The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-14
THE DOWNFALL OF A HERO.
HiSA TASTE or PHILIP
PINE ,INPII0 VINO.
a.. New Recruit Who Was n Noted frgi-
Ma, and tho Oid suldior-An Account Of
March Through Rice Fields where
u,,.. s.,mtn Be More Useful Than Men.

t,l l,paf'ci, and four native runners
- carried lim ~ IN a litter TO tho division hos
W. ~, after many months to receive a dis
'',T,y discharge, the men u Company Y Of the
's,.rh Infantry always referred 10 him as
g. ,us,," II biz brief career A. q soldier
.Irs, u.rsi that recruiting officers may bear
~ mind Win rruai to the seryica,
IL "a, Win, ! was stationed at Ginanigran,
an N. Island 4 Negros, that Sad-to-Say came
a.. new recruit To- The company. He came her
.tnI a.. great man. Men who, without orders,
-, Mt Lays rolled Of their hunks N ses the
u.n-GenerAI ing. fell over one another
=, 20, , f~ep at Sad.toSay. For back Ia the
s,,,., Sad to-Say had been a middleweight
ellis, - considerable note, and tbs story Il
Via fame had penetrated even to the cane-iields
>, N. far Philippines II was whispered that
b. hal left behnd him IN the States 9 trail Of
r,,,r,ei, lacsra,ed noses and eyes that tvaIled
h,, 4 he immortal Sullivan And II was limited
,ho, , nvl. douhlecrss deal In which hs had
sid ont lis own hacker WAS the resson for bis
temporary red rment from the rng and his en-
rstnen, In the army. AZ any rate, for q few
e,ys Company Y took him at his repu,ed value
and hailed him as a great man Al q matter
hd he looked az Il he could live up to his rspu-
,ndon in almost any old game that hs was put
nm against The sparkle Of youth was In his
ewes His skin WAS glistening white. savs WHERE
# h.usheI with the pink glow Of health His
uu..gss Lad both the knotdness Of the athlete
and the plump curves u beauty, His bulldog
head sat On a bal neck that sprang from q leonins
trunk,
And 80 for three whole days Company 2 wor-
.aipped its new Idol and Sad-to-say lived in an
Atmosphere Of incense and adulauon On the
fourth orders came splitting the company into
ANAL attachments and scattering them TO the
four winds q tho island And II was at dinner
,ha. day. the las, company dinner for months
10 come-that Sad-to,Say made bis first really
bad hresk.
Old Daytreak was the oldest soldier In the
company. His discharges showed twenty-nins
years Of service In Uncle Sans regulars How
old he WAS no one knew. Ths to~peergeant al
filmed slemnly that hs was the male counter
rart Il Rider Haggad's She and that no had
one, bee. reduced from sergeant for forgetting
himself and drilling recruits In the old drill Of
the Roman Empire Anyway, Daybreak's hair
and beard were naturally the color Of tho ashes
on the end Of a good cigar, But be resented
tie idea q becoming ono u Old Times heaehed
blondes and never missed an opportunity TO dye
Lis locks a Iet hack-with the result that. az q
rule, the outer third Of each hair was usck and
the balance white, -Shure,- Private Sevenspot
once said. "th' head av tn ould dscaiver lucks
loke tn break O day And thereafter he was
universally known as Old Daybrsak.
Old Daybreak and Sad-to-Say would have made
q hit with q pnten, medicine advertiser A. Before
and After Taking. There were no curves q
1870 -, ln,ta ~ ppt,g.I .Na,tt DaxkraAIfa
legs or arms He was emaciated TO the pity point
But the bones Of his skinny limbs were big and
thick, and his cords and leaders were taut and
tough His skin was II the color and consistency
Of old leather. He stopped q trife and walked
s,ifly, !erkfly. with Just a suspicion Of a to,ter.
And the film Of extreme old age yelled Ills eyes
and made them lfeless and exprcssionless II
was only when some one spoke Of lis eye or sug-
ges,sd his retirement that the old fighting FIRE
famed up In them.
Now It happened that al this last company
dinner, Old Daybreak and Sad-to-Say found
seats on two logs about zen feet apart and facing
each other Some ono WA telling Sadto-Say
about the makeup 81 the detachment to which
he had been assigned. and among others mentioned
Old Daybreak.
What" exclaimed Sadso-Say. DO you mean
that yonder old corpse Is to keep up with me, or
am TO CORY him and keep up with tbs rest, Say.
you old stiff. why don't you retire and 60 to the
soldiers home1"
There was the old fgh ing same in Dsyhreak's
eyes as with quavering voice heNiped back: IT'S
since ! last saw q pay master that I've helped
carry your betters TO the hospital, and their baNl
then was as loud as your brar now"
And Company Y was silent, for you can't tako
. mans real measure until you get a grip on his
pneumogastric nerve with hot pincers and slap
a fly blister on bis soul.
After 4 o'clock that afternoon the detachment
TO which Sad-to-Say ard Daybreak we're assigned
started for the pueblo q Lncollota. seventy miles
away, There were thirty men in the detachment.
and Sad-toSay fell In well up low ard the head Of
the column, while Daybreak brought up the rear.
The first halt was to 10 made at Don Pedro's
hacienda, eight miles away, and the starr was
made in a pouring rain A naked native guide
led the way. For half a mile the detachment
marched IN a column Of iours In n remarkably good
Filipino roadway that was only ankle deep In
gluey mud.
Wei make the cd don's In time for supper,
eh'' said Sadto-Sey as he slipped In the mud
The old.umer beside him wagged his head doubt
fully.
Maybe be said.
The roadway narrowed, and the order came hack
Right by twos" And Just then Sad.toSay
Sid sidewise down a muddy de~cliyily. When he
cravled hack his new uniform looked ike those Of
the yli.lmeTs, and the tarrel Of bis rife was choked
with mud. Sni to-Say was angry clean W his
lighting gIz7ard and ready 70 break the swearing
record. But just then the Lieutenant loomed up
beside him and a voice gently asked:
'BIinkity -nlnk-Blankl What do YOU mean
BY iahting your rifle into the mud? How could
you us II in that condition.
Hell II a mudhole said Sad-to-Say, doggedly.
outsp You did, blans YOU. 1uuIl iall IN a
mLIun before morning 50 Will syery one.
"Aen You fall, holJ your rife over your head
Just then the order came high by ME-, and
We detachment tanned into a rioe-iield and began
d. the VIE walDlns act on a n ce- field rdge.
Now a rice field IS a nell Of gluey, black mud
about neck deep. Across the field there run
aslaS ndges that act a. dams At the top.
'leSA Ridges aTs about the width OF a two-inCh
Hiian4 on edge and seem & re made Of axle groas SO,
ihry ~ up anu dJwnlke the teeth OF n saw and
tu'S 'E Gas across a held IN the same fashion
p'ca'i ntly there Is a break in the rl!l made
oy n 4ih n-ck-drep ma rom four I, 81 feet
wren tae aeta hment turned int ons 81 these
nf!Is am began = feel its way along the top Of
ohe "i THESE ridges IL was pitch dark and eyes
Nrir abs .u''ly useless save e. show the outline
VI each mans Gleleader Each man fixed his
eyes 'n That .Itlne and watched Its every move.
Lh'n when tAr man ahead tjuk a successful step
Ivt"HFl, the man behind balanced himself On
".' It lnl stepped uut at hazard with tho
.'IFt hb,ut ulus times ntpnh e would manage,
o W M" 81 pplnG and balanl ms, I hold his now
Igll H. Ab " every tenth time he would slide
ud the ridge an 60 from waist g. neck deep m
HlIu mat WIS tie percentage for old riCe-field