The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-14
WAS IT AN EXCHANGE OF sOULsp

baptism of fire. He was afraid Of the NOR
| row. His heart almost shriyeled up in
his broad chest at the thought OF wha,
he might expect to face, and then in turn
il expanded to almost sufocation. He was
afraid of himself. Would he walk up
bravely to whatever fate was in store for
him, or would he shrink and quail before
the foe? were questions that he asked
himself as he looked up at the twiukling
southern stars.
BY right of his physique his place was al
the head of the first four of his company.
At the preparatory camps he had learned
the foot maneuvres and manual Of arms
with an aptness that placed him in lire
for promotion to that OF a non commission
ed officer, If nothing better. He was tie
right pivot of his four. Would the conduct
of any of the other men turn on his az
tons in the action of the morrow? Would
he come out corpse, craven coward, or
n man worthy of promotion?
His thoughts new away. skipping over
the waters with the swiftness OF bird.
Nothing impeded their progress as they
that had brought him to this unfamiliar
southern cline.
His body lay back in a drowsy state. and
soon he slept souudly but his mind. his
SOUL was somewhere else. IL touched
lightly at New York city and went on out
into the rural districts with n bound. He
saw his comfortable home. At that very
moment his aged father was reading from
n daily paper to his anxious mother while
she sat with clasped hands on the opposite
side of the lighted lamp. He could see that
they were deeply interested in the story OF
the impending battle at the great southern
gate to Cuba. The very dread on his moth
er's face almost made him sorry that he
had enlisted against her wishes.
But something seemed to pull him on
from that beloved spot There was the old
family dog curled up in his kennel. He
saw him as plainly as the day he passed
out the back way. He felt like stopping
down and patting the old fellow on the
head as he passed. Strange to him, the
dog did not even look up. Always before
the dog had been ready to bounce to HIS
feet at the approach of his young master
in anticipation of a caress.
Notwithstanding recollectlons of the dear
old home caused him to linger. Private
Carter could not stay. Some uneXplainable
the wings of thought again.
A touch here and a touch there brought
him back to Camp Alger. The great Wash
ington Monument flashed on his vision as
he passed, the same as 1t was the day the
cars bore his regiment to the seaboard for
embarkation for the front. There was
neither pause nor delay until he walked in
to Ward at the corps hospital. He passed
down the narrow aisle between the cots.
He brushed against the Red Cross nurses
as they went to and fro ministering to the
dying. but they paid No attention to him.
At last he stood before No. q. The card
on the cGrtain gave the record OF the fever
patient for the day. TO one not familiar
with 1t II looked like a plain card with
line sdrawn across 1t at right angles to
each other. and heavy. wavy line running
from left to right and as crooked as the
average river line on n map. the variance
being several degrees in crossing half the
card.
Private Carter had been there before, and
knew exactly what that card meant. He
looked closely and saw that in the previous
hour the wavy chart line had taken a de-
cidedly upward tendency. indicating that
the fever was high. The patient was talk
ing in a rambling sort OF way. and tba
nurse was trying to soothe him. but he I'D
not appear to recognize her or what she
was doing for him. He did not seem TO
know that there were 500 other poor fell
lows languishing on all sides Of him in that
great tented hospital. Private Carter
stopped to hear what his comrade was say
ing.
He and John Spear had been boys tOgeth-
err They left home the same day to enlist.
Their names went down on the same mus
ter cards one after the other. They had
bunked together. were rockies in the
same four. had been next to each other in
the long, hot days of extended order drill.
so generally practiced in modern infantry
warfare Spear was stricken by that much
dreaded disease. typhoid fever. few days
before the regiment was ordered to the
front, and the next man In height fell into
MS place and closed up the gap in the
front.
The morning Spear bundled up his blan-
ket, and few belongings. and was taken
from his quarters By the ambulance he told
Carter that he felt that his days OF drill
int were over. AS the ambulance rum
blcd down the company street he held up
his throbbing head and took farewell
look at his comrades. who were drawn
up in line for morning drill, and Won
dered whether or not he would ever see
them again. The white tents danced
before his eyes like feecy clouds.
Now as Carter stopped over his fevered
he could hear him mrrmuring In
his delirium: "Oh. II l only could have
gone with the boys | know could have
gone up with them to the very mouth of
The Spanish guns. Now. there's Carter.
Won't he be brave and come back hero?
What cruel fate keeps me here in this
accursed placer
The sultry July night wore on. All was |
luiet. except the sentries calling the hours. |
Carter listened to the heavy-voiced sentry |
sending the word, ELEVEN o'clock and all |
8 WELT to his piping voiced comrade on |
he next beat, and marked the contrast. |
But he lowered about the cot of his dying |
.omrnde Even the rattle of the sword OF |
he passing officer OF the day did not dis
ract his attention from the plnched face |
4 Spear Once he flung u thin, almost |
transparent. hand over the edge OF the cot, |
md Carter attempted to take it between |
lis hands and cool 1t. but somehow ii
eemed something intangible, and he could
lot grasp it.
The surgeon came along. and. pulling the
urtain aside. glanced I'm. The nurse was
noistening the lips OF the dying soldier
md smoothing back the hair from the pale
orehtAd.
AT the turn OF night his troubles will be
'ver." the surgeon said. dropping the cur
ain OF thin mosquito bar and passing cut
why could I not have died on the field
4 battle?'' murmured the passing defender
# his country's flag. why must l be
tricken down by a camp disease and die
Without the honor of having fired gun at
he enemy"
Like the first cock at the dawn Of day,
lusty sentry at the guardhouse of dis
ant regiment took up the call. Twelve
o'clock" and before it had reached the
tarting point and he had added the words,
and all is Welt" the same cry was going
round all the other regiments in that
,reat camp of preparation.
Rut private Iohn Smear in the Ereat long |