Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-06-09

under fire before, and 1 believe / wouIo
have gone back if 1t hadn't been for the
brave fellows around me. We rushed on,
tore down those damnable barb wire
fences, and l began thinking we would
soon be at the top and give q r~ousing
cheer for the American flag, when l was
struck, l think, by six Mauser bullets.
One passed directly through my heart"
jumped out of the chair and exclaim.
ed; What on earth do you mean? You
must be mistaken, Jack. How in the
mischief did you recover SO soon?"
"Oh, l didn't recover" he said coolly.
Il am there yet" I shivered and moved
away from him. Then he went on
That's what l came to see you about,
Will. You're about the only man I've
any claim OF, and I want you to do me- a
favor"
Then I noticed the sunken condition of
the eyes and that his lips never moved
while he was talking.
He abruptly asked:
Where's KateS"
l flushed at the familiar method of re-
ferring to my wife, and coldly told him I
supposed she had retired.
He looked disappointed and said, as If
in a hurry to change the subject:
What l want, Will, is this: They have
got me planted on the side Of one of those
clay hills down there along with a lot of
the bravest boys in the world, but I want
to come home. That hill will wash away
in a short time, and / don't want my
bones mixed up with the trash that will
go down the gully. want you 70 go
nun ~ thnnn ny,1 hnr% ,,1 ,,n o,I ..,.
north. There is a Photographic they
haven't torn my clothing otf-fastened to
the shirt. You will know who it is. And
then there IL a great tear on the left arm
from the hand clear up to the elbow. That
was made by the barbed wire. There are
two bullet holes through the left leg, one
through the right shoulder, one near the
right knee and one through the head.
There may be others that struck after the
last one was fired.
II want to be laid alongside Sister
Grace"-his voice shook through the thin
lips-'and then some one may some time
come out there to the little cemetery and
put a flower or two over us. l know
mother will, and l hope some one else. l
have had a hard life, Will, and a few
months before went to the wal | passed
through one of those experiences that stay
with a a You know what l mean.
She was very kind, and l loved the very
air she breathed. OF course she was way
above me. She married, and well, l
died. No, I'll not tell you who she is, but
l want to be where she can come if she's
a-mind. l almost fancy that l could feel
those footsteps near me. Will you do this
for me, Will? l kn,w it's asking a lot of
you to make that long trip, but remem-
Der you couldn't have got out of it that
night if hadn't taken your place"
And as l made him the solemn promise
to faithfully execute his wish a glad smile
stole over his face, and he glided from the
room.
told Kate the next day that Jack Hast
ley had been killed at Santiago, and that
! intended to go south, recover his body
and bring it home for 1nterment in our
town cemetery. l expected nothing else
but a storm Of protests, ending in a fit of
weeping. But there was nothing of the
sort. At first she turned deadly pale and
sank in a chair. Then she arose and
walked toward me and placed both hands
on my shoulders and said:
"God bless you, VIII. That is good of
you"
Then l knew who the girl was that poor
Hastley had loved and lost.-St, Louis
Globe Democrat.