Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-12-07
.AQuestiOnOf Honor

men had been out from Fora Thomas
for four days. cutting and placing tele.
graph poles, when they were fred on
by the Sioux. There was q treaty Of
peace between the white man and the
red, but II had been felt for three
months past that the latter were get.
ting ready 20 break II. The sergeant
had gone out without instructions what
TO do In case be was attacked When
be found that be was menaccd he did
what a veteran captain would have
done. He called In his men. scattered
for two miles along the line, and threw
up defenses and prepared TO stand on
the Indians until courier could get
through 20 the fort and return with In
structiOns.
Unfortunately for Sergeant Brady,
the regimental adjutant had II In" for
the Rrizzled old veteran. who had put
IN twenty years on the frontier and
knew ali the tricks Of the red men
Three or four things had occurred 10
prove that the adjutant was after the
sargeanes stripes. and for weeks the
latter had walked the chalk line to de-
feat the formers plans. When the
courier lodged the gathering warriors
and reached the fort and reported the
commandant was for directing the
squad 70 come IN nc once. but Il was
the adjutant who said:
Sergeant Brady simply reports see
ing signs and being fred on. II ~
some Of this young bucks giving him q
scare. He's got ratified over nothing.
We have no reports Of outbreaks"
Tie has shown his bravery a score
Of times, but perhaps he has made too
cOmrnandant. II win order him to
hold his position for three days and
then report again. win also caution
him not 20 provoke hostiiities.'
II was q tight squeak for the courier
20 return 10 the little command. The
Indians were creeping up ON all sides
and Boosting that there should be a
wipe-out, Already there had come
demand for surrender, and hostile bull
lets had come singing over the de-
lenses. The sergeant read his orders
and then assembled bis men, read them
aloud and said:
aItm the hand Of the adiutant, me
boys. and II makes no difference 10
him that the rest Of you have got to
80 down with me It's ratified I am,
IA Il. after being at the front in q score
Of shlndies with the red devilsl We
are not 20 provoke hostillties with 200
copper faced heather waiting for our
ecaipaF'
Seventy OF eighty indians who had
crept az near an they could and cover
rose up az a signal and rushed the
breaatwork of brush and limbs and
powders. The seven concentrated
their iire on the rush and broke II.
Twenty redskins lay dead when the
living EotFeated
"Take q long breath ana do q little
smiling. me boys" said the sergeant a.
he turned over and sat up. THAT'S a
thing we might brag about at the post
II any Of as were 10 wat there We
are going % get value received, but
don't forget what the end 10 70 be. II
there were twenty Of us and we had
two guns apiece It would stlil be the
same. RAFFERTY,. what place in the old
country Is responsible for that mug OF
yoursf"
''Ths city Of Dublin. as far as can
remember" was the reply.
rive been there myself and can't
say too much In honor Of the town.
IL you've an old mother back there
you might do a bit of praying before
our friends make another move,
o'Grady. dld you bring that red hair
Of yours all the way across the big
watsrY'
Indeed. sarge. but ! did. IL was
colored for me In the county Of Tip
perary,"
''The Indian who gets your scalp lock
win be mighty proud Of the same
o'Mears. are 80 thinking Of that sweet.
heart Of yours back there In New York
cityY''
That's what l am. Sergeant Brady
I'm thinking how much more decent 1t
would have been Of me to catch the
smallpox and Die within sound " hSr
waiting"
"weil. laugh aud smile over II Just
the same. McGraw. I'm thinking see
q wetness about your eyes. Have ye
been rubbing at them with some tne
cut tohaccoY'
''Noe at ali. sarge. but curse the man
who held us here 20 be wiped outis
sTt don't need no vote to see that we
an think alike en- that. but It's no time
for tears, We've been put ON our
honor. and We are going 70 die with
smiles on our faces. whist. but they
have bullets to spare around ISL"
Tho Indians had completely enclr-
eied the little band. and for half an
hour they poured n such rain o. bul.
lets that every spet within the de.
fenaes was searched Rafferty, and
o'Grady were KILLED and Sullivan and
o'Afears desperately wounded before n
ceased.
-Foar from seven leaves three" said
the sergeant a. be rose 70 bis knees
and leoked around The next move
d to die smiling. me boys. They'll
.sasssa. ,s4aA ssensssssa.a aFa7 ua1la as.H ha