The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-12-23
Before Roll Cal
BY JOHN nLuNr

/ "'Tain't no use!"
Kelly, of Troop D, drew in the Tar.
/ rel Of his gun and lay fiat on the strd
behind the pile Of rocks. They're
too many for US. We're them Inj0ns'
meati"
How many shots you got left2"
asked his companion.
six"
-Four here. Looks bad"
The emphasis on the last wcrd ac-
companied a hasty shot at a stimuli
taneous smoke-puT from the fringe of
broken stone and mesquit ahead. Pri-
vate Wade sank down behind his
cover.
On the ensuing silence the call Of
an owl rose, quavered, rose. and fell
again from the other line of rocks.
Kelly swore below his breath.
"And too soon yet for us to be
missed" He wondered why his words
sounded SO hollow on the air. but put
it down to his nerves. It'll be roll
call back a. the fort before they know
That's sundown A two hours hard
ride here in a Decline wouldn't bring
help till after dark. We're all through,
Jake. This is taps for you and me"
He looked across at the other where
ne lay, sprawlad out on his stomach,
toes dug in the sand, upturnedx heels
spread wide apart with his eyes fixed
through the crack between the two
boulders before him unwayerinrly
upon the strip of rocks ahead.
Funny there was a nervous laugh
in Kelly's funny how things
look to you when you're starin' death
in the face. / never could rightly
make out till now why it was that
criminals, in the minute before they're
strapped in the lectric chair, some
times confess. guess it's a feelin'
comes over 'em that they'd Just like
to wipe the slate clean before the
books close-end square, SO to speak,
while there's still chance"
He shot a second quick glance at
his companion.
'.Jake"-his features. under the
sweat and WEAKNESS on his face,
showed grimly set" there's somethin
/ got to say to you!"
The other remained silent.
"I'H cut it short" Kelly went on.
'eYou never guessed, all the time we
been bunkies, through the thick and
thin of it together, that there was
once l played it on you low-down
Now you got to know handed you
the double cross, Jake-about Maine.
1--WE both wanted her, and it was
me that won; got her for my wife
/ reckon you remember them six pot
ties o. wine that was stole out O.
the captains mess? / stole 'em. You
was out on town-leave that night, and
l figured you'd be back lit up. While
you was stretched out, snorin' it off,
I rolled four O. them bottles I'd emp
tied earlier in the evenin' into the
creek under your bunk, and hid the
rest, the two full ones, inside your
locker. Then sat back for the
blow-off.
at come, all right. You was nabbed
dead to right, everybody thought.
If it hadn't been for fear O. the thing
leakin' out to them ladies that re
tryin' to abolish the canteen-the fact
that soldier'd stole Ticker to get it
when it was put within his reach
you'd likely have been drunmed out
o. the regiment in disgrace; which was
just what was hopin' for SO could
get rid o. you and have clear road
all to myself-to Maime.>
"TheNworst you got was the guard
house and reduced to the ranks from
sergeant. But / sorter thought I'd
slipped the girl your number as a
thief, and you were queered there. |
got her. And thenshe told me it
hadn't made no difference what you
was, so fairs her feelin's> went; you'd
never stood chance, cause 1t was
me all along, and nobody else, she
wanted.
Women are sure queer. When /
told Mamie what I'd done, why, she
said it wasn't right, that I'd been I'M
der-handed, and deceitful, and all that
but she forgive me.
Forgive me for what any man in
the fort, if he heard 1t, would call the
rottenest piece o. snealSin' liars work
he ever heard Of. And for it, If it
was found out, to this day. I'd be
kicked clear across the skyline by
the whole troop. as know blamed
welllI oughter be. That's your pard,
Jake Wade. A traitor and a sneak
x.x,-- x,<.4 Iyvoxsy him ?,
He watched the leader Of the party
bend down and grasp his bunKy's
shoulder The officer straitened. He
took off his hat and stepped back
And thus Private Wade was re
veaied, with a buIlet-hole in the mid
die of his forehead as he had been
ever since Kelly started to talks stone
dead