Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-08-17
A HERo'S DEATH.

Sdn ~, Aoi 10y PoA'
stay"
Captain W. o. O'Neill, of troop
A, First volunteer cavalry, leaned
back against roll of blankets be-
meath a stretched square of canvas
after the fight at Guasimas, and
blowing a thin stream of cigarette
smoke from his lips, made the dec
laration. From where he reclined
he could see wide stretch of open
ground covered with waist-high
grass blown into far-reaching rip
pies by rear breeze; border OF
dark green maniguo, from which
arose broad and leafy mango trees;
gracefully dropping crowns OF
palms; cedrelas. with trunks like
polished bronze, and here and there
the well-named famboyants, bear
ing their masses of blossoms of
flaming scarlet. Beyond were the
hills meeting the intense blue OF
cloudless sky, and within hearing,
when the first sergeant ceased
pounding coffee with an AK. handle
in his tin cup, was the musical
plash and ripple of a brook clear as
one of his own Arizona streams
Like many another man, Captain
O'Neill was we'll pleased with Cuba.
The possibilities of the fertile soil
and the hidden wealth of the noun
tains appealed to the practical side
of his nature as the picturesque
beauty of the landscape did to his
we'll developed artistic scene.
I'm going to stay" he repeated.
Cuban ground holds the dust of
many high. souled and brave men,
patriots and warriors, who, count
ing honor and freedom above all
things earthly, lightly risked and
heroically lost all else, that their
country might be redeemed from
tyranny and oppression, but it
holds the dust of none Drawer,
kinder, more generous than Cap.
tain O'Neill.
like to think of him now as l
saw him then-a picture OF robust
manhood and perfect rest. He had
thrown off his blouse for greater
comfort, and his blue flannel shirt
was unbuttoned at the throat; his
hands were clasped behind his
head, and the brown cigarette be-
tween his lips was burning evenly
and we'll. He was at peace with
all the world, and was inclined to
be charitable even toward the
Spaniards concerning whom one of
his brother officers had spoken un-
kindly:
They can't help being Spaniards
any more than a skunk can help be-
ing skunk" he said God made
item that way. Did you ever get
close to skunk and watch him
when nothing has occurred to If
ritate bim-going 20 get his even
lns drink, for instance, gliding over
rocks and logs with beautiful,
easy, undulating movement and
dipping his sharp little black nose
daintily in the water? There's the
true poetry of motion for you.
Their pelts are worth something
too, and so is their fat. Skunks
have their good points and so have
Spaniards. They made it interest
ing for us Yesterday. Then, after
a pause, "Id hate to have to die in
Cuba for fear of being reincarinated
as Spaniard."
There was some desultory talk,
and then O'Neill began, halt in
Jest, half in earnest, to tell of the
enterprise he was going to start in
Cuba-after the war.
Pm lucky" he said. 81 can
make money anywhere. Anyone
can make money mere. I tell you,
boys, we are going to have new
set of millionaires-Cuba million
aires-and I am going to be one of
them. The Klondike fellows will
not be in it."
But if he had made millions he
would have given them away. He
was absolutely unselfsh caring for
everybody but himself. He looked
after the well-being of his troops
with almost fatherly solicitude;
there was no comfort he could OBJ
tain for them that they did not
have and he had the rate faculty of
treating them as equals without