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Show A tlHAVE ULACK OLDIER BrrsL Ili.bt.rt Caln'a I avail tin Hut; While Haiti Anilrlr.l. ltobert Cain Is as blaik u ebony. Ha le n duty sergeant In company I Seventh United States volunteer Infantry, Infan-try, M)s the St. IauIs Olobe-Demo-crat. Though a descendant Irom slaves he has the spirit of a Spartan soldier. He left his homo In Springfield with his company. A young wife clung to him until ho broke from her embraco and boarded the train as It begau to move. In rump he worked hard, and becamo 011a of the most valuablo men In the company. Hut after uwhllo It becamo evident that hi heart was not In the work. He mado error. Tho captain poko to him harshly. Ha mado no reply. Then the captain learned the lory. Sergt. Cain's wlfo wss dying. Tor two ilas ho had eaten nothing. Kor two nights he had not slept. Ills rnptnln had no more harsh words for him, but In an hour's tlmo had a furlough fur-lough for three das granted and sent him away, telling hint to wire for an extension If he needed It. Sergt. Cain reached hi humblo homo and found his wife unconscious. Tor thrco days he sat beside her bed, praying that she might speak to him, but she only raved In her delirium about his absence. The furlough expired. Ho wired for more time, but no answer came. He kissed his unconscious wife, and, weeping, weep-ing, turned his faco toward his regiment regi-ment Ten minutes later a telegram came. It won for Cain and was signed by hi captain. It read: "I-eavo extended ex-tended three days. Iteport 8 p. m. Saturday." Sat-urday." Wednesday night Capt Mayes waa sitting In his tent. Some one approached ap-proached nnd stood at attention, The rnptnln glanced up The man outside saluted. The officer sprang up. "Cain, what are you doing hero?" ho demanded. de-manded. Tears were streaming down the acrgeant'a face. "My leave expired, sir, and 1 report tor duty, sir," he managed man-aged to say. "How's your wife?" "8ho' dying, sir, but" nnd then Cain's grlet overcame him. The captain cap-tain stepped outside and took the sergeant ser-geant by tho hand. "I wired you lo stay and you didn't get the message. You have proved voursclf n soldier, I'll send you bsck to your wife, do to jour quarters now." Tho officer went direct to the commanding officer's tent Sergt. Cain went home again at once. He bad a pass out ot the lines and also a pass on the railroad. r |