Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-07-22

Imagination gets very vivid, and he is
liable to see all sorts of things that he is
expected to see and watch out for. Loss
of sleep, unusual excitement and a
feverish anxiety not to be caught nap
ping made me all the more fearful Of
being trapped. Just as was turning
at the end of the beaten track saw a
man coming toward fence. leveled
my double-barrel, ready to do as was
told, when the fellow set his foot on the
fence. expected to see him jump over
the next moment, but he seemed to
hesitate. He may be watching me,
thought, looking steadily at him and
covering every movement he might
make with my gun. I refrained from
shooting only because I did not want to
raise the commotion which my shot
would entail without being absolutely
sure of my business.
ut seemed to me that I stood for
hours glued to the spot. There was
that fence, that man with his foot on it,
ready to swing his body over, that in
tense longing to shoot, yet sort of
sober afterthought bidding me to wait
until he had made another move. The
move never came.
"Gradually dawn crept over the tim
Der. At its first faint rays I felt re-
lieved. Now would see my man more
plainly. He, too, would see me and do
something more than rest his foot on
the fence rail.
''The stars withdrew one by one, and
all at once there was no fence, there
was no man, there was not even a
stump that looked like man. My eyes
ached from the strain of gazing so hard
at that one imaginary object, pcering
| through the darkness to see it come
toward me. Yes, it was an intense relief
| to find that had been mistaken, but it
was matter of still greater congrat-
| ulation to me that had not been be-
guiled into rousing the entire camp
from its peaceful slumber by the crea-
lures of my overvivid imagination.
'Was I frightened, you ask? 1 won't
deny that I was badly frightened, and
that reminds me of a fellow in my COM
pany who once gave appropriate an
swer to crowd of soldiers who made
all manner of fun of him because he
trenbled like an aspen leaf as they were
going to battle.
Boys said he, If you trembled as
do you'd cut and run tell you, this
sense of fear on the eve of what is prob
| ably certain death is nothing to be
ashamed of nor anything to wonder at.
Lincoln, one of the greatest of all men,
appreciated this fear. I remember the
case of young fellow, whose name
| might tell you if didn't think it
wrong. Just before one of the bloodiest
engagements fought during the late
war he ran away. He was caught, court
martialed and condemned to be shot.
His friends sought President Lincoln's
interference, but before they had a
chance to reach him Stanton and Holt
went to him and told him that an ex-
ample must be made in the case of the
young fellow; that he must be shot as
warning to others.
"Lincoln was very serious and shook
his head doubtfully.
Stanton he said, have you ever
been to warp
"'No,' said Stanton, Il never have.'
Have you, Holt?' persisted Lincoln.
IT have not had that privilege, Mr..
President, answered Holt.
We'll, I have" was Lincoln's re-
joinder. I was in the Black Hawk war,
and know what fear is. Twill not have
man shot because he runs away in
the face of almost certain humiliation.
You may punish him some other way,
butI will not permit you to shoot him. !"
st. Louis Republic.