Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-10-06

which you know to be absolutely tOr-
eign to every instinct within you
when you sit down to reason about 1T,
after the manner of the age-may be
the very one you will follow when there
is no time for reason. If any one had
told Mackworth that under fire he
would be a coward Mackworth would
have knocked the informant down then
and there, and have reflected upon the
danger to his commission afterward.
Mackworth 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
the fellow who built the bridge; so he
very properly chose the cavalry, and
heaven 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
the Apache and the Chiricahua were in
the land, and still struggling to be mas
ters of 1t; and when a woman was truly
blessing of the gods, and might, even
under disadvantages, have her pick of
the department. But as there is no
woman in all this, that Is irrelevant.
Except after the maner 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 Department and
the gratitude of his country was to
avoid wire-pullng, and to kill Indians.
Therefore he rejoiced greatly when, af-
ter only six weeks of his thoroughly un-
desirable garrison, Chatto took the
Chircahuas on the warpath, and he
was ordered out in the field. He had
had his kit all rolled in rubber pom
cho, and his mess-chest pretty well
stocked for the whole of the six weeks.
He believed that solder 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-
c!sm. And this was how 1t came about:
The first time he was under fire was
when they were caught at rather a dis
advantage among the pines in the Mo-
gollons. The fight began about dusk
and lasted well into the night. 1t may
have been the result of some bugaboo
stories of his babyhood, which had fos-
taro1 an unconOunroIro fa,r oF tho
dark; 1t may have been some lurking
Instinct, or it may have been just blue
funk, which overcame 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 lrishman 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 usel better tone to one
of the troop GUS.
Mackworth felt for his carbine and
got out, staggering, but no longer
afraid, only ashamed - sickenngly
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
err" he sugg stei; you are taking
needless risks" Mackworth looked at
him with vide, blank eyes, and did not
answer. His face was not only white
now 1t was gray and set, like the face
OF corpse.
Morley's face softened. Its only
baby, anyway" lie said to himself,
"and it is unhappy out of all proper
ton" And presently he went to him
again. "Will you get under cover,
Mackworth?" ?" he insisted
NO" said the lieutenant, 81 won't"
The captain swore now, fierce oaths
and loud. II order you back under
cover, sir"
Mackworth glanced at him and went
on smoking Morley did not fancy his
own position, arguing with a green boy,
fully exposed to an invisible enemy.
He knew that wasting officers Is pret-
ty, but Is not war. II shall order you to
the rear under arrest, unless you get
back there with the men immediately"
Mackworth retired, with look at his
superior for which he should have been
court-martialed. After that the scout
went the way of most scouts. being a
chase of the intangible, up mountain
ranges, when you pulled your horse
after you; down them, when he slid