Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-01
DAILY SHORT STORY
A JAPANESE SOLDIERS eUEssEs
IOriginal-l

ly, to go and fight the Russians.
My son will never come back" la
mented his mother
Put. mother, think how proud my
ancestors will be of me in the other
world if l fall with my face TO the
front"
Okiki who was young and full of
youths optimism, was inclined TO take
different view Rather let US think.
she said that IShero will come back
an officer. Perhaps he may be a cap
tain"
NO hope of that" replied the moth
er. He has never been fond of fight
ing. He has always been a thinker,
forever hunting a cause for every eff
feet
Ishero, bidding his mother be of good
cheer and charging Okiki TO comfort
her while he was gone. marched
aboard q steamer with a gun on his
shoulder and was transported to Man
churia. There he campaigned with his
regiment. but since he was not Drawer
than the others there seemed no chance
for his promotion. Indeed, he took lit
tie interest in killing people. If he saw
a bird flying over his head he would
stop firing to wonder how il supported
itself in the thin air. SO he soon came
to be regarded as Il dreamer by his
comrades.
One day the brigade of which he was
n part was standing on river bank,
the general fretting and Tuning be-
cause he could not get his men across
to participate in a fight in progress on
the other bank 1t so happened that
IsherO stood very near the general.
Ishero had something to say to him and
finally mustered courage to say il.
Il thine general" he said, that
there is Il bridge or a ford about a mile
below"
The general looked at the little pri-
vate who dared thus address him.
How do you know:" he asked.
Il don't know. 1 only think so.'
Turning TO one of his staff, the gen.
eraI ordered him to ride down the bank
and find out the truth of IsherO'S sur
mise The officer did so and returned,
stating that there was a narrow bridge
capable of crossing the men in single
file. The brigade was marched down
there, crossed the river, came up in
rear of the enemy and turned defeat
into victory. When it was all over the
general sent for Ishero.
What made you guess there was a
bridge below he asked.
Il saw clump of houses on either
bank and guessed that the inmates
would have some means of visiting one
another"
HIM grunted the general. ''Since
you are SO good at guessing, you may
remain at these headquarters"
So Ishero remained with the general
and was made an officer.
Later the general was ordered to
march through wood to relieve a
japanese force that had been cut off
from the main army and was about to
be OverpOwered by superior numbers.
The brigade started at evening. guided
solely by the sound of firing, but after
dark the sounds ceased, and the gen
eral did not know which way to go. 1t
was moonlight, the ground was Hat,
the woods were dense, and no one
could see Il hundred yards. The gen
eral called for Ishero. Can you guess
which way we are to go?' he asked.
Ishero looked at the sky, then point
ed eastward.
That's not the right way" said the
general
Il think it is, general"
How do you known
Il see specks circling in the air.
They must be birds lowering over the
dead"
The general gave the order to change
directions, marched till . o'clock and
4 TnIu
two japanese forces combined drove
them off the field.
For this shrewd guess Ishero was
made colonel. and, his general hav-
ing been promoted to the. command of
an army, the young officer occupied
a very responsible position. He was
called the guessing aid, and the gen
eral used him solely for his faculty for
tracing effect from cause.
One more guess made Ishero a gen
erdl. His commander was following
the Russians on retreat, and they were
burning the bridges behind them.
Coming to a river over which the
bridge was down, Ishero saw a cotton
bale floating down the stream and no
ticed its remarkable buOyancy.
General he said, Il can make you
guess as to how to get across the
river"
How
You see that cotton bale floating
Well, l guess where that came from
there are more. Get them, incase them
and make pontOOn floats of them"
On the bank above where the cotton
bale had come from was found a ware
house containing a large number OF
bales. They were used as Ishero di-
rected, and SO great was their buoy
ancy that infantry, cavalry and artiI-
lery were crossed on the bridge con-
structed of them. When the general in
chief heard of this exploit he sent for
Ishero and said to him:
You have been guessing long
enough for others. 1t is time you be
gan to guess for yourself. You are APP
pointed TO the command of tho Fifth