Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
A HERo's coWARDIcE?

away in the ranks TO the war a group
Of girls stood on porch waving. On
all the faces save one was a pleasur-
able excitement. That one waved sad
", languidly, az if bidding adieu to in
visible spirits. She was blind.
During the four years of campaign
ing that followed he never forgot that
face. When rain or snow beat upon
him. when the bullet sang its melodious
yet terrible song, when shells walled
above or solid shot showered him with
the soil of the south, his eyes were
fixed, not on the ''colOrs. but on that re-
membered face-sweet. melancholy, en-
during
When he returned he was riding at
the head Of the column, distinguished
soldier. The line of march lei past the
porch where he had seen the blind girl,
but she was not there. In his disap-
pointment he forgot his honors, the
clamoring throngs, the shouts that ran
abreast of him like an incoming tide.
Then farther on his pulses quickened
at seeing her at window. She was
StunutuS DttHttll lNO II ltltlS- -aS nc
apprOa ched he saw her say something
which he could not but infer was re
quest to be told where WAS the hero
of the hour, for one of them directed
her hand. I'm which she held a small
flag, so that when she waved 1t it was
10 him. He refined in his horse faced
toward the window and reverently
raised his hat. Then when he had seen
her friends tell her what he had done
and saw that he had given her
pleasurable emotion he turned AMI
moved forward.
The excitement OF that emotion gave
him his first fixed purpose in life. He
had been eminently fitted for a soldier,
whose career is like the wind which
bloweth where it listeth. He had felt a
pleasure in the roar Of battle, in the ac-
COmplShment of achievements in pro-
portion to the hazard of the undertake
ing but this human delight was to die
away before his newborn spiritual pur-
pose as storm that has passed gives
place to the soft sunlight The inspira-
ton that had been kindled in his heart
was TO comfort Il bereaved soul.
But his time was not his own. There
was much TO do in closing up the work
of the war ana in diSbanding the
armies, and he was retained even after
this had been done In an important
command. Weeks passed into months
and months into years. and the object
Of his life seemed AZ remote as ever.
One summer while suffering from the
effects OF an old wound, DESTROYS of
change and rest, he assumed the plain
garb OF citizen and went incognito to
an unpTetentiOus summer resort. AS
he mounted the steps of the porch he
saw sitting I'm a wicker chair the blind
girl He had purpOsely chosen this re
mote place where he would not be rec
Ognized, and after he had seen those
who were staying In the house he was
pleased that there was none who knew
him. He did not ask for an intrOduc-
ton to the girl-he did not need one.
No one needed an Introduction to her,
| for her blindness caused her to be al
ways dependent. He waited one morn
| ing until he saw her rise from her chair
| and grOpe her way into the house. then
asked If he might assist her. Never be-
fore had he experienced the sacred
emotions as when lie took the hand and
directed the steps of this stricken girl.
From that moment he was her con
slant companion. Perhaps it was her
weakness that led her to admire the
stern duties OF a soldier and when he
| admitted that he had been in the strug-
gle Of the states she begged him to tell
her of his experiences. But he. like
her. valuing his counterpart, dispar-
aged war and led her Into more en-
nobling topics. She grew to love the
tones of his voice. the unexpressed
sympathy apparent I'm his every word
and action.
Then came a time when. having pre-
pared the way, there was nothing for
him to do but tell her that from the
moment he saw her he pitied her and
Of the desire that had been born i'm him
TO devote his life to that which would
he some recOmpense for her mlsfor-
tune. But when he faced this an
| nouncement sense OF his own un-
worthlness doomed up before him. Tell
her that he wished to give her comfort
when he felt that he would he honored
| by the right Ia do so! He shrank from
such position.
This was not all He must drop his
incoguito and become known to her as
a hero. The incident OF her waving to
him on his return from the war and his
| stopping TO salute her must lie made
known 10 her. What reason would he
give for all this secrecy? He thought
| of dozen ways in which IL might he
| mIscOnstrued. He who had stormed
| Notifications shrank from telling a
hliRhted girl that be was "A hero. Again
| AMI again he started in to make a
| breach In these imaginary rnmparts,
always to make an inglorlOus retreat
And what WAS the result? He threw
up his command and that in face of
the enemy-and shifted the response
bility To another. He went 10 the girls
| mother aud begged her to speak for
him words that he dared not speak
There Is "A poem in which n peri IS
described as gaining admlttance 10
heaven by carrying there the most val