Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-11-07
BY VICTOR ROUSSEAU


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G. Chapmanl
''who are your" she asked. with the
directness of childhood
my name is Mark"
81 like you. Mark. I will go with
you till my daddy comes back"
"An right. Then sit down here be-
side me and play" muttered Wallace,
wondering rather grimly what there
was for her to play with.
But the grubby little fingers were
soon busy in the sandy soil Wallace
watched the child, wondering who she
was, and how it had happened that
the father had been forced to take her
into the jungle, into the midst of the
contending armies. Her clothing was
almost in rags. and she must have been
drenched by the rains of the preceding
night. 1t had certainly been a des-
perate and difficult adventure for the
dead man.
The light began to fade. Wallace,
half delirious now from pain and
thirst, struggled to preserve his con-
sciousness for the sake of the little
girl. Sometimes he would emerge
from a semi-stupor and look round for
her anxiously; but he always found
her, no great distance away, building
sand castles out of the soft soil and
chattering to herself as happily as if
she had already forgotten her sorrow.
When he aroused himself finally, it
was to see the flash of a torch in his
eyes. Faces which he recognized were
looking into his own. There was
Crawford, the senior lieutenant, who
had graduated from West Point the
year before. and Captain Kellerman;
there was his own negro servant, John
son, with look of alarm on his ebony
face; and near by were two men from
the ambulance, carrying an empty
Stretcher.
Wallace moaned for water and the
sense of the liquid in his throat, warm
though it was, brought back conscious
ness with rush.
'Well, we've got you," said Craw-
ford cheerfully. "How are you feel
ing, old MANI"
''Fine. Have we got SantiagoY'
'Well, not exactly, but nearly. We've
carried all the trenches, and we're
waiting to get our big guns up. Arm
hurting you"
NO." said Wallace, sitting groan.
"Say, Crawford, suppose was de-
irious, but I thought there was a kid
here"
AS he spoke he caught sight of Major
Howard emerging from the shack, with
the little girl in his arms, fast asleep.
The major came up to him.
''How are you feeling, Wallace?" he
asked. "Good! I didn't know you
were a family man, though, till I saw
this kid sleeping in your arms"
iy,Cf do Sr,1 he
lieutenant, looking toward the shack.
The majors face grew very serious.
He nodded.
"Her father" said Wallace.
'Come. get in with you'll" answered
Major Howard, CURLY, indicating the
ambulance. Mark, supported by the
orderlies, who had placed the stretcher
upon the ground, crawled in and lay
down. He stretched out his arm to-
ward the child. 1t was an unconscious
action, but Major Howard noted it
and, detaching the small arms from
about his neck, he placed the little
girl in the stretcher. The little head
dropped upon the ieutenant's arm. AS
the ambulance men picked ~up their
burden two soldiers came out of the
hut, carrying something in a blanket.
They carried it to the center Of the
clearing and set it down beside hole
which had already been dug
''He carried pass signed by Lii
nares," said Wallace to the major.
Major Towards eyes contracted into
narrow Sits. He nodded. II have it,"
he answered.
81 wonder who he wasp said Wal
lace.
"Weu decide what to do with the
kid after we get her back to camp"
said the major CURLY. 1t seemed to
Wallace that he was unwilling to
speculate upon the identity of the dead
man. Lie still, and don't muddle
your brains with thinking, my boy" he
added. "Weu have you at the base
hospital in next to no time"
"sHow many men have we 1ostY'
Cant tell you Quite a few, I'm
afraid. Soames is gone. Crawford
and Murray and I found ourselves
punched together at the top Of the hill,
leading a mixed company Of Texas
Rangers and Pennsylvania Dutch.
Wen get them sorted out and sent
home with labels as soon as we can
Move on, boysT' ]
The jolting stretcher proceeded out
Of the scrub and down the hill. Here,
in the open, everything was almost as
silent as in the bush, after the days
battle. Under the light OF the rising
moon could be seen parties of men
moving over the hillside. stragglers