Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-11-17
MOTIVES.
A Tragedy of Santiago.

Sa1piy TO Steep. Ino nightmare OF Gno
,trdggle left it's impress on them. A
kwitching of the lips or nervous
,tarting IF limb showed the after ef-
leots of the strain. They were volun-
;eers, wto had picked each other out
or the staunch, ,all-trusting friendship
that comes to men who are exposed to
danger and hardship.
The heat of war sends all the small
onventions of life up into thin smoke.
Where death and blood surround on
svery side and the hum of bullets and
The shrek of shells whisper warning
that the next to go may be ones self,
the man is reduced to elementary prin-
,iples. David cleaves to Jonathan
with his whole soul and asks no rea-
son why.
So it was with these two. Their
learts spoke directly to each other.
The black Cuban night formed q
dtting surrounding for confidence. A
man liked to reach out a hand and
6nd that friend was near. 1t was
30 dark; so empty of God and hope;
such a fitting prelude to the frowning
morrow.
At last the younger broke the
ilence: "By gosh, Billy, you showed
mp we'll today" said he. "You went
up that hill like man who wasn't
afraid to live or die. tell you was
proud of you"
"Shucksr' answered the other;
you did the same"
T Ia
quite the same, I'm afraid. To tell
you the plain truth, old man, I only
came upon this business to get my
name up. wouldn't give you three
cents hundred for Cubans, let alone
my life. I wanted" he went on in q
Ihamefaced way, ''to have the girls
point me out when I get home-you
know: Amt he a hero?' and that
kind of thing. 'Tain't very noble, is
It? I don't suppose you'll think much
Sf me after that; but. somehow, felt
had to tell it,"
The elder man smiled into the dark
less-an exceeding bitter and mirth-
less smile.
"What do you suppose I came down
aere for?" he asked.
II don't suppose anything about
tt know" answered the other
stoutly. Haven't been with you
Dvery day since you fished me out of
The turf? And you've never kicked or
grumbled, no matter what came up.
You're here because you believe in it,
md you needn't say anything different
,ust to comfort me-"
''Listen," said the other, laying
hand on his arm and bringing his
mouth close to the lads ear. 'I'm
going to tell you something, Kid
yomething certainly never expected
TO tell anybody. But I may get it
tomorrow, and I feel that 1 must
speak. Don't say word until I've.
finished, and then see if you want to
take my hand.
''My boy, 1 came down here to kill
man in our regiment"
He felt the start the other gave, but
vent on without a change of voice.
''I'd been watching my chance for a
month, when 1 heard that he enlisted,
Ind / joined. Now, the first time he
tets near me and nobody's looking,
I'm going to shoot him through the
ieart-right -through Ibis dirty -
Slack-heart."
"Good God!" said the other.
>It's the truth, continued the elder
q the same quiet voice.
81 picked the scoundrel out of the
gutter and tried to make man out of
im-took him right into my home,
md that was the worst days jobI ever
lid, for it didn't stay my home long.
Ny wife-my wife-well, I had no
wife after that. / don't know what to
think. She seemed good girl-as
lrue a wife as man ever had before
for years-but-well, Kid, the rea-
ION I charged up the hill today was to
)how myself that wouldn't be afraid
10 meet him face to face. I'd have
killed him openly before, but that
would have brought the whole story.
out, and the buns on the corner at
home could laugh and joke about
about my wife.
The silence fell black around them.
At last the younger spoke.
'I'm only kid, Bill, and I don't
quite understand these things. I
don't know anything about them, but
I do know that you're square man.
Il seems awful to me. But there's
my hand just the same"
The other groped for it and
squeezed it heartily. A tingling came
to his eyes. The boys sympathy was
very sweet to his sore heart.
II have always been a square man.
and this job goes against me-" he
went on. 81 wish there was some
other way out of it"
"Oh, Lord, so do Ip' groaned the
boy. "Ain't there anything, Bill?"
Nothing, I suppose if we both
get back it will be the same old misery
all over again. 1 suppose if could
talk about it toto my wife-per-
haps it might make some difference
but can't speak. The words stick in
ny throat"