Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-01-17
IN SILENCE A HERO

Sitting square In the saddle, his eyes
Axed straight ahead, the scout rode, alb
solutely alone.
Solitude and silence had been his por-
ton 30 much that language was to him
q curiO, a rarity, luxury. He seldom
heard the sound OF human voice, and
when he did he listened deeply and an
SweFed deliberately. for his supply Of
speech was not greet As he ode
there came a scream from afar over
head-a shrek, screech. But he did
not look upward.
He knew the voice was the voice OF
q Springfield ball, high in the air.
Man and horse lay down and waited.
Neither moved, but both watched.
On the brow Of little knoll far
away. he saw a bush wave too fast. 1t
was far away, but he leveled his rife
and fired.
Then horse and man arose as IL by
mutual understanding, and, turning
from the knoll, he rode away, the re-
port OF the guns behind him merely
urging him to hasten.
He was not afraid. He was not ex-
cited. He did not expect to die. He
did not expect to live.
Late that night he reached the post,
delivered his orders and turned to so.
The captain stopped him.
Meet anybody on the way overP' he
asked.
The scout looked hard, as If digest
Ing the query. Then he thought. At
last he answered:
'0nly some Indians"
How many7"
"was seven" said the scout "Now
six"
''on the warpathT' asked the cap
tain.
The scout looked troubled, as though
bored by the questions.
They fred"- was all he said.
Now, then, the war was on In ear
nest But the scout ever after avoided
the captain as a man who talked too
much.
In tho grounds noncOmmlssioned on
GERS passed to and fro. bent on the
duties Of the day. New recruits were
being drilled singly and In squads
Now and again stlff young lleuten-
ant crossed to the officers quarters or,
bent on inspection. went through the
form OF examining quarters to see
whether the dust had been properly
brushed away and the, floor duly
swept. Presently a soldier entered,
walked to where the scout lay and
said:
'Colonel wants your
The scout remained immovable for a
few seconds. Then he turned to the
messenger and looked him sQuarely in
the eye. Then he arose, deliberately
dressed, drew on his long boots. buc-
kled his belt with the ammunition and
rsVolvers In place and stalked to quar-
tera. The orderly halted him at the
door.
''Colonel wants me-" he said.
He passed In. The colonel ignored
the lack Of a salute, for the keen eyed
man before him was not soldier, but
q civilian employee Then be said:
there is q woman here, the wife OF
Lieutenant Jasper, who is wounded at
the ferry. She wants to join her hus-
band. You must guide her over"
The scout looked half terrified.
''WOman1" he asked. The question
had n world OF meaning, for the colo
mel knew OF the hostlles on the road,
the dangers OF the trail itself, its dou.
BILE dangers for a woman. He nodded.
bad" said the scout
Cant be helped" said the colonel.
me scout stood still a moment. Then
b turned and walked out. AS he
reached the parade ground he saw a
woman before the officers quarters.
Tha sight revived his memory.
In a few minutes he was back at the
colonefs quarters, his horse saddled.
his blankets rolled behind the cantle.
the rife slung by the horses side. the
rata cooled carefully over the saddle
post
Tell him I'm ready" he said gruff,
II to the orderly. The soldier turned
in disgust He was not used to un'
esremonious orders. But the scout was
impenetrable. So the orderly went
When the scout was ordered in he
saw a little woman wearing a short
riding habit He looked at her indifrer-
emily. The colonel spoke. saying he
Bns the best scout at the post, and