Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-07-29

Eight" echoed Jim, what for?
amt goin' to be shot for a lot of dirty
Cubans. Worse N greasers, anyway"
4 'For your flag, for your country
your country, right or wrong. If I had
your strength, if 4" He broke off
with muttered curse.
"Why don't you enlist, Humpy?" said
the Man in Politics, with an airy wink
at his constituents. "Quit chopping
wood; you can't make ncthin' now it's a
dollar a cord an board yourself. Turn
out that plug of yourn an git. Never
mind your shape, your arms as strong
as another's, an you can holler Re
member the Maine!' with the best of
'em. Here's the stage, boys. Skedad-
die" 10
In the stampede which followed, San
dy Hartog mounted Nell and rode
homeward through the gathering dusk.
On, past fields of dried-out grain; past
the Brush hills, laden with chemisal;
through them, and beyond, to where La
Panza mountain scared upward to the
eastern sky. Halfway up the precip-
itous slope perched the cabin on a knoll
"a solitary spot, fit abode for a lonely,
morbid man. ....
Not morbid now. The pent-up misery
of childish years, the adventurous long
ings of his youth, the bitterness of
manhood forswearing woman's love
or homely joys-all had vanished in the
gathering dusk. At last he felt man.
Characteristic of change in the
dreamer, he fell to making plans-con-
sidering ways and means. Nell must
|go. a..
Il wouldn't sell you, old GAL" he
muttered, mot for lapful of sparkling
gold twenties, but you can't go with
me, and I couldn't turn you loose to
starve. One shot, and it's over. For
our country and our flag" ...
He put his arm about her neck in
mute farewell; a shot rang out upon the
still air; Nells half-starved life was
over Unlocking the clumsy cabin door,
glarcing hastily around to see that all
ner of the room, loosening plank un-
der which lay concealed the spare saw
ings of years-enough, he quickly cal
culated, to take him from Las Pelitas
to the recruiting station, 200 miles
away.
Closing the door behind him, Hartog
stepped out into the fragrant night. He
avoided Vaquero Water, plunged into
the INDEPENDENTLY paths of the brush,
and. with the north star for his guide,
struck into the country-road, some six
miles nearer Las Pelitas. All night he
tramped; faint>he felt and weary, when,
toward dawn, the cool breeze stirred
among the oak leaves. He still pushed
on, resolutely turning away his thought
from that clearing on the mountain,
where Nell lay in the starlight, with her
face turned toward the sky.
Next day he reached his goal; STAN
meringly, in short, broken sentences,
he set forth his errand. Kindly they
listened; viewed with compassion the
misshapen body, the haggard face, the
deep-set eyes, brilliant with Il feverish
light-kindly still, ignoring his de-
formity, refused him on the score of
heart disease.
The hunchback thanked them, and
slowly turning, left the room. What
now Of the future? Return to Vaquero
Water, be butt for the clumsy wit of
the village store, live without Nell?
Never! One bright ray of hope had H.
lumined his lonely life; to darkness he
could no more return.
Near by an organ droned out patriotic
airs; heavy dray lurched in the road
way. He crossed the street abruptly,
staggered, fell. Dimly he saw the crowd
surge round him; his country's anthem
family sounded in his ear.
Remember the Maine" he whispered.
feebly, 1.-THE flag of our countrywide"
And the stage bore the news to
Vaquero Water.
"Whoever thought the blame; fool
would have done it" irritably cried the
Man in Politics. "He might have known
we was only joshin' him.
''He was fool" said Smouse: 1918
a month want worth it. Shot his horse,
too, an never skinned it; might ha' got
ten one-fifty for the hide
But six-foot Jim slipped out into the
darkness. The hunchEack was man."
he muttered, land IL am the fool.'-
San Francisco Argonaut.
! THE GOpHOM,C uEAN