The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-08-11
a HERDS DEATH.

10 90 back 70 ths ~
.Sts cruel war Is over can 90; for my
osrt, intend to stay"
captain w. o. o'Neili, Of troop A.
rr,t volunteer cavalry, leaned back
araInst A roll OF blankets beneath
S,ro,cbed square Of canvas after the
Az, At GuasImas, and. blowing thin
".roarn Of cigarette smoke from MS bps,
s S Inc declaration. From where ne
.+"ctlned he could see wide stretch OF
t Non ground covered with waist-hign
SsaSs blown into far-reaching ripples py
rare breeze; border Of dark green
r5nigua. from which arose broad ana
iSafv mango trees; gracefully dropping
rrowns OF palms; cedrelns, Win lrunkS
like polished bronze, and here ana
,bcre the weii-nanea hanooyeHts!
Ssoriug their masses OF blossoms OF
SSminE scarlet. Beyond were the hilis,
meeting the Intense blue OF ciouoIeAs
sEy. and within hearing, when the nr II
sergeant ceased pounding cohee WIN Ita
an az handle in his tin cup, was Ine
musical plash and ripple OF proOk
.Isor as one OF his own Arizona
e s..aa,nS like many another man, Cap
~ S'NeIH was well pleased with
S Sa. The possibilities Of the fertile
S III and the hidden wealth Of the noun
.oSns appealed 10 the practical SIDE OF
lie nature as the picturesque beauty
~ the Landscape did to his Well-deVel-
oped artistic sense.
"T'm going to stay" he repeated.
cuban ground holds the dust Of many
birh-souled and brave men, patriots
ard warriors, who, counting honor and
Srosdon above all things earthly, Light
H. risked and heroicallY lost all else.
rat their country might be redeemed
rom tyranny and oppression, but II
holds the dust OF none Drawer, kinder,
more generous than Captain o'Nelll:
7 ike 10 think Of him now az saw
LInn then-a picture Of robust manhood
md perfect rest. He had thrown on
n blouse for greater comfort, and his
Blue flannel shirt was unbuttoned at
ne throat; his hands were csasped be-
nod his head and the brown cigarette
betWeep his lips was burning evenly
and well. He was at peace with all
ne world and was inclined to be char
table even toward the SpaniaFds con-
corning whom one OF his brother officers
had spoken unkindly:
'.TheY can't help being Spaniards
any more than q skunk can help being
skunk" he said. God made them
mat way. Did you ever get close to a
SIr,Ink and watch hIm-when nothing
has occurred to trrltate hlm--going to
~ his evening drink, for instance, GID
Ing over rocks and logs with beautl-
mi. easy, undulating movement and
dipping his sharp little black nose
dqlntliy in the water? There's the true
poetry Of motion for you. Their pelts
sSa worth something, too, and SO is
tSelr fat. Skunks have their good
points, and so have Spaniards. They
fnnde It interesting for is yesterday"
Then. after pause. ''rd hate to have
10 die in Cuba Tor fear Of being REIN
earnated as a Spaniard."
There was some desultory talk, and
then O'Neiil began, half IN jest, half in
earnest, to tell OF the enterprise he was
going to start in Cuba-after the war.
I'm lucky" he said. II can make
money anywhere. Any one could make
money here. 1 tell you, boys, we are
going to have a new set Of mllllonaireS
Cuban millIonaires--and am going
10 be one OF them. The KlondiRe fell
lows won't be in It."
But II he had made millions ne would
have given them away. He was abso-
iuteiy unseihsh. caring for everybody
but himself He looked after the we'll
being OF his troops with almost father
~ sollcitude; there was no comfort he
could obtain for them that they did not
have. and no had the rare faculty Of
treating them as equals without losing
their respect in the smallest degree.
When occasion demanded he could rate
them in a good-humored. hectoring sort
OF way that was very ef8caclous. but
be had dread OF even seeming to take
advantage OF his rank, and It was al
ways as one comrade to another. II
rather vexed him to have them present
arms or rise to salute him as he pass
ed. They're just as good as / am" he
would say. This was not true. but he
was modest enough to believe 1t was.
When he jumped from the dock at Bal
auiri among grinding, tossing boats, to
Bnye the two drowning troopers OF the
Ninth, It was In obedience to a per-
EectIy natural impulse. And ne could
not understand why any one should
make fuss about II.
O'Nelll and I were "bunkies." Our
hatumocks were hung together at San
Antonio; we had a stateroom together
on board the transport when we sailed
from Tampa. and after the landing I
Shared his blankets in the field. l have
Weakened In the alght more than once
10 find him spreading the whole o. the
scanty cover over me. When we ar
rived at siboney on the night OF the
4th, after the fattguing afternoon
march. and camped down on the hard
coral road, O'EeIll was the most cheer
fpl man In the regiment. He was not
going to bother about supper, because
the man who usually cooked his ration
for him was dead beat; but a sergeant
who adored him brought him some cof-
Zee, which he insisted / should share.
l honestly didn't want the coffee or
anything else but Just TO rest. for / was
utterly exhausted. and ! think there
were few men In the regiment who were
not. Ten or twelve dropped out by the
wayside and came staggering In at IN
tervals through the night Then Il be-
gan to rain, and O'Neill -must needs
drag out a canvas wagon cover-"'o
keep the bedding from getting wet,
ne said. Don't imagine It's on your
account, you irritable brute, and sop
swearing or I'll put you under arrest"
Then he crawied in beside me and
thrust something dellciously soft un-
DER my headTa real pillow! i've got
another one here" he said, KnUwing
him, had me- suspicious. and. cropping
through the darkness, Found thar his
head was resting on n canteen carrtul-
~ adjusted In coiled cartridge Deit.
As popular man he had, OF course.
TO have nickname. The Arlzonahs
called him "Buckie" on account OF bis
having In his unTegeherate days
"buekeA the tiger' in n VprY royal and