Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-09
DAILY SHORT STORY
TELLING OF HIS BATTLES.

IOriginaLl
Myrfiancee's father had Il passion for
q secluded country life and every sum
mer took his family to a place he had
built as far as possible from any one.
There we were to be married in June.
l took everything l needed with me eX-
cept Il. razor. for l could never shave
myself without leaving sundry gashes,
and one doesn't wish to appear with
hacked face on Il day when he would
look his best. But ON arriving at Elm
wood l was Mortified to discover that
there was no barber there.
On the morning of my wedding day
l awo4le with a stubble face entirely
untitled for the occasion. After break
fast l questioned the servants and
found that five miles distant lived a
man who at times barbered the farm
ers. He was Il German by the name
of Manteufel. AMI had served in the
civil war. having reached the noncom-
misSiOned grade OF sergeant. l rode
ont on horseback i'll search of Manteu-
fcl, and while iuquirinS the way to
his farm it seemed to me that my in
formautS looked at me with curiosity
not unmiXed with awe. Upon asking
Il boy if there was anything remark
able about the veteran he said that Il
saber ,wound he had received in the
head had somewhat unsettled his
brain. People dreaded to get him to
talking labout his battles. because he
usually became very excited in de
scribinS' them.
When l came to Manteufers farm
knew l had reached my destination,
for on the little porch sat n soldierly
looking man with fierce gray mus
taches- smoking his pipe. 1 asked him
if he would shave me. He hesitated,
spoke to some one within the house,
then said that he would. | dismount-
ed. and as 1 entered the gate q scared
looking little girl in a blue sunbonnet
went out of it and hurried down the
road.
l was invited into Il small room
where Manteufel had improvised bar
bers chair and stretched myself upon
it. Manteufel was very deliberate in
everything lie did and it seemed to
me that he was thinking about some
thing besides shaving me. He spent
some time examining Il couple of
razOrs, then selecting one of them be-
gan 10 strop it leisurcly. After lie had
done so for some time. l began to won
der why he was so long about 1t. es-
pecially as he seemed to be strOpping
his feelings at the same time.
There is no time when man is
more kecnly sensitive 10 unimportant
happenings than just before his we'd
ding. As l sat there watching the
oil, la.
blade he was to hold in such close
proximity TO my throat began to wish
myself out and away There was not
a sound in the house save the razor
beating against the strop. 1t occurred
TO me that il the CX-Sergcant should
get To dreaming of his battles the
wound in his head might lead him to
fancy he stood over 4 fallen Confed-
crate WHO must be dispatched at once.
Being nervous. l committed a blunder,
touching on what l should have
avoided.
Sergeant" / said, and stopped, see
Ing my -~istake.
ZACH; you know l was a soldier.
How you know that"
Il didn't know il. r.
~ soldier once Il soldier is always a
soldier. l fights nit Sigcl. fights NIT
Meade, fights NIT Grant"
l had applied the match TO the in
fiammable fuel. and must listen to more
horrors than 1 had ever heard before
in all my life put together. In illus
trating how he had severed a Confcd-
crate head from the body with Il sIhor
he used the razor. initiating the hit
and draw motion necessary To do Il
good job of cutting. In n back stroke
with which he had saved himself from
an enemy in rear. while fencing with
one in front. he knocked over lamp.
scattering it in small bits on the floor
Then. describing how he had on dark
night crawled upon and Sabered
sleeping picket. he crawled up TO me.
razor in hand, his eyes cleaning my
hair standing on end-his nostrils di-
lated, every muscle of his body on the
alert.
4 man Just before his wedding is not
only. rs l said. kcenly alive to unim-
portant happenings. but under such Il
strain rs this especially mindful that
a tragedy al such n time is dOubly hOr
rible. My mind darted back and forth |
between 4 groom standing beside his |
blushing bride receiving cOngratula- |
lions. and that same groom lying in |
BARRIERS chair with his throat cut from !
ear TO ear. If had only dared to rise |
and say that would not be shaved aft !
or all,
But vat I remember best he went |
on. vas the charge we made on 4 |
Confederate battery in the Wilderness. |
! and nv COmpauV-caDtain and lieu