Rock Island Argus., 1914-09-21
The Daily Story
The Wooden Soldier-By Captain F. a. Mitchell
Copyrighted. 1914. by Associated Literary Bureau.


In another hour the sounds Of A.
approaching force were tInnistakable
and not mucn later the tramp Of men
was audible. Then down the road
Tom heard an officer order skirrnisber,
to depIoy, covering the road and each
side of It,
Light up" said Tom to schmftt
There was n tiny fash, which rosa
and fell as Schmitt pulled On the tube
while clouds of tobacco smoke roo.
from the pipe. There was Just light
enough to reveal the figure to tboss
advancing without their being able n
see that 1t was a dummy.
There was a crack, and bullet iarrea
the wooden soldier.
"Stop smoking" whispered Tom. and
screened by the darkness, he ran to the
figure, which still stood brayely on itz
feet, and, Selling the musxet. fred a
shot that went singing down the road
Then, drawing his revolver. he fred
three shots in quick succession.
"What's that for?" asked Schnftt
They'll think it a signal for our
troops in the town to warn them that
come On against an unknown force.
My opinion is that if our troops come
up before the enemy can see that
there's no one here except three men,
one of them q dummy, we've won You
can't do anything more here. Suppose
you go down the road on the other
side Of the town and hurry up whoever
is coming If this game succeeds you'll
be well paid, I'm sure"
Schmitt set off through the town,
having little over half a mile to go to
reach the Union picket post.
1t was now about an hour before
dawn. Tom kept his position on the
ridge, from which he sent an occasional
shot, always changing his position be-
tween shots to make the enemy be-
lieve that they were fired by different
men. The fire was not returned, for
the enemy could see no one to fire at
They were very quiet. Toms fear was
that they were moving around to push
forward on his flank, where they would
not meet with any opposition what
ever, and the fact that the town was
unoccupied would be apparent.
For the greater part of an hour Tom
stood between the Confederates and
the town. he was within sound Of
the troops below and could hear the
usual noises made by soldiers on the
march, halted while the commanding
officer deliberated as to what he should
do. That was the longest hour Tom
ever spent in his life. Every minute he
expected to hear the command For
wardw given and to see through the
darkness a dim mass coming up the
road. His imagination served him
many a trick. At one time stump
appeared to be a Confederate standing
with his musket to his shoulder; at
another he was sure that he heard
the tramp of men coming nearer and
nearer.
But all these proved TO be nothing
but scares. The Confederate com
mander was not minded to walk into
death trap that he could not see.
In some twenty minutes after
Schmitt left Tom he came near the
picket post and made himself known,
He was admitted to the lines and
rushed to the general, not far distant
who, on hearing his story, ordered
regiment under arms instantly and
pushed forward. In this he disobeyed
an order of his superior, but took the
risk. In less than fifteen minutes the
men Were marching toward the town
and. under Schmitt's guidance, to the
point held by Tom Bixby and his
wooden support. Silently ranging
themselves along the ridge on each side
of 4 ., dnx nd
the coming of the brigade that was
supposed to be advancing.
AS soon as it was light enough TO
see the enemy he was discerned drawn
up in line of battle at the foot Of a
declivity. An officer on horseback In
the middle Of the road was looking up
a pair of glasses. But ne
could see few of the Federals. for their
colonel had posted the men where they
would be concealed. However, ne
made himself known to the Confeder-
6tes, who withdrew out Of range.
Before sunrise the tramp Of men wa9
heard in the town. and 1t was evident
to those at the front that the expected
brigade had arrived. They had no
sooner been distributed at the weaker
points when the general commanding
the Confederates ordered a part OF his
force to feel them to determine their
strength. After some desultory firing
becoming convinced that the town was
occupied by force strong enough 10
hold 1t against him, he withdrew his
army.
When all was over the Federal gen
eral rode out TO inspect Tom BiXoy 5
Quaker soldier. Never before was an
officer more delighted. The desiird re-
suit had been accomplished and he hsu
been vindicated in disobeying orders
He asked Tom what he could do lor
him, and Tom told him whatever be d"
must be for Schmitt. whose tobacc"
sign had won.
Tom was given n commission. anu
Schmitt was appointed 10 sutersmR
which he found very profitable.