Evening journal., 1908-11-24
,AQueStiOnOf Honor.
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[copyright. laos. hy Z. {. Mcclure. J


red, but II had been felt for three
months past that the latter were get
ting ready to break Il. The sergeant .
had gone out without instructions what I
TO do In case he was attacked When /
he found that he was menaced he did 1
what veteran captain would have I
done. He called in his men. scattered /
for two miles along the line. and threw /
up defenses and prepared to stand Off /
the Indians until courier could get /
through to the fort and return with In
structions.
Unfortunately for Sergeant Brady. |
the regimental adjutant "had II In" for |
the grizzled old veteran. who had put
I'm twenty years on the frontier and
knew all the tricks OF the red men.
Three or four things had occurred 70
prove that the adjutant was after the
sergeant's 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 to come I'm at once, but it was
the adjutant who said:
Sergeant Brady simply reports see
ing signs and being fired on. II Is
some OF the young bucks giving him
scare. He's got ratified over nothing.
We have no reports Of outbreaks"
"He has shown his bravery a score
OF times. but perhaps he has made too
much Of this OCCASION" unused the
commandant Il VIII order him 10
hold his position for three days and
then report again. I will also caution
him not TO provoke hostillties.-
It was a tight squeak for the courier
to return TO the little command. The
Indians were creeping up on all sides
and boasting that there should be
wlpe-out. Already there had come
demand for surrender, and hostile bul-
/ let's had come singing over the de-
fenses. The sergeant read his orders
and then assembled his men, read them
aloud and said:
ITS the hand OF the adjutant, me
boys, and It makes no difference to
him that the rest of you have got to
go down with me. It's ratified am,
IS It. after being at the front in a score
Of shindies with the red devils! We
are not to provoke hostlities with 200
copper faced heather waiting for our
scalpsr'
Seventy or eighty Indians who had
crept as near as they could find cover
rose up at a signal and rushed the
breastwork Of brush and limbs and
powders. The seven concentrated
their fire on the rush and broke It.
Twenty redskins lay dead when the
living retreated.
take a long breath and do little
smiling. me boys" said the sergeant as
he turned over and sat up. That's a
thing we might brag about at the post
If any Of US were to get there. We
are going to get value received, but
don't forget what the end is to be. II
there were twenty Of Us and we hat
] two guns apiece 1t would sin be the
same. Rafferty,. what place In the old
country is responsible for that mug OF
yours"
''The city Of Dublin. as far as car
remember" was the reply.
"I've been there myself and can't
say too much I'm honor Of the town
If you've an old mother back there
you might do a bit Of praying before
our friends make another move
, O'Grady. did you bring that red hair
Of yours all the way across the big
water?'
Indeed. sarge, but / did. 1t was
colored for me in the county OF Tip.
perary."
''The Indian who gets your scalp lock
will be mighty proud OF the same
O'Mears, are We thinking Of that sweet
heart Of yours back there I'm New York
city,"
That's what am, Sergeant Brady
I'm thinking how much more decent II
would have been Of me 10 catch the
smallpox and die within sound Of hei
| wnillng"
"well, laugh and smile over It Just
: the same. McGraw, I'm thinking I sec
a wetness about your eyes. Have "
been rubbing at them with some fine
cut tobaccor'
, "Not at all, sarge, but curse the mai
who held us here to be wiped outF'
! 'It don't need no vote to see that We
! all think alike on that, but it's no time
!, for tears. We've been put on oul
e honor, and we are going to die Will
smiles on our faces. Whist, but thel
r have bullets to spare around us!'
,. The Indians had completely encir
cled the little band. and for half al
hour they poured in such rain of bul
let's that every spot. withiD the de
fenses was searched. Rafferty, an'
S O'Grady were killed and Sullivan an'
e O'Aiears desperately wounded before
ceased.
-Four from seven leaves three" salt
the sergeant as ne rose TO his knee
= and looked around. "The next NOV
= is to die smiling. me boys. They'l
= come with whoops and yells and b
! over the breastwork in jiffy. Dow
a well go under the crush, but som
d day the boys back at the post wi
10 learn that we did ovr best Get read
4 they're coming"'
" "Dead-ail Of themy said a captai
!. as he looked over the defenses tw
, uays later. who was 1t that calle
- It a false alarm? Who said that Sci
r geant Brady was losing his nerveT'
l. acoo 4ha-a efrr, said ono Of the me