Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-27

was delivering letters that had just
arrived to members of his company,
handed one the handwriting of which
he recognized to Harbeson. When two
or three more letters came with the
same superscription Marshall knew
that his friend had won the prize on
which he had set his own heart.
"Of course Harbeson knew the secret
was out. but his chum did not men
ton the matter to him and he couldn't
make up his mind to mention it TO his
chum. He didn't know whether Mar
shall had turned against him or not.
It was perfectly natural that the mat
ter should bring about some constraint,
but, you see, Harbeson, not having
made a clean breast of It in the first
place, was accountable for this. AS it
was his friend felt obliged TO ignore II.
Strange to say, the events OF bloody
and wearing campaign were not sufa-
cient to obliterate this shadow that
had fallen between these two friends.
Harbeson couldn't but feel guilty and
assumed that Marshall. whom he dear
" loved. blamed him. 1t didn't matter
that Marshall failed TO show that he
| blamed him or that he had changed
toward him. All through the campaign
Marshall suffered more from this posi-
ton in which he had been placed than
! from the heat, the exposure, the dread
! of missiles and, more than all, the
| overhanging pail Of epidemic.
I'm one of the fights in which the
| chums were engaged their company
was cut of from the rest OF the COM
mand and most Of the men taken pris-
| oners. Some eight or ten of them man
| aged to get away where they could
\ hide either among trees. long grass or
| bushes, but they were hunted and in
stead of being made prisoners were
| shot down as they ran. Harbeson and
/ Marshall never failed 10 stand by each
other when it was possible. They were
| among the men who were trying to
avoid capture and had got into clump
Of bushes. BY lying low they hoped
| the Spaniards would finally tire OF the
| hunt or think they had found all the
| fuCitives But the outlook was dis
| corraging. Every now and again they
would see some one of their comrades
/ make a dash for liberty, only to be
shot down by the Spaniards, who paid
no attention to any signal Of surrender.
FINALLY a Spanish soldier in prox-
! unity to the bushes where the friends
were hiding was heard to say:
There's one left, and he's hiding in
here
Then it was evident that they were
about to beat the bushes for their
covey.
John said Marshall in low voice.
4 am going to run; you stay where
you are"
you'll certainly be killed. replied
his friend.
".But they think there's only one Of
us. and they'll leave you unnoticed'
al protest.
John said his friend, putting his
/ hand on the others arm, IN not only
/ do it for you, I'll do it for her-both
of your
'MarshaITs words I'll do It for her
/ paraIyzed action in Harbeson, who felt
I that he should die with his friend.
/ He suffered Marshall to go out to his
/ death that he might live"
! Rathbone paused. He was right In
saying that when he had finished his
/ story there would be nothing to ex-
plain. 1t was plain that he was John
/ Harbeson and was suffering and had
1 doubtless for years suffered from
/ feeling that he should not have &C
/ cepted this sacrifice. 1 could under
stand how the position in which he
had been placed would affect sensi-
/ tive man.
/ turned from him to look again at
the photograph of the man who had
given his life for him and the woman
both loved. What 1 had seen in the
picture before had been intensified by
the story of his sacrifice.
And yet I could understand why
Rathbone's wife had chosen him.
Surely his modesty was very engag-
ing This sensitiveness at the po-
sition he occupied excited sympathy.
Jack" l said, your friends sacri-
fee was noble, and ] don't wonder
that you and your wife adorn his pic
ture with ever living flowers. But
fear your high sense Of honor and
your sensitiveness have somewhat
married your friends gift. II is no
fault of yours that you are the subject
Of his sacrifice. You should strive TO
or .I,o Min aC,Dn1foT xx-f4f,