Show 0 T = THE COWARD I I By FRANCIS A STOUTENBURGH Clay entered his library closed the door and locked It Then with oner Belle tread he made his 1to way to lilt I desk Prom one uf the pigeon holIi > ho took a revolver u was a big wicked looking Illll44 caliber always Clay retltod was a man hr always toa bolloVNI hltnllelt tob U it cow and nt heart i but In a cabinet In hit I library there was a medal which had boon awarded him for valor In tho flew thorn was also a letter from President McKlnley uroniuSlnR nnc i commending him for onspictious bray I cry And on the It 11 1 was a sum1 given him by his of i company with an Inscription on tn blade testifying to his courage selfianilllco and loy allyClay Clay examined the revolver care fully It was properly loaded nod ready to do the deadly work It might Ito called upon to do Clay sank back In an arm cLih tin weapon In his hand In tho last stages of consumption l racked by pain j grieving over the loss of his young wife who had died but now n-ow months previously harassed by a poverty that he was too proud tc make known he had sought the Reclu slon of his pot room surcease of sorrow sor-row an end to all tho responsibilities of life I was always a coward ho muttered mut-tered as ho shudderlngly looked down at the revolver Yet somehow I did my work When I charged the SpanIsh Span-Ish breastworks at Palmas at the head of my men I was In mortal fear of a wound of some kind I was the first man Inside the enemys works Men near me wero cut down by machets bayoneted or shot I WitS untouched My men never know my fear novel noticed my white face In the heal of the combat they took no heed ot all this but they cheered mo after the fight was won Then again that fight near the river when I carried Sergt Peters on my back after he was wounded carried car-ried him through a deadly fire back In our lines ah hathats where I won tho presidents letter but I was In agony lost some Mauser should send Its bullet through me Hut somehow I did my work And nowho glanced again at tho weapon In his hanlllt may hurt i me he mused with something ot boyish petulance Oh I cannot bear the pain In case It does not kill instantly in-stantly tIle crashing through my Us sues and bones and even though 11 kill me there will be a momentary a i I horrible agony A coward I am and always was yet somehow I did my work Racked by a fit of coughing ho noticed no-ticed that blood had come on his handkerchief again Something prompted him to take the sword of honor from its place on the wall and put it by his side to gaze once more upon tho medal and to take the presidents letter and spread It acrss his knees These will make me a brave man he said But these acts failed to summon up the courage that he sought Ho looked again at his revolver and shuddered Throwing open Its breech he hastily emptied it of Its contents then picking up the poker with a sharp blow he smashed tho weapon nnd threw Us shattered remnants rem-nants into the dead embers of tho hearth Now I am a coward ho exclaimed bitterly Somehow before this ll always al-ways did my work hope Then It was that the bright ful faces of his two young sons ono of 12vvbo were near of 14 and ono with other boys came at hand at play before him and their voices seemed un Ul I WI W m u ou are a bravo man to say No no you and no coward face A smile passed over his wan What was thatr he asked Is am ono in the room faint sigh that same Ho heard a falnt happy little sigh that had come sho died in his arms from his wife as hut a few months previous His wasted right hand was lifted the desk whereon It rested by from Invisible but stipemoly ten llngois Illusive sweet and bear tar A Kiss of angelic ing in Itself a message I was pressed IJatltude and approval Illatltude I It JIIOI1 chair Tic leaned forward In his lie forth from mouth i Tho blood gushed trailed In a crimson and and nOlltllIs the letter from the murdered across stream whIch lay In his lap dorell No bullet resident caused It It was the last copious It vas It was hemorrhage hlmN Y KOI merciful and it took aid |