Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1914-08-20

anu uclu DcLOTo law - uSW bWChey
dollar gold.plece father had given me
that morning, It bought his grafton.
Wentworth paused as II In an EN-
barrassment OF shame. Merry watched
him in silence.
II feel-even now-the reluctant
grip with which Dave held on 10 those
sheets OF blurred foolscap. l never
gave a thought to what ! had done
Every moment for twenty.four hours
was needed to commit Dawes speech
to memory. My father. proud and hap
py, gave me another twenty-dollaI
/ gold-piece. l carried II to Dave. He
refused 1t, turning his back on me
with angry scorn. Twenty years later
| met him again. He had gone tC
congress and was blasting his way
upwards toward fame. / was assigned
to interview him. He remembered me
instantly. For a moment he stared al
me from head to foot. then he turned
away without word and never
touched the hand ! offered him. My
God! how that hurt" A SILVER went
through the mans body.
That happened twenty-five years
ago" said Merry hesitatingly. You
can't lay up a boyhood sin against a
man. He changes-he's almost an.
other human being"
mo, he isn't" answered Wentworth
doggedly. 81 want to show you that
the psychological fellow was in the
right. That was my first fall from
grace; but there was second lesion.
1t was worse, worse even than-than
what l did to you, Merry. / was out
in the Balkan mountains where the
blamed barbarian Turks go tearing at
each others Threats once in so often.
The world looked on, waiting for a
story Of war. had none to tell. moth.
ing happened but a skirmish or two
once in while. There was nothing
q man could make into a story. 1t
was a wretched campaign. Young
Forsyth, OF the Tribune, and ! hung
together through it for months. living
like stray dogs, sick to death of our
job, and ready to throw 1t up at any
moment. One morning at daybreak
we were awakened by shooting. We
scrambled from the cave where we
had slept and looked down into the
valley. We were in the very heart Of
a battle, and these savages were climb
ing over the rocks with their cutlasses
flashing. They shrieked like maniacs,
the bullets went flying about our
heads. crept back to the hole among
the rocks where We had spent the
night. couldn't see what was hap
pening; / didn't want to see. Death
shrieks echoed all around and above
me. 1t was the most hellish din OF
battle ever listened to. had turned
coward. ! lay there with every tooth
in my head chattering. A nice con-
fession for man to make, eh?" asked
Wentworth with grim smile.
Merry half rose then dropped back
into his chair Hold on, Enoch,
swear you're not fit for this sort OF
thing! Your temperature will 60 up,
then the nurse"
Damn the nurse. I'm At enough;
keep still want to finish my story.
Forsyth, the intrepid young fool, went
creeping along the face Of the cliff.
He had never se0n a battle before. ]
called to him to lie low, but he never
needed me. Through a crevice in the
rock / saw him stretch his head over
the chasm and crane his neck, then
plunge down and begin to write as II
he were mad. Once | sneaked out
and tried to drag him in beside me.
He fought like q wildcat, so ! went
back to shelter. The bullets pinged on
the rocks all around me. Suddenly
heard low, gurgllng, awful cry and
somebody called my name in hoarse
shout. II was Forsyth. / crept out.
He stood on q cliff above me, clutch
ing at his throat, then he toppled and
fell. He came plunging down over the
rocks until he reached my feet. He
was dead, stark dead, when | pulled
him into the cave. His notebook was
clutched so tight in his hand that l
tore a corner from one page as took
1t from his fingers. buried him right
there.
After a little while the battle fiz-
zled down to a stray shot or two. That
night under the CLEAN Of a suffering
little torch / read Forsyth's story. 1t
was tremendous-perfectly tremen.
unexpectedly tremendous! 1t read
like inspired stun. / had never
dreamed the fellow had such vocab-
ulary. And he lay there close beside
me, asleep-under the damp, warm.
soft earth. had q fit of the horrors.
put out my light, stuffed the pages
Of writing in my pocket, then went
doubling and twisting down those wild
mountains, lodging the enemy's camp
fires and their internal bullets, until
l reached the miserable little town In
the valley we two men had our
headquarters. ! hurried to the tele-
graph ONCE to send out Forsyth's story
to the Tribune, with the news Of his
death. / was waiting to get the wire
when somebody handed me q cable.
| looked at II half-dazed. 1t came from
my own paper, crazy because | had
sent them no story; they were hungry