The Mena weekly star., 1898-01-12
The Making
 of a Coward.
BY CHAS. B. LEWIS.
Copyright. IseT.

ana 1reSn nSh, ana had no end or run at his expense. It was always thus with new recruits, especially if there was but one. 1t was privilege of the old veterans to chaff and guy and re- fuse comradeship with him until he
 had passed through his first battle. They were not ill-natured, but they stood on their privilege. They had en- listed at the outbreak of the war, no matter whether imbued with patriot ism or carried away by excitement. He had remained at home until cities and towns and wards paid bounty for recruits. He might gain comrade- ship after awhile, but he must pay the penalty of his home-lingering first.
 Johnny Raw hadn't been with his regiment a week when his company was detailed for picket duty on the regimental front, and pushed out two miles from camp 1t was nothing new to the other men--it was new and strange to him, and they should have given him a show. When the guard was made up. and he was assigned to post No 5, some of the veterans should have said to him:
 Look here, Johnny Raw, your post is within 80 rods of the enemy, and though you want to keep your eyes open, there will be nothing to get rat tied over. You will hear strange noises in the quiet of the night, but don't let that upset you. Don't fire your mus ket or raise an alarm unless you are sure that men are moving about It'll be lonely trick, but don't get to shak- ing over it.''
 But no one advised him thus. On the contrary, as he was making ready to go out, one of the men looked at him in plying way and said:
 Better say good-by to us, Johnny, and write a farewell line to your wife; you'll be a dead man before your time is out!'
 Johnny Raw was no coward. On the contrary, he had the right sort of material in him to make good fighter. 1t was latent and needed time to de- velop, but they were not giving him time. He did not exactly believe the statements of the veteran, but at ten o'clock at night, when he fell in with the relief to take post No. 5, his nerve was shaky. It seemed to him that the guard was in great hurry to get on and leave him to his lonely vigil, and he eagerly listened to the retreating footsteps and shivered a little when they could no longer be heard. Be- fore him, behind him, to the right and left was the forest. and almost at his feet was brook which ran babbling away through the undergrowth. It would have been lonely spot without the perils of war.
 What's thati"
 Johnny Raw had been leaning against the big beech tree, on which | some one had cut d rude figure "5." He started up with fear in his heart | as the November breeze came soughing | through the forest and whipped the | branches about and tore away the dy- | ing leaves. He thought it the sound | of rushing footsteps at first. and there was such a lump iii his throat that his challenge could not have been heard | ten feet away. For the first time in | his life he found his knees trembling | and his teeth chattering with fear. He | could not define the danger, but he felt | that he was menaced They had not | told him he must remain on his feet. | If they had he would have been obliged | to sit down at the foot of the tree through weakness. Eyes and ears were vigilant, however and as the min | utes passed and no new sound came to | threaten him his heart ceased to jump. |
 "Rustlcl Rattlel Rustle!"
 Johnny Raw was on his feet in an in- stant, with his musket thrown forward, and could anyone have seen his face through the darkness they would have found 1t whiter than q dead mans. The sentinel whom he relieved should | have told him that 'possums and coons would be moving about over the dead leaves when things grew quiet, but he said not a word. That was what occa- stoned the noise, but in the dead-like silence between the gusts it sounded like men advancing on their tip-toes
 "Babblel Babble Babblei"
 It was but the waters of the creek as they rushed over impeding rocks The sounds had been in his ears when he took the post, but only just now had he separated them from other sounds. It was like three or four deep voices speaking together in undertones, and for moment he peered into dark ness and felt sure that he saw human forms crouching in the bushes few feet before him. He opened his mouth to call out, but no sound came from 1t, and of sudden his hands let 20 of