The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1909-01-01
|AQuestionof Honor.
tCopyright, 1865, by T. c. Mcclure. ]

sergeant 6ruuy anu MS sQuoU VI
men had been out from Fort Thomas
for four days. cutting and placing tele.
graph poles, when they were fred on
by the Sioux. There was a treaty Of
peace between the white man and the
red. but It had been felt for three
months past that the latter were get
ting ready to break 1t. The sergeant
had gone out without instructions what
to do In case he was attacked. When
he found that he was menaced 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 a courier could get
through to the fort and return with in
structions.
Unfortunately for Sergeant Brady,
the regimental adjutant had It In" for
the grizxled old veteran, who had put
in twenty years on the frontier and
knew all the tricks Of the red men.
Three or four things had occurred to
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
J and reached the fort and reported the
cOmmandant was for directing the
squad to come in Mt once, but 1t was
the adjutant who said:
Sergeant Brady simply reports see
ing signs and being fred on. 1t IL
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 II will order him to
hold bis position for three days and
then report again. will also caution
him not to provoke hostilities."
1t 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
wipe-out. Already there had come
demand for surrender. and hostile bull
let's had come singing over the de-
lenses. The sergeant read his orders
| ind then assembled his men, read them
aioud and said:
Its the hand Of the adjutant, me
boys. and 1t makes no difference to
him that the rest Of you have got to
20 down with me. It's ratified am,
n 1t. after being at the front In a score
df shindles with the red devils! We
are not to provoke hoetilities with 200
copper faced heather waiting for our
scalps!''
Seventy or eighty Indians who had
crept as near as they could dnd cover
lose up at signal and rushed the
breastwork Of brush and limbs and
bowlders. The seven concentrated
their nre on the rush and broke 1t.
/ Twenty redskins lay dead when the
living retreated.
Take q long breath and do q 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
II any Of us were to get there. We
are going to get value received, but
don't forget what the end is to be. If
there were twenty Of us and we had
two guns apiece 1t would still be the
name. Rafferty,. what place In the old
country Is responsible for that mug Of
yoursY'
1.-THE city Of Dublin, az far as can
remember" was the reply.
I've 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 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.
VMears. are 70 thinking Of that sweet
heart Of yours back there In New York
city!''
That's what am, Sergeant Brady.
I'm thinking how much more decent 1t
would have been Of me to catch the
smallpox and die within sound Of her
wailing."
"WeN, laugh and smile over 1t Just
the same. McGraw. I'm thinking l see
wetness about your eyes. Have We
been rubbing at them with some fine
cut tobaccow
mot at all, sarge. but curse the man
who held Ms here to be wiped out!'
1T 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 our
honor, and we are going to die With
smiles ON our faces. Whist, but they
have bullets to spare around usr'
The Indians had completely encir-
cled the little band. and for half an
hour they poured in such rain Of hull
let's that every spot within the de-
lenses was searched. Rafferty, and
O'Grady were killed and Sullivan and
O'Mears desperately wounded before It
ceased.
-Four from seven leaves three" said
TIVE sergeant "a he rose to his knees
and looked around. The next move
IS TO die smiling, me boys. They'll