River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-04-11

things over. Probably never before in
his life had he deliberately done such
thing. He had never, as fact,
thought much at all. 1t had been his
comfortable habit to let the day take
care of itself. Beyond minor prob
lens of fnance-minor because. his in
come was trif1ing-he had considered
little. In the last border war he had
distinguished himself only when it was
a matter of doing, not of thinking.
But he was young, and the night
was crisp and beautiful. He took a
long breath, and looked up at the stars.
After all, things might not be SO bad.
Hedwig might refuse this marriage.
They were afraid that she would, or
why have asked his help? When he
thought of King Karl, he drew himself
up, and his heels rang hard on the
pavement. Karl! A hard man and a
good king-that was Karl. And old.
From the full manhood of his twenty
three years Milky surveyed Karl's al
most forty, and considered it age.
1t was typical of Milky to decide
that he needed a hard walk. He
translated most of his EMOTIONS into
motion. So he set off briskly, turn
ing into the crowded part Of the city.
And here it was that Milky hap
pened on the thing that was to take
him far that night, and bring about
many curious things. Not far ahead
Of him two men were talking. They
went slowly, arm in arm. One was
talking loquaciously, using his free
arm, on which hung a cane, to gestic-
ulate. The other walked with bent
head.
Milky, pausing to light a cigarette,
fell behind. But the wind was tricky,
and with his third match he stepped
into a stone archway, lighted his
cigarette, buttoned his tunic high
against the chill, and emerged to a
silent but violent struggle just ahead.
The two men had been attacked by
three others, and as he stared, the
loQuacious one went down. Instantly
a huge figure of man outlined against
the light from a street lamp, crouched
over the PROSTATE form of the fallen
man. Even in the imperceptibie Sec
ond before he started to run toward
the group, Milky saw that the silent
one, unmolested, was looking on.
A moment later he was in the thick
of things and fighting gloriously. His
soldierly cap fell off. His fair hair
bristled with excitement. He flung out
arms that were both furious and
strong, and with each blow the group
assumed a new formation. Unluckily,
q great deal of the fighting was done
over the PROSTATE form of Peter Nj
burg.
But disaster, inglorious disaster,
waited for Milky. Peter Niburg, face
down on the pavement, was grooming,
and Milky had felled one man and
was starting on q second with the fight
ing appetite Of twenty-three, when
something happened. One moment
Milky was smiling, with cut lip, and
hair in his eyes, and the next he was
dropped like an OK, by blow from
behind. Landing between his Shout
der blades, it jerked his head back
with snap, and sent him Keeling. A
second followed, delivered by huge
fist.
Down went Milky, and lay still.
The town slept on. Street brawls
were not uncommon, especially in the
neighborhood of the Hungaria. Those
who reused grumbled about quarrel
some students, and slept again.
Perhaps two minutes later, Milky
got up. He was another minute in To-
eating himself. His cap lay in the