The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-07-14
MY LITTLE COWARD :
/ BY r. A. MITCHELL.
Copyright. 1885,

ITO BE able to face danger without
fear requires a constitution that
very few possess. It was Frederick the
Great, believe. who said: "Whoever has
not felt fear has not snuffed a candle
with his fingers" Young Hobson, who
sank the Merrimac in the channel at
Santiago de Cuba, after having been re-
called from his first attempt, is re-
ported to have said: There must be
no more recalls. My men have been
keyed up for "a hours, and under ire
mendous strain. Iron will break at
last"
During my term of service in the civil
war 1 found it very hard to go into a
fight, and the more engagements took
part in the less liked them. I can re-
member but one instance during the
whole period of my enlistment when I
became absolutely unconscious of
danger, and the most remarkable fea-
ture in the case was that a greater
coward than myself performed an act
of heroism that saved my life.
During the summer of 1862 I was
with Fremont's army in Virginia. We
were facing ''Stonewall" Jackson on
the west bank of the Shenandoah river,
while Shields was threatening him from
the east bank. One morning at dawn
I was sent out with a. small reconnoiter-
. ing party-there were half dozen of us
under a corporal-with view to
getting on nei ghboring hill where the
enemy's left would be distinctly visible.
We had accomplished our object, esti-
mated his force, counted his guns, and
were riding back to report what we
had seen, when, in passing a farm
house, there came an odor sweeter to
soldier who has been riding hard with
an empty stomach, than that of the
rose or the violet-the odor of boiling
coffee. Without an order from the cor
poral, without word to each other,
we turned in at the gate and rode
straight for the house.
Breakfast was being placed on the
table as we entered, and we were made
welcome to partake of it. The family
consisted of widow and her children,
the oldest a girl Of IA, with big black
eyes, a sensitive mouth, a trim little
figure, straight as an arrow, and jet
black hair hanging down her back in
one long, thick braid. I was much
younger than my companions, and it
was perhaps this that led her TO single
me out as an object of especial inter-
est; or perhaps showed my admiration
for her in my eyes; at any rate we
stood looking at each other without
even Good morning. or passing re-
mark, when suddenly her face broke
into a smile-a smile of welcome, of
confidence, of admiration. Our party
had been seated at table scarcely
minute when gun doomed from AN
eminence near by, and a shell went
shrieking overhead. Every man jumped
to his feet and left the room. As 1 was
rushing from the house felt a hand on
mine and chicken-leg thrust into my
palm. Turning I faced the black-eyed
girl. She had given me what was of far
more value to a hungry soldier than
the purest gem in Virginia.
All that day, though sitting in the
saddle, every moment expecting to be
struck down, or charging in the face of
hot shot, would revert at the slightest
cessation of danger to my little girl. I
could see her through the smoke, among
the guns, beside the battle-hags, and
once narrowly escaping death while
charging over a breastwork, her
young face suddenly rose before me
with that same sweet smile she had
given me in the morning.
Evening came and brought lull in
the fighting. While the men were rest
ing l made pretext of foraging for
something to eat, and cantered down
the road toward the house where dwelt
my new-found friend. Darkness pre-
vented my seing anything except the
FREELY line of picket firing, or the burn
ing fuse of a shell, or here and there
a campfire which men with more stom-
achs than discretion had lighted to cook
supper. Troops were all about me.
but it was too dark for Inc to distin-
guish their uniforms. Confident that
they were our men I pushed on till I
espied the lights of the house sought.
then, leaving the road-the fences were
all down. trotted over a tobacco field
and dismounted at the door. Without
being aware of it, had ridden right
through gap in the enemy's lines.
The family was at supper. AS I en-
tered the dining-room my little girl,
who was seated facing me, fixed her big
eyes on me in wonder at my. sudden ap-
pearance. I gave no reason for my