Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-27
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE DIGNITY OF o'RoURkE

A
| last, lieutenants and captains who de-
sired TO take up arms as a profession
were willing to take positions as ser
| Geants in the standing army. That was
how Captain O'Rourke, late of the Sew
enty-first volunteers, came TO be order
| ly sergeant of Company +, Eleventh
| United States infantry.
| As a captain of volunteers o Rourke
was noted for two things in particular
| he WAS fighter. and he was man
/ of dignity. Within a week of his join
| ing his regiment he was nicknamed
dignity" and the appellation stuck to
| him TO the day of his death. The nine
other orderly sergeants in the Eleventh
were a bit familiar with their lieuten-
ants and captain. and now and then
| they condeScended to take a drink or
sit'in a game of poker with the pri-
Yates. but Sergeant O'Rourke never let
| himself down. He was always the
same to every one. and it came to be
whispered about that If he should ever
smile or crack a joke the United States
would at once proceed to dissolve in
| thin air
One day at Fort Reno word was re
ceived that the Indians had again tax
en- To the warpath and that there was
likelihood of a wandering band trying
To cut off Il train of wagons coming up
with quartermaster supplies. Theru
was one point of danger. Once safely
passed that and the long string of wag-
ons would he safe. Sergeant O'RourkG
was sitting in his quarters studying thu
book of tactics when the cOloneI's or
derby gave him message. Three min
utcS later he stood before his command.
ing officer. and he had twice the dignity
of the man who looked up ut him and
said:
Sergeant, l have got word that
Crazy Horse has broken loose again
Yes. sir" replied the subordinate. as
he gave the military salute with the
greatest precision.
Some of his men may attack the
wagon train coming up. If they do it
will be at Stony brook Do you think
you could take ten men and hold the
crossing against perhaps forty or fifty
Indians until the wagons have passed."
Not Il doubt of it. SIR
There was doubt of 1t in the colo
nel's mind, Il very big doubt. but just
then he had Il larger sick list than
usual and a number of his officers
were away on leave The outbreak
was SO sudden that he was in box.
He ought to send thirty men under
command of a lieutenant to the point
specified, but he had figured it over
and over, and the best he could do was
TO send ten under command of the
orderly sergeant.
Yes, sir; very well. SIR replied
ORourke as he received his orders,
and half an hour later his squad was
marching down the rocky road.
1t was eight miles to the crossing
OF Stony brook. The men had left the
fort at l O'Clock in the afternoon of
summers day. They saw no signs"
en- route. II the Indians had broken
loose again they We're not skulkng in
the vicinity of the fort The men
stepped out on the rough military road
with marching stride. and in little
over two hours they had reached the
crossing. All was as peaceful as If
hostile Indian had never lived. Ser
geant O'ROurke saw smiles of derision
on the faces of some of the men and
suddenly called out:
Attention, squad, Right face. Left
face, Front! Listen, Some of you
men think the colonel was mistaken.
but you'll know better within ten min
utes. How many Indians there are in
hiding among the powders over there
l can't say, but this Is no time for smiI-
ing. When | give the word make
rush for the rocks at your right We
are too late To save the train
The ten men whirled to the right and
covered forty feet OF ground and got
the shelter of the rocks Sergeant
O'Rourke followed them at a leisurely
step. although the seventy Indians In |
ambush within pistol shot gave him n |
volley. He ought to have been rddled |
like IA sieve but he was untouched
There were no orders to give The ten |
had no show. They were safe in front.
but the Indians would work past thetr |
TANKS and take them in the rear with |
in quarter of an hour. To attempt & |
retreat was 10 lose their cover and |
court instant death.
What are we going TO do. sarge;- |
asked one of the squad after sending a |
bullet into the head OF an Indian who
exposed himself in his anxiety to Sc
cure good aim.
Private Johnson" said O'Rourke as
he drew himself up stiffiy, Il would
thank you To give my title in full
sergeant. What we are going TO do.
sir. is TO die, sir. We have already
lost three men,
Two minutes later one of the eight
survivors came rushing up TO say:
The devils are working along on our
right flank. and this place will soon be
too hot to hold u.s.
Private Delaney. salute your supe-
rlor officer when you speak to him.
Your report is received, sir About.
face, March,
There could he only one ending. The
Indians worked forward on the TANKS.
and when Sergeant O'Rourke looked
around him and saw that he alone lived