Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-09-24

Then ne lit his pipe with thr letter. not
out of contempt, but bccarse there Is
little privacy accorded In the corre-
spondence that comes to the barrack
room, and private soldier rs not pro-
vided with desk wherein 20 keep his
faded flowers and other sentimental to-
kens of the past.
The blow was very heavy one, for
White Feather was without the world
~ knowledge that should have told
him long since that he had fixed his af-
fections upon n vulgar, selfish and
brainless fllrt, and lie still believed IN
her.
For her sake he had learned to over
come his physical cowardlce. lie had
dreamed Of possible commission In
the dim future and had rejoiced in the
recently acquired promotion as step
toward her.
For her sake, too, he received the
news cheerfully when the word passed
through the barracks that the regiment
was ordered to South Africa to meet
the Beers. He knew that he was by
nature coward, but for the memory
of her he swore an oath to himself TO
do his duty without sparhg himself in
the coming fight.
"Look ere, old chap, we amt going
to call you White Feather no morew
said Trumpeter Pipes as they lay to-
gether behind the shelter of large
bowlder, against the face Of which the
Boer bullets were pattering like a
heavy rain.
In full sight of the whole army their
squadron had crossed the Boer front
amid a, hail of bullets which had
brought 20 men to earth.
White Feathers horse had been shot
under him, and, at the risk of his life,
he had carried the wounded trumpeter
into the shelter of the powders. He
was anhurt, but trembled in every
limb from fear and great exertion.
From between two powders he peep
ed out and saw, amid the bodies of men
and horses that Uttered the plain, a
wounded man crawling on his hands
and knees amid spatter of bullets
that We're kicking pufrs of dust from
the dry earth all around him.
1t was his captain.
White Feather watched him for
moment; then he saw him stop and lie
down on his side despairingly. He
could crawl no more.
II will, for her sakew he murmured
between his clinched teeth, and, rising
from the shelter of the rock, he faced
the hail of death that battered to the
earth around him.
AS he walked into the open faint
cheer reached his ears from the Brit
ish troops half a mile behind him. The
Royal artillery backed him with a
shrieking flight Of shrapnel, which
whistled for moment overhead, then
burst over the Boer lines quarter of
mile away in shower Of bullets that
for q moment quelled the storm around
him.
He reached the wounded man, lifted
him on his back and returned step by
step to where Trumpeter Pipes lay hid
den.
The trumpeter gave him faint
"Bravo!' as he staggered and fell with
his burden into the kindly shelter of
the rock.
That was White Feathers reward.
On distant hill the British COM
mander shut his fleldglasscs with
snap.
"Tell the general to keep down the
fire on the right there and to get those
men in from behind those boNlders,"
he said to his aid, land bring me that
mans name. If he is alive, tell him
that | saw it MI and that I'm going to
recommend him for the cross.
"Never saw finer show Of fire disci"
pline in my life" added the command
er to himself as his aid galloped Off
White Feathers eyes glistened rs he
received the message and heard the
cheer that swept along the lines as he
was carried in.
"Pcrhaps shall get that commission
after ALL" he said to himself; "then
she will think more Of me!'
Perhaps it was just as well that he
died five minutes later-this faithful
worshiper of goddess of clay.-Pcrny
Pictorial Magazine.