The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-05-28
A CONTRITE
~ COWARD
A DECORATION DAY STORY
BY p. Y. BLACK
Abel went to war one day.
By p. Y. BLACK


jingling doggerel. Abel Tut went on
his road and would not look at them
or seem to hear them. The insult
very old one to his ears. These were
not the first children to modest him in
the village street as the schools were
dismissed. The parents Of some Of
them had yelled at him years ago.
parents who were the first concoctors
of the rhyme. The elder brothers and
sisters of these present babies had
chanted 1t in their turn, and still the
knocking words were relished by the
urchin mob. For nearly "a years the
now gray-bearded and solitary man
had been the butt of his.native town
ship. No girl had In that time
walked with him or danced with him,
although he had been a straight and
handsome youth. nor had he been a.
sharer in the sports of the young men.
AS he grew older he was allowed no
part in the councils of the village. II
he desired to vote at presidential
election. he did 1t only by running the
gantlet of a thousand sneers.. Mani
testify, 1t seemed absurd that man
who had deserted in the face of the
country's enemy should have say in
the choice of his country's chief. He
was tabooed; he was ostracised; he
was outside the camp.
AS the lonely years passed by, and
many of the soldiers who had fought
while he ran dropped out of life, his
punishment became softeIed to a
great extent He lived 60 consistently
apart, and was so long suffering under
torture. and, also, so many new and
interesting events happened, that peo-
pie began to forget If they never for
gave. For a large part OF the year.
therefore, Abel Tut could now come
into the market place from his patch
of a farm and be CONTEMPORARY ig-
nored. But on one day of each year.
even in those years when a new gen.
Grafton was springing up, his humilia-
tion was freshened and complete, his
agony of shame peculiarly acute. This
always happened on Decoration day.
When the schools were closed and
flags were displayed; when war
SCARED veterans limped to fife and
drum, and rosy cadets claimed their
fathers cheers; when wreaths of laurel
and the best loved flowers were piled
on heroes graves, and the modest
monument on the green was surround
ed by the swaying crowd who listened
to the orators-then Abel hid himself
away. May and springtime were to
him no season for rejoicing. but pc
the story of his shame was certain to
be retold, and II he dared to go abroad
his ears would hear the old refrain:
Abel went to war one day.
Dropped his gun and ran away.
He was young when first he had
been called "coward"-a lad of 18.
Now he was stopped and grayer than
some men older than he. but his hard
working life In the open and almost
-necessitated abstention from all revels
had kept him strong and active. He
had suffered in soul, but not in body.
Now. when he was over so. an old, ia
miliar call came to his solitude, a call
unheard for many years. call which
rang out until every citizen from the
Atlantic to the Pacific heard 1.-THE
bugle call to arms. Abel heard in
the store and saw in the papers what
had occurred. and he fell on his knees
In his lonely house and sobbed and
prayed.
There was a recruiting station In a
large town not far from the village,
and there gathered many Of the region
who desired to enlist in the war
against Spain. Thither went Abel
Tut, telling no man of his mission. A
sergeant, selected for the service be-
cause of his smart and prosperous fig
ure, stood at the door of the Offices.
and to him Abel applied. Many young
fellows were hanging about and when
the graybeard arrived his presence oc-
'casioned curiosity and smiles. The
sergeant, however, was sufficiently cor
dial in his manner.
1--WE come to list" said Abel.
up.
81 guess" said the sergeant, not
'unkindly, this war can be fixed with
out calling on the veterans. The doc
tors only passing young men and
hearty. How old are your"
"Fifty-odd."
"Glory!" cried a voice in the little
crowd, and youngster from Abel's
township pushed forward with loud
laugh. GLORY! Him! Great Scott,
but that's good. It's Abel Tut, the
'deserter, who would have been shot
for running away II President Lincoln
hadn't pardoned him when his mother
went to him crying. Him want to en-
list? That's good. You amt as spry
on your feet as you used to be, Abel
You couldn't run fast enough now to
get away safe. Best stay at home"
Abel went to war one day,
Dropped his gun and ran away"
''Is that true? the sergeant asked,
coldly, looking up and down the
mans lank form with sneer.
That's why want to join" said
Abel, with pathetic appeal. II want
a chance to wipe 1t out. Can see the
of1cer?"
mo good" the soldier answered,
turning sharply away. THE captain
wouldn't speak to you. He never let's
up on a deserter"