Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-08
R~tEx STORY or A PRIVATE


the army
What my life has been in the troop you all
know ! liked soldering took TO it naturally.
You know my record in the troop; it's an hon.
orable one, isn't t?
/ nodded assent.
after a year or two in the troop I had got
over the rough edge Of Anne's death became
somewhat reconciled, and determined to go back
to my engine when my time was out. | could
have been a sergeant had I cared to, you know
that but I didn't want il. I was satisfied to peg
along do my duty, and give what affection | had
left to my horse. How is the poor old fellow"
he asked me- does he seemtto miss me?'
Natson's affection for his horse had always
been pronounced In fact the affection re-
cprocal and the animal had been perfectly un-
manageable the first few days Of his absence from
the stables Grain is grain however, no matter
by whom administered, and horse is, after all,
strongly human in many particulars. He had
grown accustomed to his new master long ere
this but | did not tell Matson so.
"TTe missed you very much ! said, which was
not untrue.
Il hardly know how to tell you the balance
of the story" he continued, after a short pause.
"Theres not much more to tell, only that !
killed Nixon, and-whv? You remember when
he Joined the troop about six months ago? wei,
by some strange fatality he got the bunk neyt to
mine and I necessarily got to know him pretty
well. He was rather helpless sort Of recruit
butter-fngered and afraid of work. showed him
how to clean his piece. polish his kit, and keep
his horse EQUIPMENTS in order Not bad fellow
in his way easygoing, generous, and handsome.
He called himself gentleman. ! don pretend
to know much about gentlemen, but Nixon
wasn't one, III swear to that. lie talked too
badly about women.
"Still ms | said he wasn't bad fellow, and
grew to like him fairly we'll The day that ]
killed him we were herd-guard together and
rode in to dinner at noon. AS we entered the
dining-room Nixon said There's that dashed
cabbage for dinner again.
81 laughed; he was always growing about the
grub: you know that. After dinner we came
into the quarters and sat on my bunk. | lighted
nv pipe and Nixon rolled cigarette. We had
half an hours time before going back to the
herd. We smoked for a few moments, and then
he said 4 was a fool to come into the army: do
you know that?
FT had enjoyed my dinner. and felt lazy and
contented. pulled at my pipe and said moth
ing. 1T is the cabbage that makes him so saw
age I thought, and reached over and moved my
revolver and belt from off the blankets above my
head to the bunk | don't know why / did it
it was purely mechanical on my part
Yes. sir, continued Nixon, 4 left the dainti-
est little woman in the East to come to this hell
hole and live on cabbage. Pshaw! l hate the
whole damn outfit.
..J didn't know YOU were married. I said.
"'He laughed quite heartily. Why, you poor
old innocent, | wasn't, he answered
"'Engaged to be-
We'll. no. not exactly. You see, lived to-
gether man and wife.
81 had always lived clean and decent life
and I turned from him with rather disgusted
air.
''Though Annie wanted me to marry her, he
continued.
"'Anne%
"'Yes, that was her name: Annie
"HThe name rather softened me- 1t must have
been a surprise to him when | put my hand on
his and said Go back to her Nixon. married
not 90 back to her. It's very hard to lose any
one YOU love-
''He threw away his cigarette and laughed.
NO. I don't think I'll ever go back to her; she
had grown to be such snvelrg little wench;
ALWAYS in tears always whining, and always pin
ing. 7 really believe, for that brute of a husband
of hers
'.Why, was she married. | asked, in wonder
really knew very little about the ways of the
world in spite of my age An engineers world
is small one-his engine, and his wife-if he has
one
Eyes. she was married when first met her
She seemed quite above her station IN life, very
pretty and very dissatisfied.
CA bad combination for husband
'''What's the use of going into details? She
wanted to see the world and was in position
to show it to her. I travelling for large
house in the East, and chanced to run across her
in one of my trips to --.
'NIy God! | knew the truth at last.
81 was quiet, very quiet, and Nixon suspected
nothing.
''"Heres her picture he said, taking it out Of
his blouse and handing it to me. glance showed
me what I already knew. 1t was the picture OF
my wife.
II wanted to know all about Annie-where she
was, what she was doing how she looked; but
knew he could not live long enough to tell me.
"There were a thousand devils dancing and
jumping in my brain--a thousand hot, angry
proddng devils that cried, Kill him! kill him
"He was so close that the powder burned his
face When picked up Anne's picture there
was a drop of his blood it, Here's the pic
ture." He showed it out through the bars.
One sees a thousand such faces in lifetime
vain, silly, and common; and yet this man had
risked his very soul for her.
They hanged him at Santa Fe.