Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-11-13

| go; it looked across the heights OF air
to the confronting cliffs beyond. The
| face of the rider. turned slightly to
| the left, showed only an outline temple
and beard he was locking downward
| to the bottom of the valley. Magnified
by its lift against the sky and by the
soldiers testifying sense of the formid-
ableness of near enemy. the group
appeared of heroic almost colossal,
size.
! For an instant Druse had a strange,
half-defined feeling that he had slept
to the end of the war and was looking
upon a noble work of art reared upon
| that commanding eminince TO common
crate the deeds of an heroic past, OF
| which he had been an inglorious part.
| The feeling was dispelled by slight
movement Of the group; the horse,
without moving its feet, had drawn its
body slightly backward from the
| verge; the man remained immovable
as before. Broad awake and keenly
alive to the significance of the Situa-
ton, Druse now brought the butt OF
his rifle against his cheek by cautiously
pushing the barrel forward through
| the bushes, cooked the piece, and,
glancing through the sights, covered
vital spot of the horsemans breast. A
| touch upon the trigger and all would
| have been well with Carter Druse. At
that instant the horseman turned his
head and looked in the direction Of bis
| concealed commissioned TO look into
his very face into his eyes, into his
brave compassionate heart.
Is It, then, SO terrible TO kill an enc
my in war--an enemy who has sur
prised secret vital to the safety of
ones self and comrades-an enemy
more formidable for his knowledge
than all his army for its numbers Car
ter Druse grew deathly pale; he shook
in every limb; he turned faint, and saw
the statuesque group before him as
black figures, rising falling, moving
unsteadily In arcs of circles in a fiery
sky His hand fell away from his
weapon, his head slowly dropped UNI
til his head rested on the leaves in
which he lay, This courageous gentle.
man and hardy soldier was nearly
swooning from intensity of emotion.
1t was not for long another moment
his face was raised from the earth his
hands resumed their place ON the rife,
his forefinger sought the trigger; mind,
heart and eyes were clear. conscience
| Il 4
to capture that enemy TO alarm him
would be to send him dashng into his
camp with his fatal news. The duty
of the soldier was plain--the man must
be shot dead from ambush without
warning, without a moments spiritual
preparation, with never SO much as an
unspoken prayer he must be sent To his
account. But, no-there is hope he
may have discovered nothing perhaps
he is but admiring the sublimity OF
the landscape. If permitted. he may
, turn and ride carelessly away in tht
direction whence he came. Surely II
, will be possible TO judge at the instant
of his withdrawing whether he knows
1t may well be that his tixity of atten
tion--Druse turned his head and look
ed below. through the deeps of ali
downward. as from the surface to the
bottom of a translucent sea. lie saw
creeping across the green meadow a
simmons line of figures of men and
horses some foolish commander was
permitting the soldiers to water Their
beasts IN plain view of hundred sum.
mits!
Druse withdrew his eyes from the
valley and fixed them again upon the
group Of man and horse in the sky, and
again IL was through the sight of his
rifle. BY this time the aim was at the
horse. In his memory, as IL they were
a divine mandate, rang the words OF
his father at parting: whatever may
occur, do what you conceive TO be your
duty" He was calm now. His teeth
were firmly but not rigidly closed his
nerves were as tranquil as a sleeping
babe's-not tremor affected any mus.
Gle Of his body; his breathing, until
suspended In the act of taking aim
was regular and slow. Duty had con
quered spirit had said to the body
peace, be still" He fired.
At that moment an officer Of the Fed
eral force, who, in a spirit of adventure
or in quest Of knowledge, had left the
hidden blvouac In the valley, and, will
aimless feet, had made his way to the
lower edge Of a small open space near
, the foot Of the cliff, was considering
what he had to gain by pushing his
exploration further. AZ a distance %
a quarter-mlle before him, but appar
emily at a stones throw, rose from it'
fringe Of pines the gigantic face 81
rock, towering TO so great heigh
above him that 1t made him giddy L
, look up to where its edge cut sharp
rugged line against the sky. AT sons
distance away 10 his right it presented
a clean, vertical profile against back
, ground Of blue sky to a point half o
1 81. Il ~