The representative., 1900-09-20

Copyrighted 1906. Daily Story Pub. Coz
In hts home town Willie Martin was
pointed out as the coward Of the COM
munity. II he had been the son Of poor
parents he might have grown up into q
riotouz, boisterous, sky larkfng lad; and
even then IL he had showed t1midity, the
chances are he would have escaped the ap-
pell&tion Of coward" But Willfe's father
the waterworks the town Touring mill, the
electric light plant. the biggest Of the two
banks. and the fact that he held a mort
gage on the morning newspaper gave him
practical control Of Steuben countys most
powerful palladium Of liberty.
Willie Martin did not play bali, because
in the game he found nothing to interest
him: he did not rob birds Of their nests or
their young, for he said that was cruel, and
he did not fight chickens. He told his
companions that such was brutal; and Will
lie Martin did not go swimming. for the
reason that he was afraid OF moccasins.
During recess and in the afternoon when
school was out, he went home instead Of
to the creek IN his mothers company he
found comfort; in the presence Of litt.0
Miss Julia Stout, who lived across the street,
he revelled in Joy
When dared to fight he dropped his head
and walked away, followed BY the jeers
and taunts of the other boys. Such verbal
assaults tried him greatly and oftentines
he was seen to weep, which only aggra-
waited the contempt in which he was held
by his acquaintances. His father had been
soldier in the war between the states, and
he talked volubly of his heroism. He re-
told Of wild rides in obedience to COM
| mands Of superior officers recited the oc-
easions when, almost alone, he had charged
| the eneny's camp and routed him.. the
bullets he had shot; the number of times
h<1 1.cI ktu ord he h \
| crossed after storms: the lives he had
| saved; the applause and reward he had re-
ceived upon battlefield after battlefield: and.
as Capt. Martin was the crystal works of
Macon he was listened to attentiveIy and
believed implicitly. How son of his could
| show the white feather, he often said, was
beyond his ken. He talked to Willie urged
! him to pull OF his coat and wade into those
F.! who offended him, else he said he would
make clerk Of him instead Of placing him
at the head of some one of his establish
| ments.
| After such interviews Willie would go to
his mother and kiss her on the lips; and
| she, looking into his eyes. saw the re1ec-
| tion of dauntless soul my boy cow
| ard? Oh. no. hei is simply gentleman.
! that's ALL" she would say.
| And Julia Stoht-ghe, too knew that he
| was not a coward She had seen him pick
| up wounded bird apd stroke its trembling
| head and nestle 1t close to his sympathetic
| heart. They wefe walking one day when
they discovered .ardog gnawing at an old
piece of leather. apd he had run to the
| house, mile away. and returned with bread
! and bones. Sha had seen him clench his
| fists when an old farmer was beating an
overloaded horse. and the tears melt in his
! eyes when she had fead to him the sorrow
| full story of man who had killed himself
| because he could dld no employment. OF
! such material, she told herself, towards
| were not made.
| With the exception Of Miss Stout and his
! mother. when he had arrived at age, Willie
Martin had neither friends nor associates.
He had learned to play the piano and to
| sing, and from these accomplishments he
derived great pleasure until one day his
| father suggested that he attend Miss Smith s
female college. Then he gave up that
amusement.
/; When the war with Spain was declared
| and the government was asking for volun-
teers, among the first to apply for enlist
| ment was "the Little Nancy" as young Mar
! tin had been familiarly addressed for many
day. Being of sound mind and body, he
| was accepted. At Tampa, to the disgust
! Of many of the boys with whom he had
! gone to school, he was made sergeant OF
Co. G. Those who had known him at Ma
| con looked upon this advance as a huge
! joke. They obeyed his orders If they liked
| them; disregarded them if they failed to
| suit. ''The idea of this little pimple being
| in the army" they said. why. Lordy If
| Spaniard were to throw a piece of dirt
at him. he'd cry and run for his mother:
Pretty dangerous chap for cuttin'
! and shootin-cuttin' the sand and shootin'
| for tree to hide behind" And so they
! talked.
| At Daiquira, the second day after the
| troops had landed, the lieutenant had
dropped from a sharpshooter's rifle, and on
| the morning following the second lieuten-
ant, who had taken his place, was badly
wounded. Two hours later. when the com
mand was given to march upon the breast
works of the enemy, young Martin was
next to the captain in authority.
| When the troop reached the hill upon the
! top Of which were the enemy they moved
| up it as best they could. their cheers min
! Cling with the messages of death. Almost
| in the twinkling of an eye the shells began
! bursting about them, making noises that
deafened the living and caused the pros
| trate bodies to tremble as though lying on
a bed Of quivering earth Shot and shell
| descended upon them as the autumn rains
| fall upon stubbles Of the field. The noun
| tains to the east and to the west looked
| as II they had been transformed into beIch-
| ing furnaces Shrfeking cursing. Kissing
| balls struck the ground, leveled men. up
rooted trees and filled the air with dust
1t was early in the afternoon, but through
| the riffs of smoke the soldier looking to
| the sky could catch the gleam Of a twin
| king star, just as one does when down a
shaft Blue and yellow waves Of mist,
sitting. suffocating. binding. met the ad-
vancing men fairly in the face Balls of
fire few through the air to fall and scatter
and wither living things. Men wept some
faltered. some ,muttered prayers, others
died with curses on their lips. Above the
shrieks of gun and men those marching
near the sergeant caught fragments OF his
unfalter1ng voice and. watching him, they
could see his untrembling feet plant them
selves nearer and nearer the opposing lines.
Close up! Steadyag forward. march,"
rolling sea of gray tossed its billows to
and fro. and then drifted over the tree tops
and into the cloddss Part Of the column
reeied and staggered. but its breathing,
patriotic line marched onward.
The keen and shining blade OF Martin
sword caught thai light from the blazing
mouths Of fire. The color bearer was near
him, and once the wind, blowing the folds
of the flag in hfs flee. Martin seized ono
of its ragged corpsrs and pressed 1t to his
had made nets f6f hh feet. but they were
too weak to hold them. or, apparently, to
give annoyance. Men who had called him
''the Little Nancy were falling as sickles
before the scythe-to his left, to his right,
to his rear. There were none In front-ex-
as though courting fatal bullet. Martin
walked ahead Of this mighty. dauntless,
moving column. A smile was on his mouth.
al II he were on mission Of love. II
did not seem possible that an object as
small as q housedy could live in that
dsluge of flame. AZ the column got near
the crest Of the hill q sudden sweep of the
wind carried the smoke and the mist out
to the sea. and the sun shone forth a. II
from q bath Of blood.
through the thunderbolts Of lead. the Amer
leans halted at last Down the hill on the