The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-03-23
The Last C0mrade
tOrlglnal |

had been placed a smoking dinner ant
plates for eighteen persons. No sea,
was occupied except that OF the old
man himself, aud as the clock on the
mantel licked away tho minutes no one
else appeared. Indeed. the one occu
pant Of the room could not have OK.
pected any one else, for his own dinner
was on his plate. AZ each place was a
bottle OF wine, but the only bottle un.
corked was that before tho one diner.
At the close OF the Mexican war
eighteen officers who had taken part In
II and who lived not far from ono an.
other decided to celebrate tho peace
with dinner, II was Il jubilee. Dur
Ing the evening proposition was made
and decided upon that once a year the
feast was to be repeated. and as each
man dropped out his plate and bottle
were to BE- set the same as II he were
present.
All were either young or compar-
atlvely young. and 1t was some years
before a single place was vacant. Then
a chill passed over every man as he
entered the room and saw the empty
chair, the plate. the uncorked bottle,
Of their late comrade. All had looked
upon battlehelds. but none had expe-
rienced this same peculiar sensation In
viewing the dead and dying.
Several years passed. The seventeen
men were beginning to become some
what accustomed to the one vacant
chair when the clock OF their lives
struck 2. They missed one Of the
youngest, merriest Of their number.
Then II became apparent that the
spontaneous merriment Of their first
dinner would wane under the increas.
ing vacant chairs and exertion must be
made to keep the dinners from grow
Ing painful. A resolution was passed
that each man must contribute some
thing-a song. story. Joke. what
ever he pleased-to enllven the occa.
sion.
Slowly the diners watched the In
creaslng vacancies till the number gone
equaled the number remaining. When
the nine living men met and drank to |
the nine who were dead. II was with |
an effort. Some one proposed that they
should sit together at living half of |
the table, leaving the other half for the |
lead, but the proposal was voted down.
Ind the living and the dead remained
'ide by side.
Their clock struck 10, IL. L, and two
birds Of the original number had pass
ID away. Six men whose boards were
ray sat together and drank to twelve
Who had gone. To them the dead re,
NAMED at the age they departed, some
N the threshold Of manhood. others
t successive ages.
II was years before there was an-
ther vacancy; then two empty plates
lropped into line like figured disks re,
'ording the revolutions Of an engine
haft. Another dropped In three years,
mother In two
By this time all who were destined
o reach the ordinary limit, threescore
ears and ten, had dropped out or those
vho were TO become octogenar!ans
r centenarians but two remained. For
leven years two old men sat down
ogether once year and drank TO six
cen comrades whose bottles were un.
orked, 1t was not now question of
which should be blessed with the
ongest life, but which would be SOON
st relieved from u painful duty. As
hey glanced over the uncorked bottles
seemed that their dead comrades
fere drawn up in line to receive them
Then they should appear upon the
ternal parade. With trembling hands
hey raised thin glasses to their lipsj
nd drank--drank as much as there
Tas hope of assimllatlng with their
sygtems-then set their glass.
8 down aud without word left n
pom which from a banquet hall had
ecome sepulcher.
And now the last man. eghty-nlne
ears old, sits alone. A myriad of
'rinkles radiate from a scar on his
orehead, the remains OF wound re-
sived at Churubusco. A few snow
'hite hairs are scattered over his
cad. His eye Is fare Of intelligence
bout to 90 out. His dinner Is untast-
], except little toast water, of which
9 has taken few sips. He sits at
le end Of the table and looks down 1
le long line of bottles on either side,
7ery bottle representing dead COM
Ide. He raises his glass and speaks,
ot with his lps-lips are not needed
address the dead-but in spirit
Comrades, /, about to die, greet
,u. 1t has pleased our great conf
ander to place me In charge Of the
ar guard. have seen you all safely
yer the river, and now, my work be-
g finished, | am permitted to cross =
yself. The din Of battle sounds far
ON me-a confused mnrnur Of shout L