The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-06
IERRY EeAN. pEsERTER.

: - n
/ III men and a eating gun. had but one
fight That was at Iona. which sits up
! on a plain ct the foothills. surrounded
/ by thickets and the tow-brush that lines
/ the headwaters OF the Jelican. There
! one the down march his advance guard
lad been fred upon. but he had combed
! the brush with the Calling, buried four
! Tagais. destroyed the poor defenses and
arms found in the town and marched on
| without leaving a garrison He had no
| men TO spare he did not know what
awaited him further on, so he determined
| If Iona resisted him as ne returned
| he would burn the place and bring in the
| prisoners.
That was where Jerry Egan Of Com
pany became butt for the rldicule Of his
mates on account of the little Filipino
| woman. Emilia, who followed him for
! half q day. worshiped him with her wide
| black eyes and would take no money
! from him for the cakes and milk which
! she sold TO his comrades. And Jerry.
/ who was a mighty red-hea6ed. freckied
/ fellow, with a blazing hide and scar
| across his jaw, was almost as much sur
prised as he was delighted, since no wo-
man had ever looked lovingly upon him
except his mother.
'.How's your sQuaw, Jerry?" became
daily taunt in the mess. and II il hadn't
been for his brother Jerry wouldn't have
minded il at all.
In the hot, wet days that followed the
capture Of Iona. While the expedition
| founiered through morasses and heeled
over the Jagged trail TO the southwark.
/ Jerry's heart went low. and ne and his
bunky, who was from Kansas. too, began
| to talk about home till their faces were
long and their tempers sullen.
He's homesick for that Iona mig
ger, " jeered the top sergeant. who hated
4 hui -. T~.44 III
| disappeared from his post one night and
Captain Flint gave orders that the next
deserter should be shot the sergeant
grinned at Jerry and said: That means
you. You'll get a pot shot AT you one OF
| these nights il you don't forget that mig
ger :"
Whereupon Inc red-headed giants fist
clenched and the scar in his jaw turned
purple, but Peter. his brother. interfeTed
and the furious soldier sulked away. In
the return march they swung wide across
new trail in order TO take In the
struggling settlements TO the south. but
remembering Iona and the battle" of a
fortnight past, included that village in
their route. 1t was already dark when
the column matted two miles from the
Jelican bottoms, and Captain Flint sent
Jerry and his brother Peter to make an
outpost west of the ford by the edge of
the thicket at the near side OF the river.
Stay there till we come UP. That'u be
near daybreak,' said the captain. unless
something happens. If you hear a shot or
any sign Of force in the place. come in
one of you" And they liked out. the
two brothers, in the road to Iona.
For two short hours they sat together.
silent. motionless. in the hollow of rice
dyke near the stream. Sometimes they
could hear voices. and for a while the
music of a guitar, Sitting through the
jungle on the unsteady breeze. Then the
world seemed TO sleep. except the in
sects chirring and the lulling murmur of
the water.
You can sleep, Pete whispered Jerry:
III stand watch.
And his rother slept 1t was raining
when he woke with a start. The crack
of rife was yet singing in his ears. He
CROPPED for Jerry, crawled up on the en-
bankment and said, half aloud Jerry,
Jerry" There was no answer. He crept
nearer to the river, skuIking in the thin
timber, but saw no one. Then he forded
knee-deep into lie water and ran for
ward. hearing the subdued chatter of wo-
men. the cries of few children and
woman's voice sobbing aloud. The village
seemed astir. and therefore he ran back.
gained the road and FASTENED with ali
speed TO camp.
They're up; I heard a shot he said
to the guard.
Where's Jerry?' asked tho sergeant
the shot?"
MOI don't know. sir I didn't see
him; he
Weren't you together"
Il thought so. but he-that is, couldn't
find him. stammered Peter
The sergeant walked the captain. but Il
was decided to wait till morning to close
in 7
was divided into three battalions and sent
out in the dark to encircle the place
when you hear the Calling, rush EN-"
said Captain Flint.
The Calling spoke at daybreak. Stand
ing on the margin of the river near the
ford. it raked the jungle on the further
shore and then Captain F'lint's division.
with Peter in the front with weapons
ready. swarIned across the shallow ford
into the squaI4o village. No shot an
swered their first volleys and there was no
sign or sound of life in the place except
only that same sobbing of a woman which
Peter had heard in the night. With the
sergeant at his heels he rushed into ~-.e
nearest hut and there. upon the earthen
floor which was sodden with his blood.
lay Jerry. and Emilia, squat beside him.
holding his hairy. red hand. wept and
would not look AT them.
We got the deserter with the Calling
gun" said the sergeant TO the captain;
see him.
But when they picked him up he was 80
rigid and cold lat Peter knew he had
been dead for many hours His rife.
loaded and in order. was standing in a
corner, and the clean hole through the
back OF his neck showed where the steel
Mauser ball struck him
who shot him - asked Flint OF the
woman. speaking Spanish
My brother she moaned. but the SER
geaHt who could not understand. nut
tered.
Well. he just saved US the trouble
John II. Raftery