The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-07-27

NY Godi"5 he growled sayagely.
s,Tis likely, to be the last any Of us
viii ever see. Wasn't Il you I heard
whistllng Just now2 One might Inn
pgthe this was to be 9 wedding. rather
than q funeral"
@And why not Wyman2 Didn't you
know they employed music at both
functions nowadays? Besides. ltts.not
every man who Is permitted to assist
ct his own obsequies the very unique
ness Of such a situation rather appeals
10 my sense Of humor. =
The sergeant, his teeth cIlnched
tightly to repress the palm racking
him, sttded his resentment with an
evident effort. "You may be less
lighthearted when you learn that the
last Of our ammunition Is already in
the guns" he remarked, sttfiy.
II suspected as much" And the
speaker lifted himself on one elbow to
peer down the line OF recumbent fg-
ures. ITO be perfectly frank with
you, sergeant, the stun has held out
considerably longer than believed It
would, Judging from the way those
dough boys Of yours kept popping at
every shadow in front Of them. It's
a marvel to me, the mutton.heads they
take into the army. oh, now, you
needn't scowI at me like that, Wy.
man; I've worn the blue, and seen
some service where a fellow needed to
be man to sport the uniform. Be-
sides, I'm not Indifferent, old chap,
and Just so long as there remained
any work worth attending to In this
sklrmishing affair, I did it, didn't I?
But I tell you, man there is mighty lit
tie good trying to buck against Fate,
and when Luck once finally lets go OF
q victim, he's bound to drop straight
to the bottom before he stops. That's
the sum and substance of all my
philosophy, old fellow. consequently |
never kick simply because things hap
pen to go wrong. What's the use?
They'll go wrong Just the same Con.
sequeutly, upheld by my acquired
philosophy, I'm merely holding back
one shot.fo myself, as a sort of grand
finale to this fandango, and another for
that little girl out yonder."
These words we're uttered slowly,
the least touch OF lazy drawl appar-
eht in the low voice. yet there was an
earnest simplicity pervading the
speech which somehow gave 1t i'm.
pressiveness. The man meant exactly
what he said, beyond the possibility OF
doubt. The old soldier, accustomed
to every form OF border eccentricity,
gazed at him with disapproyal.
EITHER you're the coolest devil I've
met during 80 years of soldering" he
commented, doubttully, "or else the
crazIest. Who are you, anyhow? l
half believe you might be Bob Hamp-
ton, OF Placer.'.t .gl
The other smiled grtmly. "You have
the name tolerably correct, old fellow;
likewise that delightful spot 80 lately
honored by my residence. In brief,
you have succeeded in calling the
turn perfectly. so far as your limited
information extends. In strict conf.
dence propose now to impart to you
what has hitherto remained pro-,
found secret. Upon special request OF
a number Of influential citizens Of
Placer, including the city marshal and
other officials, expressed in mass
meeting, | have decided upon desert
ing that sagebrush metropolis to its
Just, fate, and plan to add the tnfu-
ence OF my presence to the future de-
velopment Of Glencaid. l learn that
the climate there is more salubrious,
more conducive to long living, the citi-
zens Of Placer being peculiarly excit-
able and careless with their fire.
arms"
The sergeant had been listening
with open mouth. "The hell you say!"
he finally CALCULATED.
THE undefiled truth. every word OF
It. No wonder you are shocked. A
fine state Of affairs, isn't it, when a
plaln-spoken, pleasant-mannered gen.
tleman, such as l surely ana uni
versity graduate, by all the gods, the
nephew OF United States senator,
and acknowledged to be the greatest
exponent Of scientific poker in this ter:
ritory,-should be obliged to hastily
change his chosen place Of abode be-
cause OF the threat Of an ignorant and
depraved mob. Ever have rope dam
gled in front of your eyes, sergeant,
and gun.barrel biting into your cheek
at the same time? Accept my word
for it, the experience Is trying on the
nerves. Ran perfectly square game,
too, and those ducks knew 1t; but
there's no true sporting spirit left in
this territory any more. However,
spilled milk is never worth sobbing
over, and Fate always contrives to
play the final hand in any game, and
stocks the cards to win"
"a breath OF good. honest prayer
would serve better than anything
else" groaned the sergeant, soberly.
The gray eyes resting thoughtfully
on the old soldiers haggard face be-
came instantly grave and earnest.
sincerely I wish I might aid you
with one" the man admitted. "but I
fear old fellow, any prayer coming
nom my lips would never ascend very