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Show The Green That Walked By JOHN L. CONSIDINE tl (Copyright.) "i APTAIN," said the man on Post ; No. 13, "I'd like to be relieved. A couple of weeks' rest might put me right again." "What's the matter? Sick?" "Not exactly that, captain. It's my eyes. I've been seing things." The captain of the guard eyed the man sharply. "Been drinking?" "No, sir. It's not that no pink rats, nor blue monkeys, nor anything of that sort. The fact is," and here he lowered low-ered his voice to the level of a confidential con-fidential whisper, although the nearest man was (the guard on Post No. 12, three-score yards away, "I've been seeing the grass walk." "What's that?" snapped the captain. "It's a fact, sir. I didn't pay so much attention to It at first, but now that it's happened three times, I'm beginning be-ginning to think that my eyes are going go-ing back on me, or else that I'm getting get-ting hallucinations." The captain looked at Guard No. 13 in dismay. Hitherto he had regarded this man as one of his sanest and steadiest subordinates. "Tell me about it," he commanded. "There's nothing to it, much, except ex-cept that every afternoon a patch of grass out there in the alfalfa field begins to move slowly toward the south. At first I thought it was the bay breeze, rolling through the grass, but then, I recollected, its wave was ; toward the bay. Besides, It seemed to me that this grass just picked itself up in a patch, and moved along, independent inde-pendent of the grass around." "Does this movement always start from the same point?" "No ; each day it begins a little further south." "Hum ! A little closer to the south a little closer to the bay, that is. At any regular time?" "Why, I hadn't thought of that. Tes ; let me see. Yes, I believe it was at the same time each afternoon. From half-past two to three, say." The captain glanced at his watch. "It's 2 :35 now," he said. "Do you see anything?" The guard peered long and carefully to the southward. "Yes, sir," he responded. "It's on me again the grass moves." "Where?" inquired the captain. The guard pointed to a spot near where the alfalfa field met the fence line. Sure enough, as it seemed to the captain, a patch of green, probably prob-ably six feet in length and three in width, was making speedy progress in the direction of the fence. "Take aim," shot from the captain's lips. "Can you hit it?" The guard raised his rifle, but with shaking hands. "Let me have It," cried the other, with a scornful gesture. Steeling his nerves, the guard fired. The grass was still. The captain ran down the stairs, and toward It. Regardless of possible reprimand, the guard followed. Arrived Ar-rived at the spot, the officer stooped to lift, and examine, ail ingenious contrivance. con-trivance. It consisted of two layers of burlap sacking, the upper one bearded with grass. The space between be-tween had been filled with loam, and from this, planted in wheat, the green blades had forced their way through the loosely-guarded interstices of the upper piece of cloth. While the captain surveyed with admiration ad-miration undisguised this novel garb of living green, the form of its designer, de-signer, a man in stripes, with shaven head, lay at his feet. And beside the body, stricken with vain regret, knelt Guard No. 13. "The first I ever killed," he muttered dumbly. "May God forgive me !" |