The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-05-03

&etesei0s6sGx ing about the war He
was not a fighter, but n
grower Of things TO eat And any way,
If he must be in the war, lie should be
on the other side, among his own peo-
pie, and not on this Russian cruiser
that was sinking.
He could hear the water rushing in
even above the noise OF the engines
that We're urging the warship toward
the shallow water near shore Sharp
commands were being issued, and
there were hurrying feet, and above
all other sounds and dominating them
were the occasional thunder Of ships
guns booming across the harbor.
What If the cruiser should sink before
reaching shallow water? What If a
shell from one OF his own vessels
should blow up and sink the cruiser
in an instant? Would his not be the
fit ending of traitor. even though
he were not here voluntarily and had
done nothing more war-like than holy
stone decks AID help polish the brass
tittingsg
He crouched still lower. cringing alb
jectly Perhaps they were needing him
10 do something about the vessel But
be would not goat most one could but
die, and lie would not help any more
on tas--
"Hoya. you skulkerl Out Of thatw
came a fierce voice. and he felt some
thing sharp pierce his shoulder and the
trickling Of blood. and with a whining
shriek Of protest he scrambled out and
upon his feet, and was presently a
link ID an endless chain that was hur-
ryirG Ammunition from the cavernous
depths OF the vessel, conscious only Of
his miserable existence and the fact
that be was not a fighter, bu. a grower
Of things to eat
And then the expected happened.
A flying shell struck the cruiser. and
though she did not sink or even re-
ceive material injury, the sudden con-
fusion and uproar implied the worst,
and Haskits climbed franiicany up
one ladder and another and up steps
and stairs until he reached the deck.
where. with wild cry in which was
mingled terror and despair and de-
tance be threw himself over the YES
sells side. Those in his way tried to
stop him, and 4 few bullets whlstled
about his head as he sank in the
water; then the confusion Of the mo-
ment caused him TO he forgotten.
AS a boy he had lived near the coast
and been accounted an expert swim
mer; so now when he struck the water
be sank and did not rise until he was
hundred yards from the vessel. The
town was a mile distant but instead
OF swimming In that direction he start
ed toward a point OF land full three
miles away. From the vessel this
point had shown to be an agricultural
section, thInly settled. and his eyes had
filled when be first saw It. There the
people were happy. for they lived OH
farms and worked with the soil.
1t was night when his feet touched
a muddy bottom and he waded TO the
shore But he did net make himself
known at the nearest farm house ais he
had at first thought; instead he kept to
the bitches as much as possible. and
when obliged to cross a piece Of land
near farm buildings. he wormed his
way along slowly and cautiously, as an
animal might, on all fours. and keep
ing to the deep shadows. Russians OF
course, would be near the coast. and
would be on the lookout for such de-
serters as he. When daylight appeared
be was fifteen miles in the interior.
He was IN the midst of small
farm and where all kinds of vegetables
seemed TO be grown, with every one
Of which he was familiar. AS 1t grew
lighter, SO he could see, lie suddenly
dropped upon his knees sobbing and
kissing the green leaves. 1t was a
coming home TO his own, after ten
years Of exile in servitude
All else was forgotten. pas. future,
possible danger, hunger, everything in
the joy Of again being with his own.
He did not even rise from his knees,
but began to cultivate and care for the
plants with his fingers, loosening the
soil, removing decayed leaves, and
whispering to them as though they
were things alive that coHld under
stand, the tears all the while dropping
from his eyes.
Joy-of-the-Farm found him there
when she went to begin her days
work and the girls almond eyes grew
wide at the sight II was hard to get
lahornre In fhaea timaS Tho vounO
men were all going to wal, and the.
women were drifting toward the silk
factories that were sprlnging up in
the towns. She and her father man
aged by themselves, where formerly
they had hired. In those days Of suf-
fcient help her task had been to look
after the silk worms alone. Now she
went into the fields and did work that
belonged to common laborers. So