The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-11-02

Ut Is never well to be too sure what
| you would do under given circum-
.i.nces, until you have tried and found
out A course of action which you know
"a be absolutely foreign to every in
stinct within you-when you sit down
i reason about it, after the manner OF
he age-may be the very one you will
iollow when there is no time for reason.
IL anyone had told Mackworth that un-
Il fire he would be coward, Mack
worth would have knocked the inform
mt down then and there, and have re-
fected upon the danger to his commits
Son afterward.
Nackworth had been graduated, too,
but being right-minded boy, he re-
membered that it was to Horatius that
the molten image was made. and not to
tie fellow who built the bridge; so he
very properly chose the cavalry. and
haven rewarded him by sending him
straight to the frontier. And this was
IN the days when there was frontier;
when men endured discomforts that
they sigh to know again, as none ever
sigh for the luxuries of the past; when
he Apache and the Chiricahua were in
he land, and still struggling to be mas
ters Of it; and when woman was truly
] blessing Of the gods, and might, even
under disadvantages, have her pick of
he department. But as there is NO
woman in all this, that is irrelevant.
Except after the manner of cadets
which 10 not to be taken seriously
Aockworth 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
Ae thought that the way to win the APP
prevail of the war department and the
gratitude of his country was to avoid
wlre-pulling. and to kill Indians. There
fufe he rejoiced greatly when, after only
ax weeks OF his thoroughly undesirable
garrison, Chatto took the Chiricahuas
ea the warpath, and he was ordered out
y the field. He had had his kit all
folled in rubber poncho, and his mess
eaest pretty well stocked for the whole
q the SIX weeks. He believed that a
sololer should be always in readiness.
e believed so many things then
'aough before long the bottom fell. out
q ms universe, and he was filled with
sa enduring skepticism. And this was
aow It came about:
The first time he was under fire was
1aen they were caught at rather a dis.
1santage among the pines in the Mo
s0llons The fight began about dusk
ssa iasted well into the night. 1t may
] .a'e been the result of some bugaboe
Aofles OF his babyhood, which had fos
.steo unconquerable fear of the dark
s. may have been some lurking instinct
= may have been just blue funk which
',efcame him. Anyway, he hid behind
oowider, crouched and covered there
asmoling SO that his carbine fell from
his hands.
.,.,, nno Morley, his captain, found him so
"aa' are you doing?" he demanded
- vas an lrishman and soldier of th,
e senool, but he did not swear. Mack
3 : "o'th knew, from that, how bad it was
8 scrambled up and babbled. Get ou
'aere, the captain said. He wouls
80 used better tone to one of tn,
troop ours.
asckwsrth felt for his carbine ane
ss sss out staggering. but no longe1
only ashamed = sickeningl,
.a,med-beyond all endurance. H,
~. 1 nard to get himself killed afte
80 I. he walked up and down in from
g. as men. giving orders and smokin,
8 .'s'tes' and doing his best to serv,
a .srget. The captain watched hin
oegan to understand. His frow,
You'd better get unt,e
...s ne suggested; "you are takin,
s ssss flsks.s Mackworth looked a
.,. N'tn wide. blank eyes. and did no
His. face was not only whit
s was gray and set. like the fac
heart softened. Its only
|ss snywav." be said to himself. ian,
1ansppy out of all proportion.