El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-14
KILLING HIS MAN.
BY M. QUAD.
Copyright. 1900, by c. h. Lewis.

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Have | ever killed Il man.:
OF a sudden. as he lay doing on his
bed in camp one day, Private HollinS
asked this question of himself. He
had been in battle and skirmiSh. He
had fired away his ~ rounds and fired
to kill. but as lie began to recall all
his battles he could not remember that
he had ever had an enemy so near and
so fairly before him that his bullet had
surely done the work There were few
soldiers who boosted of taking life.
There were sbarpshooters who had
brought down n dozen men. but they
never talked about it. Men were pro-
NOTED for desperate fighting. which
sometimes meant killing single handed,
but they were proud only of the pro-
motion. 1t was Il curious question
Private Hollips asked of himself, and
il led to strange results. He was not
bloodthirsty man. and yet as lie lay
thinking the idea came to him that he
had not done himself justice as sol
der. He had not killed Il man. When
the war was over and he had returned
home. lie would he asked the question.
His friends and neighbors wouldn't be
satisfied with his record of battles, but
would sweep it aside and say:
Yes: we know you We're in five or
six battles and that you fired hundreds
of bullets ut the enemy. but can you
truthfully say you ever brought 4 man
down."
lie couldn't say ii. and lie felt that
he would lose caste This feeling
brought a Sudden resolve. 1t was a
resolve that startled him at first, but
the more he thought of it the more de-
termined he was to carry it out He
would kill a man: he would do it next
time he went on picket. There We're
no orders against firing. 1t was by
tacit agreement among the pickets that
they refraincd. If lie brought one OF
the enemy down. he would not he re-
proved even if not praised. He would
not boast OF the kill to his comrades,
but when he feached home and farm
ers and their wives and sons sat lis
tening to his stories of war he could
answer the question they would be
sure to put, and answer in the affirm
ative. 1t WAS Il fortnight before Pri-
vate Hollins was detailed for picket
duty. He was not impatient. He was
willing that time should pass, but
W lc WOuu
kill a man. He never wavered in this
resolution.
This is your post, Hollins," said the
corporal as he. left him one afternoon
at the edge Of a wood under a large
oak. I'VE don't know exactly where
the enemy's picket is. but it's some
where around that log house. How
ever. if you don't get too fresh and go
to walking around in the open he won't
bother you. There hasn't been a shot
fired along here for two weeks. If you
go in for roasted acorns, don't make
much of a ire"
To-day 1 shall Kill man." said
Private HollinS as he was left alone
and he began his preparations ut once. |
At long rife shot, away across an old
cottonfield. was a log house with 4
few fruit trees standing about it. One
might he sure the farmer was off to
war and that wife and children, if they |
had not abandoned the place, We're |
having Il miserable existence. Hollins !
crept down To the fringe of bushes on !
his side of the field and pcered and
and waited like an Apache in !
ambush. For an hour he saw nothing. !
Then Il gaunt. i'll used dog came among
the trees ana trottcd about IN the open !
In Il sneaking. furtive way. If the dog !
was there. the house must be inhabit-
eel. He had just come to this conclu- |
sion when he caught sight of a figure |
among the trees. 1t was between the
house and the bushes where he be-
lieved the encmy's picket was lying. !
1t must be the picket OH his way to
and from the well. Perhaps he had /
gone to the house to light his pipe or
boil his coffee. There was Il glimpse
and it was gone. Another glimpse. an
other hiding. and then the figure was
fair to view. 1t was a long shot, but
a pretty fair target, and without an
instant's hesitation he drew up his gun
and fired. When he looked over the
smoke. the figure was gone.
But l know l hit him, and he's ly-
ing dead on the grass" said the soldier
as he reloaded his gun. Now l can
tell them at home that l killed a man.
Mighty long shot, but l dropped him
for sure
The dog was still in the open. As
the shot rang out he looked back
among the trees. AS the echoes died