The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-07-08
The Dead Soldiers
Afterglow
BY KELVIN BRAYTON
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association


were defending It, Lieutenant Ned
Wasstaif was standing behind the Lire
OF battle, the men. AZ parade rest
waiting orders. A staff officer rode VI
and said:
This command has been annihilat
I'd"
! The colonel turned TO his men and
told them that, having been annihilat
| ed, they could fight no more. Then he
gave the order to stack arms and per-
mission TO do as they liked till retreat.
Billy" said Wagstaff to Captain
Drummond Il want you TO do some
thing for me.
What is it,
Go W 10 the house and tell Belle
Harkaway that our regiment has been
annihilated, that I've been killed and
the iis's up all around"
What for?"
II want to see how she'll take It,"
"She is certainly not so silly as TO
take it literally"
shes pretty stupid"
stupid girls are most attractive to
men-that is. If they are pretty-and
Belle is very pretty-decidedly pretty"
If you play your part we'll you can
fool her. I'm curious TO know If she'll
mourn for me-"
All right I'll try it on. Suppose she
wants to see your dead body"
Il never thought OF that Perhaps
I'd better lie dead on the battlefield
You can bring her to see the corpse.
But first want TO know IL you're
going to give me away"
NO; l wont do that. though It
would be a good joke TO do so. III
play the part for you as we'll as |
can"
And you'll tell me how she takes
itT
NO, but IL she wants to see your
corpse you can judge for yourself
about that
"All right. You'll find me under that
big oak over there. So long"
Billy departed for the house, and
Wagstaf went over to the oak. sprawl
ed himself on the grass and. to kill
time while waiting to be inspected for
a dead man. Lit cigar Men who
fight sham battles need to get up a
lot Of Dutch courage Ned had dis
tinguished himself for bravery induced
by several bracers during the fight con,
sequently he felt dopey and soon yield.
ed to slumber. Suddenly he was
awakened by a girls voice:
Where Is he? Oh, tell me, where is
he?"
Ned, recognizing the voice Of the girl
he loved and. realizing that soldiers
are not usually killed with cigars in
their mouths. let the half smoked weed
fall. He felt it roll down his cheek.
but where it landed he couldn't see.
He lay stiff and stark,
Here he isw he heard Drummond
say.
Ned looked sidewise between his
lashes and saw Belle Harkaway hur
rying toward him. He closed his eyes
and lay with a peaceful expression on
his face. Indeed, he put on a certain
serenity which he had often practiCed
before a mirror and which he con.
sidered very becoming to him. Belle
his eyes. hut he knew she was there
and very near him.
"Oh. Ned" she moaned.
"He died noble DEATH" Billy put ir
Dear. brave Ned. If had only not
treated You as did If you could but
speak one word to me to tell me that /
YOU forgive me. Are you sure he i
dead? There's color in his face
"Oh. that's often the case with men /
shot in battle. They call it the sol. /
lier's afterglOw"
This was very clever of Billy. seeing |
that the afterglow was produced By |
the bracers Ned had taken during the |
fight /
Ned" moaned Belle. speak to me-
Ned didn't dare part his lips sufii
,iently to look at her. but he could |
hear her moaning over him.
He makes a beautiful corpse" Billy
Lovely! He must have been smok-
ng when he was shot"
What makes you think that?" ask
I'd Billy.
Don't you see the cigar on his
shoulder? Dear, brave Ned-coolly
smoking in the face of danger"
"That was just like him." said Billy.
He was always doing that kind Of
hing. he cared nothing for danger"
What were his last wordsY" asked
Belle Did he say anything about
neT
Yes. He said, Tell Belle Harkaway
hat my last thoughts. my last words,
we're of her."
"Oh. dear, If could have been here
o hold him In my arms when he died
somehow / can't realize that the red
olor you call the soldiers afterglow
sn't the blood of life. I'm going to
inch his cheek II may bring him
Jack to us"
She gave his cheek a terrific pinch
led WINGED. but stood the test
til DnTl -