Las Vegas optic., 1914-06-23

Bloom, white-faced. having reached a
great decision. II was young mans
world. In II was no place for veter-
ans, for "has-beens." he quoted bit
terly from the young clerks.
1t was no place for him. SO on the
table lay an old-time pistol, newly
loaded. He had faced death. many
times. in the old days, without tre-
NOR. when he was young. with every
thing before him. Should he falter
now, when nothing was before him?
He had raised the pistol to his fore
head, when thought came to him.
Berger would be passing presently
with his call of Taps"
1t would be fitting that he wait for
the slow bugie notes; they would be
music most appropriate to his old
ears as he was steeled to start upon
the last long sleep, prepared to have
Lights OUT forever for his dim old
eyes. Yes. he would wait.
Berger's lips bothered him as be
went downtown in the underground.
He could feel that they had swollen
that afternoon, even beyond the thick
proportions to which the previous
night of practising upon his bugie
softly in the back yard Of the tene-
ment he lived in. had brought them
In the morning
"Achl Bloom will be surprised" he
told himself
And Bloom was not finding waiting
tedious. Putting from it with relief,
until the time should come to take 1t
up appropriately, the thought of death,
his mind dwelt on far memories.
He placed small keepsakes of his
good old wife in the breast pocket of
his coat-the pocket nearest to his
heart. He wrote a brief farewell to
Berger, and another to the gray COM
mander of his post in the Grand Army.
The letter to the commander said:
Pm waiting now for Berger to go by.
and play ''Taps" on his bugle. 1t kind of
be nice to hear that TAPS g call blowed.
"Reveille" is for young men. Taps
that is the call for us-for me, and pretty
soon, for you and all the rest. Good-by l
bivouac.
Then he waited five, ten, fifteen
minutes. He fingered the pistol calm.
ly. Its chill touch did not terrify him.
1t was to be the instrument of his re.
lease, an old man, from young mans
world.
There was a brilliant smile on Berg
er's face as he went to get his scis-
sors-grinding outfit and his bugle; his
step was almost jaunty as he passed
out upon the street with them, and
hurried briskly toward Blooms board
ing house. AS, nearing, he raised the
bugle to his lips he had to kill smile
In order to conform to the small
brass mouthpiece.
i "Ah!" he was thinking, here Is a
surprise for Bloom!"
At the first soft quaver of the
throaty, brazen call, the pistol which
had been hanging loosely in Blooms
hand twitched as the muscles of his
: fingers and his lean old wrist con
tracted. He glanced about the room
to see that everything was in good
order.
He had forgotten nothing, he assured
himself. Now, as soon as Taps" was
finished
But-what?
Those which were coming through
the open window were not the long
and mournful notes his ears had beer
expecting. 1t could not, after all. be
; Berger who was playing.
Some coaching party probably had
wandered to the dingy side street, OF
some ingenious auto-horn had been de
vised which accurately counterfeited
lip-blown bugle calls.
; No, not the notes of TAPS" quick
: and sharp and shrill, they reached
him, without hint of sadness.
Triumphantly they sang of hope ant
energy and Joy, declaring birth of Q
new day. No farewell was that call
but greeting-loud. melodious, inspir
: ing.
ITS 'Reveille! he muttered. Re
veille!'"
There was clatter on the stairs
Berger entered gaily.
did l play 1t good?" he cried. II
maybe braced you up little, huh? Il
braced me up whole lot to play it
Yes, it did"
!. Bloom went to him and laid a trem
bling hand upon the fingers and the
bugle which they held.
1T sounded fne," he said. IT
sounded fine. Yes, it braced me up. /
did me good to hear it."
From the street below arose th'
notes of still another fashioned tubt
of brass, this time the barking horr
4 of great touring car, stopping at tha
door.
"Why, Bloom. it's Fuhrstadt!" Berg
!. er cried. He's going to climb out
! We mustn't let him-not tied up. thu
way he is, with rheumatic. He mus
have got to thinking and come dowr
himself"
They hurried to the stairs.
.T just came round to say" salt
Fuhrstadt, glad to sink back amonl