davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
THIEF OF FLAGS DECORATION DAY STORY


legs and exposing himself with the most
reckless daring. But when the assault had
peen repuised. and the company was formed
for roll call, Vail was white and trembling.
am dying Of the horror Of it, Ben,"
he whispered.
Zenas Warren strode along the line, The
cleanliness Of Walls gun attracted his s,at
tention. He seized the barrel and peered
into it. The piece had not been discharged.
You sneaking, shirking cowardr =" said
The captain. slowly and distinctly; and after
roll call Vail tainted and was carried to his
tent by Ben welch
Warren watched with smile ON his lips.
Perhaps he was thinking how the stories Of
Walls temperamental weakness would sound
in the ears Of Agnes Campbell. At any rate.
he took pains to make notorious the fact
that Vail sickened at the thought os blood
letting. One instance of his purposeful
tyranny win suffice. A team Of six horses
broke through a corduroy road and foun
dered inextricably in. the bottomless mud.
Their thrashing struggles prevented the men
from clearing the obstruction.
Send for Private VAIL" said Warren.
Vail needs gunnery practice"
Whereupon he ordered Vail to kill the
screaming, helpless animals. For fifteen min
utes the poor fellow stood. shooting down
the horses, and at the end he was like a
rag.
The following week saw the company on
outpost duty near a deserted plantation,
which was the suspected rendezvous Of Con-
federate guerrillas; and on the night Of June
10, Warren detailed Welch and Vail to scout
with him through this place.
The moon shone, but a mist enveloped the
three men when they left the bayou path
and struck into a swamp. Their way was
perilous. and they moved warily, with War
ren leading. In this order. they reached the
edge of narrow clearing. which rose like
an island in the marsh. A gigantic oak tree
doomed in the middle of it, hung with spec
trail moss. The captain halted behind a
swamp bush and dropped to his knees
When Welch came up, he saw two figures
under the oak. One was that of an old man in
a Confederate uniform, who labored with a
spade in the ground. and the second was q
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Her Interest

TT Is related that the director Of certain
i famous museum was once showing a dis
tinzuished woman some Of the priceless
treasures of which he is the custodian. For
q long time, however, it seemed that moth
ing interested her very much. Then sud
denly the director noticed a change in her;
her face lighted up and she leaned forward.
What Is It, madam, asked the direc-
tor, gratiied at this tardy sign of awakening
.ppreciation. do not hesitate to ask il
there is anything you woud like to know.
That Is awfully good of voc :" exclaimed
the woman. 81 wish you would tell me
what brand of polish you use on those iron
yentilators that are let into the floor. We
have the same sort of thing IN my house,
but my servants never get them to shine
half so brilliantly"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
A Pleasant Letter

RI TAKES a clever man to find ,ood
word to say on every occasion. II 4, ..;d
OF Thomas Bailey Aldrich that he oncs =.
ceived letter from his friend. Professor
Edward 5. Morse. and found the hand.
writing wholly illegible. Mr.. AIdricb v,.
not at loss for an answer. In dine tina
there came to Mr.. Morse tn. foI,ov,nr
reply:
My dear Morse-It was very pleas.nt
to receive letter from you the Other A.,
Perhaps l should have tound it pIeasa ntsr
il l had been able to decipher IL don,,
think ! mastered anything beyond the dst.
which knew, and the signature. At which
/ guessed.
There is singular and perpetual charm
IN q letter OF yours-it never grows old. and
1t never loses its novelty One can say svery
morning, as one looks at it, Here's a letter
OF Morse's haven't read yet. / think sh.u
take another shy at 1t today. and m.yhe
shall be able in the course of a few v..,.
to make out what he means By those =. m ~
look like VS.. and those is that bav.n.t an,
eyebrow Other letters are read and tbrown
AWAY and forgotten. but yours ar. kent for.
erer--unread. One Of them viii last . rea :
sonable man a lifetime"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

had seen the dozen Grizzled survivors OF bis
command gather at their captains grave,
raying it the honors of Memorial Day. My
father, Ephraim Morey. was one Of them.
and 80 was Quincy Vail, the postmaster, and
old Sol Draper. When my father planted
a little flag beside the monument, the by
ISLANDERS drew a solemn breath and stared
at the bunting in sort Of frightened &C.
stasy, and this brings me to the reason
Of my ambuscade behind the hemlocks. 1t
was this: Everybody in Highdale knew that
the flag would soon disappear mysteriously
from Captain Warren's grave.
Year by year the desecration had been
done; in vain was the offer of a reward !;
the despoiler Of the flag would wait with
infinite craft and patience, and some night
OF other he would strip it off.
Now, my determination to try to witness
this vandalism had been born in the warmth
of my bed. and had nursed II with only
moderate success while sliding from our
woodshed roof and posting to the church
yard. When straddled the cemetery wall.
however, the resolution sickened and it
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Opening the Chestnut Bur

in a tone Of sympathy, but the black grows
a little rusty. You will put on another
coat?"
''Yessuh," said Joe. Daisy Moore, she
says it needs one other coat of paint"
Daisy Moore! Oh But has she said
another coat of black paint, Joe?"
''Uh. - grunted Joe. End then his look Of
perplexity vanished in a slow grin. rs
going to ask her tonight" he added briskly.
Two days later the sympathetic neigh
Dor. passing again, was greeted by Joe from
a ladder set against the house.
How does yo' like it?'' he asked, waving
his paint brush toward the band of bright
red glowing across the top of the little house.
Daisy Moore, she picked it out We git
married next week"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

lage green, the selectmen gave Warren a
sword, and Agnes Campbell, on behalf OF
the Highdale ladies, presented to the cap
tain a revolver. She did not manage to
speak to Quincy, hidden in the ranks.
The regiment was sent with Banks eI-
pedition to the Gulf In their first furry OF
a picket skirm!sh before Port Hudson, Welch
found Vail staggering in a daze behind the
firing line.
''Are you hit ?" yelled welch.
NO" moaned Quincy, but, Ben, can
not shoot-I cannot kill"
Shoot then, and it's a thousand to one
you kill nobody" chuckled welch, for Wallis
hands were shaking like leaves.
But Vail only dragged his musket and
muttered in sing song fashion, 81 cannot do
IL. cannot do it,"
Welch thought that his friend was re-
deeming himself during the next action.
which was far more serious affair. wherein
storming party moved under fire across
an ugly quarter mile of fciled timber, In
the forefront ran Vail. ieapin. over the
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

was buried there, and q rude cross, carved
on the oak, siEni6ed that this had been The
act Of friends.
Welch drifted on to MEXICO. In Whist
spirit Of penitence he sent the confession. one
must conjecture; a priest was with him whes
he wrote It.
But this was the penance Of Quincy vsfli
To endure the sting Of his Puritan consciencs
for forty years of q gray, dull life in New
England valley, and to honor outwsrdly the
memory Of the village hero and his victim
On last Memorial Day, the veterans of
Highdale placed a flag beside Walls simple
headstone.
Curious thing" observed cid Sol
Draper, how the csp'n's markers been let
be lately. Maybe twas a poor. crs1y feller,
p'rhars. Then again, maybe il warn't. 'Pesn
like he thought the fas meant a lot, any
how. Beats all"
Old Sol eazed rehectiveiy across At the
knoll where Warren lay. A placid breese
whispered through the pincs. and ths tvs
graves were very peaceful
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Easy Disguise

A BARBER in a Chicago hotel was pre-
n pairing to shave a gentleman one after
noon. During the cutting of his hair the
barber has gained the impression that his
customer was an easy going. unexcitable sort
of fellow. Suddenly, however, his whole
manner changed. for out of the corner Of
his eye he had seen a man enter whose ap-
pearance did not in the least contribute to
his comfort.
Hurry, George!" he whispered to the
barber. "Lather me to the eyes. Her,
comes my tailor!''
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

dreary--the letters scattered over the grimy
Office. the cold ashes in the grate, the over
turned inkstand, with its black pool stain
ing the postmaster's hair.
WALLS arm was doubled beneath bis back
v and from his stiff hand / took bulky
envelope. 1t bore Mexican stamps, and the
superscription: ."To the kin Of Captain
Zenas Warren. at Highdale, Mass" No
kinsman of Warren. excepting myself. re
mained in the country. / read the manu-
script that night, by my study fire; and
this is the story Of Quincy Vail, recon
structed from Ben welch's letter out OF
Mexico, which undoubtedly brought Vail to
his death.
1t does not matter who this Ben Welch
might have been. WEIGH was not the vasa-
bonds rightful name He drifted TO High
dale In the fall of '62, and for bounty
enlisted in the company under Captain War
rem, encamped for drill In Morey's Hollow.
One day he was policing near the captains
tent, when n white faced slip Of . youth
spoke to Warren.
''Iepas," said he, 'I have spent the night
praying and thinking, and ! have decided
that 1t is my duty to 60 with you"
Warren, a, handsome, srarwart fellow,
rtared a moment and then roared with
laughter.
Quincy Vail a soldier! I" he cried. Get
back to your spelling classes, Quincy. This
is mans work"
81 think that Agnes would be pleased IL
/ went" said Vail.
''Oh, is that it?" snapped out the cap
tain. well. you have no concern. any
more, with her likes and her dislikes,
Quincy"
81 know that" said the other quietly.
but mean to do all can. for her sake.
in spite Of what has Happened"
Vail enlisted and, curiously enough. fell
into the close companionship Of Welch.
There must have been a strange contrast
between the two recruits-the shifty jail
bird and the timid, Puritan schoolmaster
When the company marched of to join the
regiment, Vail and Welch were elbow to
elbow in tn. second set Of fours. On the vii
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

ure As he bent over. he had q dim tmpres-
sion of seeing Warren trying TO turn over
the woman's body with the toe Of his boot
To this act, he naturally attached no i'm
portancc, either then or sfterward. although
II probably put the final twist to Quincy
Wallis tormented nerves and distorted mind
For, while WeIch was busy at the ercsva-
ton, a shot cracked close BY his ear. he
lodged for cover to the tree, and there lsy
Captain Warren. in a convulsion OF sreat
besving sasps.
Where are they. ouin?'' shouted we'ch.
"who?"
The Rebs! Did you sec the povss
hash?" lsa
From the shelter Of the oak, welch stared
cautiously about. He saw Van standing NJ II
at attention. with his smoking run.
"Zenas Warren in killed. said he. Il
killed him."
"Apd serve the cowsrdly bully rfShtr~
cried welcb. You done right, blast himr~
"I have committed the black sin twice
Ben Wslch," said the schoolmastsr- Il an
lost forever in the sight Of hesvcn-"
1t is evident that welch was not a movies
in such emergencies. He immediately pro-
posed to Vail that, with the abandoned spade,
they dig up the loot and then and there
desert. Vail would have none Of this, and
Welch seems to have been afraid Of MIN,
for the will Of this new made Cain was, be-
yond doubt. infinitely the stronger. 1t COM
PEELED the other to q strange deed.
ONE has q picture Of the two men at their
" grim work in the mist Of that Louisiana
swamp. They enlarged the hole until welch
actually saw parcels Of plate and bags bulg-
ing with coin. But Vail was ineIorable,
and nothing was touched. They laid the
body of the woman among the treasure.
1t remained to carry the captains body
to the camp. rehearsins on their way the
story Of an smbuscade BY guerrillas, which
Welch devised and recounted as witness in
chief at the hurried cficisl inquiry concern
ing the affair. His object Was not 20 much to
screen Vail as to obtain the vsluables. welch
took the first chance to desert and to seek
the tree in the swamp. he was late. The
place had been cleared Of everything that
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Not Surprising

THERE was recently erected in a western
i town an orthopedic hospital. the archi-
tectural features of which became the cub
feet of discussion between two members Of
a club, the one a physician and the other
an architect
What do you think of it as building?"
asked the medico.
The architect smiled Externally he
observed, the design is modern, and in
ternally the treatment is somewhat severe,
@ is usual in a hospital"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

became absolutely moribund when the rain
and steady downpour.
Had ! stopped to think, must have real
ized that the rain was exactly to my pur-
pose. In a driving storm, the thief Of the
flag would be unlikely to suspect a spy.
Suddenly i was aware of a skulking figure
among the hemlocks.
It looked more ghost than human. with
a great cape tossing about its head
hngged the ground in terror. aud my breath
ing sounded as loud to me as the midnight
strokes of the church clock. But the crea
lures examination disclosed nothing to him
he entered the shrubbery and pumped down,
kneeling, upon the grave. My eyelids seemed
to click as opened them wide, to see that
the man was old Quincy Vail.
He appeared, for a few moments, to be
praying. Then, abruptly, he sprang to his
feet, mutered a sentence which ended hercely
In an oath, whipped up the flag with such
a violent grip that the stick Of 1t cracked
in his bands, and disappeared into the wet
night. with the cape of his faded army over
coat Tapping behind him, like the wings Of
an evil bird.
MY twelve year old heart turned to
Ielly. I rushed home and shook between
the blankets until sunrise, Too frightened
ever to tell anybody. I was always in fear
Of Quincy Vail. and for long time ] went
for our letters in the greatest imaginable
terror.
THE postmaster nved alone in narrow
II L. ~ IA q
education: before he enlisted, in oz, he
taught the school at Highdaie. Ny mother
used TO describe him as he was in those days
-something Of a village Hamlet, meian5
cboIy. male and silent. His only friend was
rounx Zenas Warren, my mothers distant
.ounsin. whose last resting place had seen
him 40 profanely outrage; and the school
master was by his captains side when war
rem fell in the southern country. quincy
Vail. as I knew him-saving for that ohe
night in the graveyard-was a mild ana
feeble recluse. and a notably devont pro-
fessor at the meeting house on SUNDAYS.
One winters morning, years after l hah
bacorra a physician in an adjoining town.
soI Dr,ner's Youngest son drove over from
uighdaIe with the news that old van naa
been found dead on his ONCE noof.
bundled into the sleigh and we SCI 'io.tn
"some says p'ison, DR.. Morey,' remarked
Draper. "an' some says applepie1y. L says
twas mos likely the two on en-
The Highdale habit Is 10 be on both sifes
Of a question, II possible
It needed little more than glance TO
convince me that poor Walls death had been
a perfectly natural one, induced BY some
simple shock The old soldier had been
seized by heart failure at his duty, in the
oct OF sorting the nail. The scene was
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
A Place for Paul

THE daughter of soap manufacturer r..
= Gently conceived fondness for a youn,
man whose only asset appeared to b. =
knack for versifying. The girl summon.d
him and addressed him thus:
Paul, darling, mother wishes Won >,
enter dads factory. That vou,d -.
his unwillingness to our marriage
But. my love-" protested Paul 90,
poet!'' ."
All the better, dearie. You can v-;,.
verses for our soap ads"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
In memory Of
CAPT. ZENAs WARREN
Not Reassuring

A CERTAIN young man was so well sat
isfed with the impression be had reason
to believe he had made on a certain young
woman that he did not attempt to verify
this belief, but boldly made reference to his
standing" with the rest Of the family.
DO you think" he said, that your
worthy father win accept me as a son-in-
hT?"
II haven't the least doubt in the world as
10 that" said the girl. Father and l, you
know, never agree on anything"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
A Logical Inquiry

AN EAGER looking urchiu approached a
n man hurrying toward the railway sta
ton. Garry your bag. srr' he asked.
NO snapped the man.
"I'll carry it all the way for a dime"
said the boy.
''I tell you I don't want it carried!' 20
snarled the man.
Don't you?''
"No, No!'
Whereupon the lad broke into q quick
trot to keep up with his victims hasty
strides. as he asked, in innocent curiosity
Then what are you carrying it fort"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Dangerous Going

A NORTHERN man was proceeding
"A through the Florida Everglades with a
guide. This worthy, as they followed the
narrow path, would tap each hollow log
with his foot
why do you do thatT' he was asked.
'Lookin' out for snakes" was the calm
response.
Snakes? What kind7''
''Moccasins.'
"Heveans!'' exclaimed the Northerner.
Then, uneasily, he asked:
why do we walk on the logs, or so close
to them, when they are full of snakesf Why
don't we walk of there, where the ground
Is solld?"
We'll" said the guide, as he kicked
another stump. ''ye mought mt sink below
your waist of there-and them again ye
mpught" -
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
The Band of Hope

WHEN the wife Of Joe Belts, an Alabama
w darby, died, he uourned her sincerely
"Ts going 10 put q black border 30 my
house" hs said 10 one Of bis neishbors.
And hs did. A week later q broad band
Of black outlined the front of his Ittls
dwelling.
couple Of years passed. Then one Of
lis neishbors, stopping to speak to Jos,
'nund him gazing up at his little black
-d-ed house with an air Of perplexity.
1t hzfs veil. Jos." said the nsixhbor.
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
A Windfall

A COUPLE of Chicago youths met on the
"A street one day when one made the fol-
lowing announcement:
We'll, Harry Harkins' uncle has just
died and left him a lot of money. Harry
always said that his ship would come in
some day"
Yes" said the other youth, but he
didn't expect an heirship.'
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Ewes Ancestor

A YOUNG mother In Chicago was en-
n deavoring to act as her own Sunday
school teacher in the matter Of imparting
fundamental biblical knowledge to one Of
her offspring.
After recitins the story of Adam and Eve
the mother began catechizing the youngster.
WHO was the first womanr'
There was q monetary silence and then
the kiddfe replied:
Gods grandmother"
The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

IN the pleasant village cemetery Of High
dale, the grave of Captain Zenas Warren
is on a secluded crest of ground behind a
clump of hemlocks; and in the ambush of
these scrubby trees lay stretched one sum-
mer evening. twenty years ago. with my
childish heart beating q tattoo against my
ribs
The life Of a country doctor has since
led me to strange happenings. but that night
sticks In my memory like yesterday-the
creepy hush Of it, the whispering drizZle
Of the rain, and the square. gray monu-
nent, looming beyond the foliage.
In memory Of
CAPT. ZENAS WARREN
Massachusetts, Volunteer Infantry,
who fell in Louisiana, June 10, 1853,
and is buried beneath this stone
Highdale Honors Her Brave
Captain Warren's company had been re-
cruited in Highdale, and had marched out
Of our valley to the war. A week before
my nocturnal expedition to the cemetery l
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05
ANNOUNCEMENT

The Blum, O'NeiH Co. have re ceived a shipment of 256 Newton ammunition. 1S-tt.
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05
Go After Wreckless
 Automobile Drivers
By International News scrvicc)


 HONOLULU. Oct. 5-A corps of 'vigilantes" and an auxiliary force of "one cent year" plain clothes traffic cops are the latest moves Of the Honolulu Automobile Club in it's effort to put q stop to the reckless driving which has been the cause of an appalling number of automobile accidents in the island capital dur ing the past few months.
 The yigilantes, whose identity is known only to the officials of the automobile club, will have no authority to make arrests for viola ton of the traffic laws, but will re- port any violation of these laws which may come to their notice.
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05

Try the Daily Times for Job Printing
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05
To Teach Trainmen
 Art of Politeness
lRy International News scryIcel

'by international News Scrvicc)
 LOS ANGELES, Oct, 5.-A novel, ty in railway instruction departments has been inaugurated here with the installation of Miss Nina Martin as a school marm" for trainmen of the Los Angeles Railway. It will be Miss Martins special duty to give conductors and motormen lessons in courtesy toward patrons of the To- cal street cars.
 The courtesy course will also touch on the personal appearance of train men. and motermen and conductors will receive lectures from their new teacher on keeping their uniforms tidy and their shoes "slicked."
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05
Wood Confirmed as
 Island Governor
DHy Associated prcss)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.-The senate has confirmed the nomination of Gen eral Wood as governor of the Philip pines
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05

Aaron F. Nelson, Toney McGettigan and Ed. McNIulIen will operate eX- tensiycly on Notch creek.
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05

Pete Ecklmd and Jack Carroll will drift on No. Bonanza. which was re gently purchaser from N. Nelson.
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05
CHISANA MINING NEWS
lFrom McCarthv Newsl

- '"''' VI -''' V''E ''7-''7T
 Hans Running and John Swanson have struck good pay on No. Bonanza and will do considerable drifting this winter The ground is owned by James and Thornton.
The Cordova daily times., 1921-10-05

Shorty Briggen says he has done remarkably well this summer-in get. ting back 10 Mccarthy
The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-12
"A Nice Mess I've Made Of My Life!'
She Sobbed.

of i'll 1 wish-6h, my God, how
wish | was deadi'
MY own life has been so darned
easy" Alix unused, in a cautious un-
dertone. sitting, fully dressed, on the
side of her own bed, and studying her
sister with plying eyes 'Ive often
wondered if / could buck up and get
through with it if some of that sort of
thing had come to me! l don't know,
of course, but it seems to me that I'd
say: Who loses his life shall gain
itr and I'd stand anything-people
and places / hated, loneliness and pow
erty-the whole bag of tricks think
! would l mean I'd read the Bible
and Shakespeare, and enjoy my meals,
and have a garden" Her voice sank.
II know it's terribly hard for you.
Cherry" she ended suddenly pitiful
Cherry had stopped crying, dried
her eyes. and had reached resolutely
for the book that was waiting on the
little shelf above the porch bed.
You're bigger than | am. she said.
quietly. ''Or else I'm so made that
suffer more. wish | could face the
music. But / can't do anything. I'm
sorry One knows of unhappy mar
riages, everywhere. without quite
fancying just what horrible tragedy
an unhappy marriage is Don't mind
me. Alix.
Alix was conscious, as she went out
70 speak 10 Kow about breakfast, and
to give a final glance at fires and
lights. tnat this was one of the times
when girls needed a wise mother. or a
father. who could decide, blame, and
advise.
Coming back from the kitchen. with
a pitcher of hot water, she saw Mar
tin, in a welter of evening papers.
staring at the last pink ashes of the
wood fire. Upon seeing her he got up.
and with a cautious glance toward the
bedroom doors lie said:
Look mere a minute! Can they
hear u.s." Alix set down her pitcher
o. water, and came TO stand beside
him.
Hear us-Peter and Cherry? No
Cherry's out on our porch, and Peters
porch is even farther away Why?"
Take look, will your" he said. 81
want to speak to you! :"
Alix. mystified, Gully went TO glance
at Cherry, reading now in a little fun
nel of yellow light, and then crossed
to enter Peters room. His porch was
dark, but she could see the outline; OF
the tall figure lying across the bed
CONTINUED Tomorrow