Morris tribune., 1904-01-30

will give 1t to YOU when you start.
| Of course we'll all be there to see
you off. Now, remember" she said,
eff my picture is with you no harm
can come near.
In front of the commanding Off
Ger the officers halted before they
started off. The women, still in
their evening gowns, crowded around
them to say goodby. They could
recognize faces only when the light
from the commandments windows
fell upon them. Beyond that all
was dark.
King waited for the mascot that
had been promised him and was de-
spairing when he felt something
hard slipped between his fingers and
heard voice which seemed to come
out of the inky air murmur, "Adios. )"
"Adios," he answered and follow
ed the sound of the hoofs of his cap
tain's horse.
In the midst of the chaparral,
trotting slowly along with the col
umn, he struck match and looked
at the bit of pasteboard in his hand.
The light was uncertain, but he
could make out a head and neck,
and the eyes seemed to glitter.
Then a gust of wind blew out the
match, and coyote yelped near by.
The rations were almost out, and
orders were to return to the post
for fresh supplies. King was hap
Ply at the prospect naturally. He
drew out his mascot from time to
time and looked at the beautiful
face thereon, the lips half parted,
the eyes glancing from under heavy
lids. It was only a head, with
masses of fluffy hair fading into the
shaded background, but it was beau
tiful, perfect
The twilight came on. They had
marched all the afternoon. They
were weary of chasing phantoms, of
following useless trails They pass
ed through a pine forest, and the
darkness deepened.
A creek at the bottom of a gully
, flowed along in the shadow Of the
pines. The column went down to
it, listening to the sound Of the rip
ping water. All else was quiet.
No one spoke. The black wings of
the pines, like shadow of doom,
lay over the troops.
A crack, a hiss, a bullet striking
through flesh, startled murmur,
orders ringing on the air in the
midst of the shots-then the SOL
diers returned the fire Of their I'M
seen foes. On all sides they were
surrounded, but the gully was wide
enough for a little maneuvering.
The men got under the shelter of
an abrupt rising of the bank and
had only to defend themselves from
three sides.
They were badly frightened-not
as towards, but as men who are fond
of life and mean to sell it dearly.
It was an ugly position, and not
few fell face downward in the dane
ing mountain stream. The only
person who seemed completely to
ignore the danger was King. A Gig
arctic between his teeth, he strolled,
with apparently utter carelessness,
up and down under cover of the bull
lets of his men and in full range of
the Indians hidden up above behind
the tree trunks.
Some way the thought of the mas
cot under his coat gave him sense
Of security. He heard again the
sound Of the voice which said to
him from the darkness, ''If my pic
ture is with you no harm can come
near" He felt again the touch of
the phantomlike hand, the warmth
of the lips he could not see.
There was a sharp pain in his
breast. He gave little cry and fell,
his head half buried in the pine nee
dies.
The girl, when she heard Of it |
from the dust stained courier, grew
uneasy. She was afraid that her
picture might be found on the body |
and that the man she had promised
to marry-the middle aged colonel,
who had great ideas of her constan-
o1, y,,iuht baar Of If
But he did not. There was a pho
tograph found in Kings pocket, but
the bullet had plowed right through
the face, and it was so smeared with
blood as to be unrecognizable. 1t
was sent back east to his family
San Francisco Argonaut.