The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-21
The Globes Daily Short Story

You're a good fellow"
| s Same TO you, returned Wade
LET'S quit chattering and, attend to
For some time they lay silent. star
| ing into the darkness for tbines TO-,
| could not see, even had fhay haeJ,
| mere. only the intermittent Dopnino
| VI muSketry and the occasionaJ 7o,I7
OF Mauser bullet broke the s;1anca
| now and then they could see throueL
| flare. -ieil'dIy req
"Confound them," observed osbourro
| the f1lipinos can smoke. anvhoJv Pc ne
| oylng Tor a cigarette"
WI you i1ght match here" said
| Maoe, Wen be targets for about four
| thousand rifles" Aooi
mats true enough" agreed Os-
e eHl uhe' with soft chuckle; cigar
| etteS are rather expensive ont 49, -,
another period Of silence foIIored
WADE, inquired Osbourne. Sudden
| e. ~, ale you Wiling to try a wild scheme
LOT settung this matter forever"
Anytnlng lair and reasonable" re-
pit sI1 tne other. What's your plan ?"
Draw StraWs," said Osborne briaf
| ~, the man who gets the short one ono
! 70 stand up and light a match and
| go to his fathers anu
| wade caught his breath and remain
gu IN mute ior some time, considering.
! moi 50 bad" he observed, after p
Liz te put we are on duty now"
/ on the DELL" said Osbourne. light
4 ~; the F1llp1nos wouldn't attack for
an the loot of Manila. An outpost here
IS merely matter Of form. Resided
one of us win be left" 0''
| That's So returned Wade. "and
see no objection"
! GU fix the StrawS, Them said Os
bourne quickly. "TlI draw" He 6e-
gan to whistle softly in a nervone
Iasnlon, as men do when they are
close to death. Wade fumbled silent
j ~ with some fragments of rice straw
his movements were slow and me-
thaIllcaI. Some men are constituted
| that way. "Here, Tom" he saiJ
stretching out his right fist. NAV the
better man get it,
OSpourne extended a hand that
! trembled slightly, and fingered the dis
| closed ends of straw for a brief time
! Suddenly he clutched one and nulIed
IL out. AT the same instant there was
| strange, soft thud, and Wade fell
| upon his face. His limbs moved con-
Vuls1Vely- for moment; then he Law
motionless.
| For Gods sake, Billy! what's mp"
crleo Osbourne, in an agonized whis-
| per. He laid his hand on the mans
lace put Jerked it away Mortified, for
| IL touched something warm and wet.
SheS mine!" he muttered. with
fierce triumph; then, Poor BiIly."
"A thought came that caused him TO
gasp and shiver. He hesitated, reach
| ed for the dead mans hand, and loos-
ened its clasp from the other straw.
1t was several inches longer than the
one he had drawn
What shall / do?" he moaned. ooh.
Billy!" he cried, Shaking the dead
mans shoulder as if to rouse him.
What shall 1 do?" Only the far-off
! popping of the rifles broke the op-
pressive stiffness.
What would you have done?" he
asked in the same strain. by God!"
suddenly, you were a good man. You
would have kept the compact. I lost
fairly. Bear witness, Billy, I am as
good man as YOU"
He laid his hand for an instant on
| the dead mans forehead. Then he
rose slowly, and fumbled in his peck
ct. AT length he found a match. For
moment he stood irresolute, inhaling
strong breathS of air. Already he had
begun to feel the horror of being shut
out from 1t forever. 1t was hard to
give the signal for his own DEATH His
teeth came together with a click, and,
scratching the match on his shoe, he
held the flame before his breast
w. o. Geehan.
San Francisco, July, 1902