Evening journal., 1899-10-09
A DESERVED REWARD


your shoulder, knowing that you must not
bulge from the spot, and that If you make
any mistake in obeying a string Of orders al
most too long for you to remember, you are
safe to be put under arrest forthwith,
But when it comes Wstanding sentry on
bitter January night, with a shower OF cold
seet beating in your face and wetting you to
/ the skin, no food since breakfast and no
chance Of supper, but a very good chance, in
deed. of being shot by the slurmishers OF an
enemy encamped within half a mile, itreally
does begin to seem rather too much Of
good thing"
So thought Private NiIhelm Baum, Of the
| Prussian army, as he stood peering watch.
| fully into the darkness, from the heights Of
Bunzelwitz, and almost wishing that the
Austrians and Russians, whose camphres he
could see along the other side of the valley,
would make an attack, and give him some
thing else to do besides shivering and getting
wet.
But they ddu't, and Baum, growing sui.
lter as be grew wetter, wished himself back
in his snug little apple orchard, at the foot
Of the Giant mountains" where he used
to be in bed every night before the village
clock struck ten, after good supper OF
brown bread and cabbage.
'If the king had to be out in q night Of this
sort" he growled, blowing hard upon his be
numbed fingers, 'hed soon be as sick y the
war as / ami"
"And how do you know he hasn't?" broke
in a strange, sharp voice close beside him,
while a shadowy figure rose IN front as
suddenly as if it had shaped itself out Of the
darkness.
Instantly Baum was himself again. At the
first sign Of stranger approaching his post
the soldier spirit awoke at once, and sileneed
his grumbling.
His musket was at his shoulder in a mo-
ment, and his voice rang out clear and stern:
Stand Who goes there"
"a friend" replied the unknown.
Advance, friend, and give the counter
sign"
''The Prussian Eagle"
pass on, and alls well.
But, instead Of passing on, the stranger
came close up to the sentry, who could just
make out, by a stray gleam OF moonlight,
that his mysterious visitor was wrapped in a
horseman's cloak, and had three-cornered
hat slouched over his eyes in such a way as
completely TO hide his face.
you seem to have rather damp quarters
here, comrade," said he why don't you
have q smoke to warm yourself bit!"
"Smoke" echoed the sentry; why, where
do you come from, brosher, not to know that
smoking on duty is strictly forbidden!"
"But supposing the king gave you leave to
smoker suggested the unknown.
"The king be hanged" retorted the sol
der. grufiy what would my captain say
Long before the king could hear Of it, the
drummer's cane would make my back like a
survey mapl"
'Poohl the captains not here 20 see you.
Out with your pipe, mani III tell no tales!'
'Iook here, you rascal" cried the senti-
mel, fercely, u half suspect you're some fel
low who has got grudge against me, and
wants to get me into trouble. Now, if that's
so. YOU had better be of before worse comes
Of it; for if you worry me any more I'll be-
apt to give you such a cuff on the head al
you won't like
'Td like to see you try-it, d" said the other
mockingly.
The soldiers only reply was a blow which
had it gone fairly home, would have bowlec
down the stranger like a ninepin. Even az
it was, his battered old three-conered hat
went flying into the air, while he himself
staggered back several PAGES.
"Very good" said he, recovering himself
and speaking in quite a different tone
you'll hear of this tomorrow, my man, ane
get what you deserve, never fear. GOOD
night TO youl'
T, lie stopped as he spoke, and, seeming e
pick up something from the ground, van
ished into the darkness.
The sudden change in his unknown visit
. or's tone and manner, coupled with his part
! ing threat, had not been lost upon Baum
who began to have dismal misgivings that hl
E had insulted an officer Of high rank, col
4 onel, at the very least, perhaps even a gen
eral.
However" thought he, 'he doesn'tknoy
my name, that's one comfort, and he won
j find it very easy to describe the spot where
was posted, considering that the nights q
e dark as the bottom Of a mine.
\ But the next moment he gave terrlbl
b start, for he had just missed his tobacc
pouch, which usually hung at his belt, ant
e he remembered to have seen the strange
pick up something as he went of. II mus
have been the pouch, and his name was upo
It in full.
There was not much sleep for poor Baur
D that night although he was relieved fror
{ guard half an hour later He tried 10 kee
up his courage by repeating to himself ove
and over again that the general could hardl
punish him for obeying orders; but eve
this did not comfort him much, for in thos
= days there were very few things which a ger
c eral could not do to private soldier
!. He had been soldering long enough t
% know that it took but a small infraction {
the rules Of the army to bring upon the guilt
S party the sentence OF drum-head courl
IT martial, and that sentence was usual
I death While he felt that he had done righ
in settling with the stranger as he had, ye
Il he knew also that his ideas would not B
" psked if he had seriously offended an office
- of high rank who chose to remember th
o indignity, and that they would resembe
it he had but little doubt. With all Of thes
things in poor Baum's head it is but littl
}; wonder that he slept poorly.
The next morning, sure enough, corpoIT
e and four men came to conduct Private Wi
helm Baum to headquarters, and when
got there he found all the generals groupe
around little, lean, bright-eyed man in
very shabby uniform, whom, by the respe'
which every one paid him, Baum guessed I
once to be the king himself, Frederick th
le Great, of Prussia.
Gentlemen" said Frederick, with pier