The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-07-10
KILLING HIS
MAN
By N. QUAD
B. N. QUAD
Copyright, 1914. by Associated Lit
. erary Press.

Copyright, 1914, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
There was peace in war-that is. the
Armies were in winter quarters. with
miles Of neutral ground between, and
except for a little skirmishing along
the front there was REST for bali a mil
lion men.
"Have you ever killed u mani"
OF a sudden, az he lay doing on his
bed In camp n day, Private Rollins
asked this question Of himself. When
the wal was over and be returned
home he would be asked the question.
His friends and neighbors wouldn't be
satisfied with his record Of battles, but
would sweep 1t aside and say:
Yes we know you were in Eve OF
six battles and that you fred hundreds
Of bullets at the enemy, but can you
tr%uthfully say you ever brought q man
DOWN"
He.fQudn't say it, and de felt that
he would lose caste. This feeling
brought q sudden resolve. 1t was a
resolve that startled him at first. but
the more he thought of It the more de-
termined he was to carry it out. He
would kill a man. He would do it next
time be went on picket.
This is your post, Hollins," said the
corporal as he left him one afternoon
At the edge of a wood under a large
oak. I'VE don't know exactly where
the enemy's picket is, but it's some
where around that log house."
To-day ! shall kill a man." said Pri-
vate Hollins as he was left alone, and
he began his preparations at once At
long rife shot away across an old cot
ton field was q long house with a few
fruit trees standing about it. One
might be sure the farmer was OF to
war and that wife and children, IL they
had not abandoned the place, were
having a miserable existence. Hollins
crept down to the fringe of bushes on
his side Of the field and peered and
watched and waited like an Apache
in ambush. For an hour be saw moth
ing. Then q gaunt, i'll used dog cane
among the trees and trotted about in
the open in a sneaking fugitive wig.
II the dog was there the house must
be inhabited. he had just come to
this conclusion when he caught sight
Of q figure among the trees. 1t was
between the house and the bushes.
where he believed the enemy's picket
was lying. 1t must be the picket on
his way to and from the well. Per
haps he had gone to the house to light
his pipe or boil his coffee. There was
a glimpse and it was gone. Another
glimpse. another hiding. and then the
figure was fair to view. 1t was q long
shot, but q pretty fair target. and with
out an instant's hesitation he drew
up his gun and fred. When he look
ed over the smoke the figure was gone.
But l know l hit him. and he's ~
ing dead or the grass!
Nov l can tell them at home that
i killed a man! Mighty long shot. but
! dropped him for sure"
The dog was still in the open. As
the shot rang out he looked back
among the trees. As the echoes died
away he turned his head toward HOl-
Inns and howled dismally. A moment
later and the figure of a young girl
appeared beside the dog. She was
b~areheaded. barefoOted and not over
eight years old. Hesitating for only
4 moment she began advancing across
the field. The smoke from the SOL
dier's musket had located him. The
dog followed at her heels, head and
tail down, and with surprise Hollins
watched the girls approach. 1t took
her Eve minutes to cross the field. She
came straight at him al he stood up
among the bushes, and when she
reached him she extended her hand
and clasped hts and said:
Come along, your
He rested his musket against a log
and permitted her to lead him into the
open and across the field. He did not
ask where she was leading him. Not a
question passed his lips. nor did she
speak further. Straight GRO the
field to the trees among which his vic
tim had stood, but long before he got
there he saw II form OF the grass. By
and by they came close up to 1t. and
the girl let 60 his hand and pointed
and said:
you shot mani"
1t wasn't a man lying dead on the
grass. soldier OF farmer. but a woman.
The soldier rubbed his eyes and looked
around in a dazed way. A boy of ten
and a girl of five came out of the house
and stood there and looked from the
soldier to the dead woman and back.
"Well?" queried Hollins Of the chill
dren as they continued to stare at him.
They simply pointed to the mother
lying dead and uttered no word. The
soldier tried to speak again. but be
couldn't. With face whittier than the
n on the grass. with quivering chin
and blinded eyes. he made his way
slowly n the old field to his post:
As he lurched and staggered he heard
q dog howl again. but no one called to