Oakland sunshine., 1915-06-12

q burden to me for years-in fact, eve
since that which first told you Of.
For your mother, when I dared thin
Of her lcould think of her. shoul,
| say. never knew anything but love
~as ret Sc grief str!.skea ~hea
heard OF her death as / thought
should hare been. | have loved he
better and been more at peace sinc'
| then.
Your father never let me know o.
her death; / heard OF It from q casua
friend So instead of possible recon
ciliation between your father end me
thing which would have almos,
welcomed then over her grave, thinl
hated him more. They say love car
only turn to hatred. never to friend
ship, and so that chance passed.
1t Is midnight now.
Well the next thing mnss tell you
b that the man In my regiment whom
! killed was as they said at the court
martial today-an enemy Of mine.
His name was Williams, and he was
dntu recently employed In our firm In
comparatively subordinate position.
Ee was a troublesome, self opinionat-
ed man, OF no great value to the busi-
ness. and not long ago he was gotten
rid of. largely at my instigation and
thoroughly as he deserved.
However, he belonged to the militia.
an6 when the war broke out ne was
given commission In this regiment.
! volunteered for service, and l, too,
was put into this regiment as private,
and thus At came about that he SO soon
found himself In position to take his
revenge upon me. and well did he do
1t, the blackguard. That's immaterial
now. but 1t is necessary that you
should understand that the whole regi-
ment knew these facts. ard knew, too,
that although had supported his bull
lying for long time without mar
muir 1t was not unlikely that should
try to get even with Vim IL had an
Our regiment vas almost In the
center Of the first line the day before
yesterday at the storming of the big
redoubt, and we had had the brunt of
the fighting all day. The enemy had
thrown up some very strong earth
works In front of the main defenses,
and our artillery, aided by the In
fantry, had had a lot Of work to do
ln demolishing them and driving the
enemy from them.
We had stormed the earthworks
twice already and had lost at least
third of our officers and men. I had
TWO minor wounds only.
The captain of my company, Frank
in, was killed in the second assault,
Ind Williams took his place In COM
nand.
Then the big assault was ordered on
! weak point In their main defenses
where our heavy artillery had made a
preach, and we were hurled at 1t, regi-
nent upon regiment.
There was surge and roar Of
lighting. One was conscious OF nothing
,ut explosions and shouts and screams,
Hood everywhere and men struggling
md men fallen. At last was on the
lope at the foot of the breach, STUN
ling over bodies and fighting my way
Kindly, half choke6 by smoke and
lust.
And then suddenly saw your ia
her.
/ cannot explain what happened
within me at that moment / was half
1ad and dazed from wound in the |
cad and perhaps half child again
cannot explain, but | saw him as !
hough he were the only man before |
ne. Despite all the years since ! had
ast seen him and the state he was In,
nth blood and CRIME on his face and |
4 his grizzled hair, | saw him al |
hough we were at home together In |
he old days.
1t was as though vision flashed On |
ne and made me unconscious Of the
hastily holocaust around Us. Perhaps !
our mother was near.
But 1t was only to be an instant He
aw me also. and whether the same
ceilings were in him | do not know,
ut he stood as If turned to stone with
is gaze full ON me.
The next instant some one In front
f me and to my right. could not see
rho it was. dashed forward and buried
sword half its length in his chest.
! can see Georges face now. His
aw dropped. but his eyes remained
xed on me till he fell.
Then ] went quite mad, think.
cit choked. and things swan before
ne. killed that man. do not actual
7 remember how. but men behind me
aw It.
he was Williams, of course, the man
rho killed your father and for whom
am to be shot in an hour or two.
am tired and will stop. | have said
| think.
But | am not sorry. | believe absO-
ltely In the hereafter, and / think
hat | shall find Helen and George In
very little time Low.
Goodby, my boy. and God bless you!
Sphere.