The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-10-31
BY ewENDoLENo vERToN.

DICK OF the department but as Lnefe |
is no woman in all this, that is irrele
want.
Except after the manner OF cadets
which Is not to be taken seriously
Mackworth had not let woman enter |
into his scheme of existence. His ideals
were Of another sort just then. He
was young and full of belief and
things, and he thought that the way to
win the approval of the war depart
ment and the gratitude of his country
was to avoid wire pulling and to kill
Indians. Therefore be rejoiced greatly
when, after only six weeks of his thor
oughly undesirable garrison, Chatto
took the Chiricahuas on the warpath,
and he was ordered out In the field. He
had had his kit all rolled In rubber
poncho and his mess chest pretty well
stocked for the whole of the six weeks.
He believed that soldier should be
always In readiness. He believed so
many things then-though before long
the bottom fell out of his universe, and
he was filled with an enduring skepti-
cism. And this was how 1t came about:
The first time he was under fire was
when they were caught at rather dis
advantage among the pines in the Mo-
goIlons. The fight began. about dusk
and lasted well into the night. 1t may
have been the result of some bugaboo
stories of his boyhoOd, which had fos-
tered an uncomfortable fear Of the
dark; it may have been some lurking
instinct, or it may have been just blue
funk which oyercame him. Anyway,
he hid behind bowlder, crOuched and
covered there, trembling so that his
carbine fell from his hands.
And Morley, his captain, found him
so. "What are you doing?" he demand
ed. He was an Irishman and soldier
of the old school, but he did not swear.
Mackworth knew from that how bad
it was. He scrambled up and babbled.
Get out Of there" the captain said.
He would have used better tone to
one of the troop ours.
| Mackworth felt for his carbine and
got out, staggering, but no longer
afraid, only ashamed = sickeningly
acknowledgement all endurance. He
tried hard to get himself killed after
that. He walked up and down in front
of his men, giving orders and smoking
cigarettes and doing his best to serve
as target. The captain watched him
and began to understand. His frown
relaxed. you'd better get under COW
en-" he suggested You are taking
needless risks" Maekworth looked at
him with wide, blank eyes and did not
answer. His face was not only white
now; it was gray and set, like the face
of corpse.
Morley's heart softened. Its only a
baby, anyway" he said to himself,
land it is unhappy out of all proper
ton" And presently he went to him
again. "Win you get under cover,
Mackworth? p he insisted.
'No,' said the lieutenant, Il won't"
The captain swore NOW, fierce oaths
and loud II order you back under Gov
er, SIR"
Mackworth glanced at him and went
ON smoking. Morley did not fancy his
: own position, arguing with a greer
boy, fully exposed to an invisible enc
my. He knew that wasting officers il
pretty, but Is not war Il shall ordel
you to the rear under arrest unless yol
| get back there with the men immedi
ately."
Mackworth retired, with look at hi
superior for which he should hay'
. been court martialed. After that tn
scout went the way of most scouts
. being a chase of the intangible, VI
! mountain ranges, when you pulled
I your horse after you; down them
when he slid atop of you; across NAL
y pals and desert, from the level of tn
Q mesquite and the greasewood to tina
s of the pine and the manZanita. Chat
a to's band was at the north, to tn
z south, to the east and west, but whe
d the troops got to the spot after force
:. marching there was nothing.
8 1t went on for two months, and all tn
q while Mackworth's dependency grew
e The weight of years was upon his ye
n barely squared shoulders, the trouble
g of lifetime were writ upon his fac
And IT was a pitiably young face d
.e spite the growth of yellow beard. 81
,e would not be comforted. He was sileI
T. and morose. He would not lift up h
10 beautiful baritone in song be the cam
never so dull. Only his captain kne1
a. why Of course. and he didn't tell. Ne
"a Their did he attempt consolation. B
"a thought the remorse healthful, and
8 knew besides that In such cases a ma
70 has to work out his own conclusion
n and salvation. This is the way Mac
4. worth eventually tried to work out hi
"a There came one day runner fro
N the hostiles-a dish faced, straight loo
% ed creature of sinews-who spoil
through the White mountain interpr
ter of the troops and said that his eh
was ready to go back to the resery
IN ton, but that he must go upon his ov
n terms. And the chief stipulated, NOR
IN over, that one white mAn-one, alol
70 and unguarded- should 60 to the he
:. tile camp and discuss those terms.
or force attempted to come, he wou
retreat with his braves and stay out {
% winter.
" Morley made answer that he had !
ID fear of the chief staying out all whit
To among the mountains when the agen
on was SO comfortable, but that il he
ho the white man could stand it as long
w. could he. Moreover, he said that no
of his soldiers had any intention whi
To- ever of walking into a death trap
he the sort.
Then Mackworth spoke up. Il have
al he said.
It Get out" said the captain incred
lousy.
ad 81 mean what l say" said Mac
worth, land l shall consider your p
as mission to so the greatest and the OIL
he favor you can do me. Something m
IN be effected by it"
Your death, that's all; and a Lit
preliminary torture"
The lieutenant shrugged his sho
&c ders "Ehall you let me goY' he
to sisted.
mot by a long sight"
ed 81 wish to go, Captain Morley"
in Morley considered and he decid
that it might not be wise to refu