The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-29
Was 1t the
Guardian Angelo
By F. A. mitchell

Percival and Arnold Stewart. broth
ers, enlisted when the pan-European
war broke out In a regiment OF In
fantry and crossed the channel inSo
Belgium. That was when the Ger
mans were driving the allies south
ward, and 1t was expected that they
would drive right through Paris.
One evening, when the Germans
were pushing the allies toward Lille.
the regiment with which the Stewart
brothers served made a stand. The
Stewards were in the same company
and fought shoulder to shoulder. Per
ciyal was two years older than Arnold
and kept an eye on his brother, dread
ing every instant to see him fall to the
ground. Presently, true enough, what
he feared came to pass. Arnold fell
literally torn to pieces by a bursting
shell.
Maddened at the sight, Percival
pushed forward, but the stand of the
British was only a temporary one, and
the order was given to fall back. The
young soldier, exasperated at not be-
Ing permitted to wreak his vengeance
on those who had killed his brother.
refused to retreat and, remaining be-
hind, continued to fire art the enemy.
But presently, seeing blood on one of
his hands, he knew that he had been
hit and followed his comrades.
| By this time darkness had fallen.
and Stewart saw the retreating Brit.
ish line through the cleaning. They
were to make lengthy retreat this
time, for the French were being push
ed back rapidly, and the British, who
were on their flank, had greater dis
lance than they to go to keep the
alignment Percival was marching
some 500 yards behind them. The
enemy on that part Of the field had
thrown forward skirmishers to harass
their retreat.
| Percival trudged along, following the
men ahead of him, at times trying to
catch up with them. He had been
shot in the arm, but fortunately the
artery had not been cut, for In this
case he would have bled to death.
His mind was on the brother he had
lost, and neither his condition nor bis
surroundings engaged his attention.
| Stragglers were hurrying past him
and he was passing stragglers. The
former were in better condition than
he, and the latter were mostly more
severely wounded. But there was one
who neither seemed to gain nor lose on
Percival He was in Percival's real
and couple of yards behind him. How
Percival became conscious of the mans
presence he did not know, for he heard
no sound coming from his follower. FL,
was simply conscious that some on,
was behind him. Turning, he saw
through the darkness what appeared
to be person. Whether he was old o.
young, soldier or citizen, Stewart coul(
not tell He only knew that some oil,
was there.
The soldier trudged on, or, rather
staggered on, for by this time he wa
very weak from loss of blood Nov
|. and again q bullet whistled past him
sent by some skirmisher, but non
came dangerously near him. Twic
during the retreat he looked back an,
both times saw his shadower in tn
same relative position as before. Ono
when he turned fash from distan
cannon slightly increased his vision
and he saw the person behind him
, trife more clearly.
!. For an instant there was fash o
Joy in his heart. for from the glimps
|. he got of the persons face 1t seeme
to be that Of his brother, Arnold. Blu
he had seen his brother blown t
atoms, and he knew this could not b.
Nevertheless, from the time Of this Ii
: Simultaneous view he became impresse
that there was some connection b
tween this figure and Arnold.
Presently, when the skirmish lin
|. was passing so near the British line
TO harass them with scattered shot
the Englishmen sent back a sma
force TO drive back their follower
This line passed. Percival, dashed
among the German skirmishers an
drove them back upon their own mai
, force.
Percival, who was now safe with hi
own comrades, looked for the man WI
had been trudging behind him. He ha
I vanished.
On reaching the British lines Stewal
found himself among those who ma
been near him on the retreat.
"Who was the fellow behind you
asked a man who had Travelled nea
q him.
Directly in my rearT
2 "Yes."
/ ibid you see any oneT
81 did, and he got between you an
0 a German Just in time to save you froi
4 bullet. The German was about TO nr
but lowered his piece. There WASH
o much light. and l judged that he wa
afraid of killing one Of his own men.
;, Stewart asked no more question
Q What he thought was the result
l feeling rather than reason. IL was II
!. stronger than reason. Indeed, no OF
!. could persuade him that the spirit
!. his brother had not followed MIN an
q protected him from death.
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