The National tribune., 1900-08-02
AN UNEXPECTED HERO.
lie Proved His Bravery the Firing Lne and Found Grave
in the Philippines.

guard duty, placed his Springfield in the
gun-rack, hung his belt at the head of
his bunk, and sat down on the edge of
that bamboo contrivance to take off his
leggings, and as he did so he called out
in a voice evidently intended for the ears
of every man in the room:
Say, Willard, I've got some good news
for you"
"What is it," asked the man addressed,
from his station farther down the room,
where he was endeavoring to polish an
obstinate pair of army shoes. Every ear
was turned to catch the answer, for Max
we'll was the company wit, and everybody
except the unsuspecting Willard himself
saw some kind of a joke coming.
There's n new stock of woolen socks
up at the Quartermaster's."
At this broad allusion TO the soldiers
remedy for cold feet there was general
outbreak of merIiment, and advice to lay
in a good stock, and offers to take up a
collection to help pay for it were showered
upon the victim of the Scrgeants humor,
until he was compelled to take himself be-
yond their reach.
What's all this racket about: queried
the First Sergeant, sticking his head out
the door of his room.
Nothing; only we was talkin' about
gettin' Willard some new Klondike socks
you fellows let Willard alone. 1 wish
some of you blood drinkers would do your
work as well as he does. I'd rather have
him with me in pinch than some of you
fellows that pretend not to be afraid of
anything" and the Sergeant withdrew
into his room to finish making up his list
Of passes for the day.
Poor Willard wandered out to the COM
pany kitchen, but even there he could not
get beyond the reach of his tormentors,
for when the company cook saw him
standing near with q somewhat vacant
look on his countenance, he took up
pepper box and handed it to his visitor,
with the remark that little of that in
the bottom of his shoes would warm his
feet in good shape. The boy, now almost
In tears, turned away and sought quiet
spot under a tree near the end of the bar
racks and gave himself up to unpleasant
thoughts and longings for home and the
sweet comfort of the loving mother who
had almost died of grief when he left her
to go to war. He was but boy of Is
and had never been away from home be-
fore. Homesickness had seized upon
much older men than he, even those in the
jeering crowd in the barracks, and it is
no wonder he had an almost uncomfortable
longing to throw his arms around that
dear mothers neck and feel all his troubles
slip away from him; but between him and
that perfect peace were 5000 miles of
ocean and an enlistment in the United
States Army, either one a sufficient bar
rier to his desires.
The homesickness he could have en-
dured with a stout heart, being naturally
of bright and sunny disposition, but this
cruel jibing of the men made it almost un-
bearable at such times as this. The men
were not Intentionally cruel, merely rough
and thoughtless, and they failed to realize
how deeply their jests cut one who felt
that possibly their words might be true,
for Willard did not know whether he was
a coward or not. He had made up his
mind TO do his duty, no matter how badly
frightened he might be, but he was not
philosopher enough to know that this was
true courage of a higher type than the
mere animal bravery of his jeering COM
panions. All he knew was that when it
came his turn to perform some duty in
which there was uncertainty or a spice of
danger, his lips quivered, his hands trem-
bled and the color left his cheeks, yet he
always went without word. 1t was
these little symptoms of fear, exhibited
unconsciously, which his comrades had no.
ticed and which had been promptly dag
nosed as "cold feet" They did not realize
that he was but mere boy, with a highly
sensitive and nervous temperament. All
they saw was the trembling lip and the
shaking hand. and this was enough to
bring down upon him the rude wit of the
soldiers. 1t was soon one of the standing
jokes of the company. Army wit, like
much that is met with elsewhere, is large
ly of a secondhand nature and runs in
ruts. The majority, unable to originate
anything themselves, repeat the jokes of
the few until they become stale and nau
seating, and delude themselves with the
idea that they are being actually funny.
So the same old jokes about woolen socks,
pepper in the shoes, bathing the feet in hot
water, mustard plasters, and sleeping with
the feet TO the fire were worked over day
after day, until Wizards life was made
as much of a burden as it could be to one
naturally so genial and forgiving and
buoant of spirits. In spite of all this
banter he was general fayorite. No one
was SO tender TO the sck no one so pune
tual in the performance of duty, no one
so ready to exchange pass privileges or to
lend the remaining few cents of his pay.
The men made him the victim of their
rude wit without malice or thought that
they were doing a mean and cowardly
thing.
The insurrection had been in progress
month, and still the regiment was kept
on guard duty in Manila. One night at
retreat the First Sergeant of each com
pany read an order for the men to pack
up and be ready TO take the field at Z
O'Clock the next morning. Then all was
hustle, for kits had to be packed and
stored away under charge Of the Quarter
master, as nothing bat the barest necessi-
ties were to be taken on the campaign
At morning roll call the names Of all those
who had been put on the sick report and
were TO remain behind because deemed
untitled TO march were read. and among
them was Wizards. Dysentery had been
pulling him down for several weeks and
his Captain considered him too weak for
4 campaign. During the breakfast that
followed and the final getting together of
The campaign outfits preparatory to fall
ing i'll, steady stream Of army wit was