Evening journal., 1905-01-25
RAYMOND HALL.
He Died For the Girl He Loved.


1T looks as though there might be a
story behind that epitaph," remarked.
THAT? Oh, no. Only a plain Incl
dent" Then, unconscious that he was
giving a romance, he told me the Incl
dent:
"Those were exciting days when we
fellows marched away to the tune Of
The Girl Left Behind Me- and the
worst of It was that several Of us were
leaving behind the same girl. she was
the belle of the town, and we were all
in love with her. But there was no
chance for more than one, the one the
girl loved, though there were two who
led all the rest. These two were Ray
mond Hall and another fellow who
well-the other fellow was Jim Martin.
Hall was desperately in love with the
girl, but it was the other fellow who
had taken her fancy-nobody knew
why, for Hall was certainly the better
man Of the two. He didn't know that
his rival had got ahead Of him till after
the regiment got down into Kentucky.
Then he saw letters coming in for Jim
Martin addressed in a hand that he
recognized.
''In some people love seems to work
like a disease. I mean those cases yOu
read about in the newspapers where
they kill themselves or the one they
love, or sometimes a rival Hall suffer
81 - l.. N-FHH
anybody. he exposed himself reckless
" when we were under fire, and il
looked as If he were trying to get him
self killed, but no one knew whether
he was or not, for he was a reticent
fellow and kept his own secret. Only
his rival knew what he was going
through. and he couldn't very we'll help
knowing, because Hall, though he act
ed square with him, couldn't conceal
the fact that he regarded him as the
cause Of his trouble.
Two years passed. two years Of
campaigning and hard fighting, during
which the rivals fought shoulder to
shoulder Raymond always seemed to
Jim TO be resisting some terrible temp
tation. and in a fight when Hall was in
his rear Martin felt uncomfortable.
You see, they were in the same compa-
ny, and under fire men gat excited and
! sometimes kill nsan in front.
"Well, in time the rivals were both
taken prisoner in the same fight. While
being transported south with other
prisoners in a box car the whole car
load took up some Of the flooring and
got out. OF course the guard went aft
er them in hot haste, not stopping for
a surrender when getting sight of one
Of them. but shooting him down as he
ran. 1t happened that the rivals ran
in the same direction and took refuge
in some bushes very near together
Presently they heard a voice:
There's one Of 'em down in those
bushes
'Jim,' said Raymond, speaking rap
idly, I'm going to run for it,
Don't you do it, said Jim. They'll
J shoot you sure. II we lie low
The chances are they'll kill us both.
They think there's only one here. I'll
run and draw the fire. You live to go
back and make the little girl happy
'There was no time for more words
nor for any sort Of a protest on Jim's
part. A Confederate was coming with
a cooked gun. Raymond jumped up
and ran like a deer. There was a shot,
and he dropped dead. Then the Con-
federate went back to his comrades.
Martin lay low till all was quiet,
then went out and found his rival dead.
There's no use trying TO tell how man
would feel at such a time Just think
Of him having suspected his friend of
wanting to kill him. and here he was
dead that the girl he loved might be
happy with his rival. Martin buried
the body in a fence corner with a big
tree directly north, noted the place to
know it again, then set or on two
weeks skulking till he got into the
! Union lines. Soon after the grave was
within our pickets, and Martin took up
Halls body and sent it north"
The man stopped speaking and, TAX
ing his little boy by the hand, was lead
ing him away when / asked.
'Who placed the headstoneT
'sThe girl"
"And what became Of the man who
was saved for herr"
'He married her"
''Thank you for your story, Mr.
I gave him time to help me out.
Martin" he supplied. "Im Jim Mar
tin" f. A. mitchell.