollers way off in the distance.
was heading our way rs Wilson looked
through the glass. AS tho launch be.
gan to come near Wilson went down
to the little dock alone. The officer
OF the day and three men OF the guard
we're on the dock, waiting to receive
the naval officer in the launch, who
carried the compliments of the com.
manding officer of the ship to the com.
manding officer of our post.
The launch pulled up alongside the
dock, and, as the guard came to q
present, fine.looking young naval
officer stepped ashore. He was the
living image of Wilson, only younger.
All of the fellows OF the guard noticed
the resemblance instantly, but they
did not see Wilson, who had hurriedly
let the doc, when his counterpart
with the sword and the silver anchors
on his blouse collar stepped from the
launch.
The young naval officer and the Off
Ger of the day got into an ambulance
and were driven to the commanding
officers quarters. Mess call went in u
few minutes. and We we're all marched
into dinner. The mess hall was on
the floor below the sleeping gu ,rters.
We had scarcely sat down and be.
gun to 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 ambulance carry
ing the young naval otii,er, 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 in.
vestigate.
We found Wilson sitting on the
edge Of his bunk. in his shirt sleeves,
His shirt was soaked with blood, and
there was a big hole in his right
breast. His rife lay on the floor be.
side the bunk. He had taken oil his
right shoe and pulled the trigger with
his great toe. He was very white in
the face, but smiling.
"Well," he said in low voice, as
we stopped over to examine him,
"you fellows can sit around the stove
and have something to talk about on
rainy afternoons now. But it's ali
right-all right
Just then the young naval officer