Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-08-04


had been sadly retarded by the heavy.
lived. His nerves acquired tone. and
lie learned to take tumble now aud
then as n matter OF course and to fire
his carbine without shutting his eyes
and blanching at the explosion OF tie
cartridge. y f
"Blow me, if he isn't going to shape
INTO man at last!', quoth the sergeant
instructor. s
Then a great blow fellupon him. He
received one morning. q letter from the
girl to tell him that she had given him
ur 70 favor Of a shopwalker who had
expectations Of being set up In busi.
ness by his father. She admitted that
she had adored soldiers and that she
had caused him to enter the army for
her sake. But she had omitted to state
that the soldiers she adored were sol
diers who possessed the queens COM
mission aud who wore stars instead of
a worsted stripe.
If poor White Feather was physical
coward, he was moral hero. There Is
no chance of display Of feeling in
bayrasf yspm; so, like the Spartan boy
OF old. no hugged his trouble to him,
slipping the cheap little engagement
ring with which he had sealed his
troth into his pocket without sign be-
yond the twltchlng Of his white lips.
Then he lit his pipe with the letter, not
out Of contempt, but because there is
little privacy accorded In the CORE.
spondence that comes to the barracls
room. and a private soldier is not pro-
vided with desk wherein to 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
ly knowledge that should have told
him long since that he had fixed his af-
fections upon vulgar. selfish and
brainless f1irt, and he still believed in
her.
For her sake he had learned TO over
come his physical cowardlce. He had
dreamed of possible commission In
the dim future and had rejoiced in the
recently acquired promotion as a step
toward her.
| For her sake. too, ho received the
news chcerfully 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 tho memory
Of her he swore an oath to himself to
do his duty without .sparing himself in
the coming fight.
I
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 a large
bowlder, against the face of which the
Boer bullets were pattcring like a
heavy rain.
In full sight of the whole army their
squadron had crossed the Boer front
amid 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 trumpcter
into the shelter of the powders He
was unburt. but trembled in every
lirlb from fear and great exertion.
From between two bowlders he peop-
ed out and saw, amid the bodies of men
and horses that Uttered the plain, a
wounded man crawling on his hands
that were kicking puffs of dust from
the dry earth all around him.
IT was his captnin.
White Fcat watched him for a
moment; then Ne saw him stop and lie
down on his side despairingly. He
could crawl no moro.
81 will. for her snke" he murmured
between his clinehed teeth. and, rising
from the shelter Of the rock, he faced
the hail Of death that pGttered to the
earth around linn. So
As he walked into the open faint
cheer REACHED his ears from the Brit
ish troops half u mile behind him. The
Royal artillery backed him with a
shrieking hight of shrnpnel, which
whistled for moment overhead, then
burst over the Ioer lines quarter of
mile away in a shower Of bullets that
for moment quclled the storm around
him. ~
He reached the wounded man. lifted
HlIll oii HIS D'iNh luu ft'uihcu StNp "
step to where Trumpeter Pipes lay hid
den.
Tie trumpeter gave him a faint
"Bravo" us 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
mauder shut his ileldglasses with a
snap.
"Tcll the general TO keep down the
fire on the right there and to get those
men In from behind those bowlders,'
he said 10 his aid, "and bring me tina,
mans name. If he Is alive, tell him
that saw 1t all aud that Pm going tc
recommend him for the cross.
Never saw a finer show of fire d!sci
plirc In my life.s added the commund
er to himself as his aid gailoped OFF.
White Feathers eyes glistened as he
received the message and heard tht
cheer that swept along the lines as h'
was carried In,
Perhaps shall yet that commission
after all" ho said 10 himself; "ther
she will think more OF mel"
Perhaps 1t was Just as we'll that hi
died five minutes later-thls fathfu
s worshiper OF n goddess of clay.--Pcnn,
} Pictorial Magazine,
An Ingenious Topper.