| Show THE MAN THE FLY LIT ON 6 dy GORDON H CILLEY Q bj b Short story pub co it was nas tin mink from arom a caroff jun gle file that lint hung lung it a half chol ing haze betiN between cen land and nd sh ski but the sun un pleiad till ough atom brabon hemen heaven and ami beat don do X with s rijs ms till heat bics danced from the and dusta dusl aith the ahe thiet thie men in the dried drie dout out na ter baij hole hid bad lev feu words for each other there was nothing to I 1 it un til III some of 0 them should pole a plan for safety baet and nhat plan could there be bea lebs leba than bards out in front fron t vas a the bamboo clump arid and with in it was a sharpshooter and a M baij a y one over and over had each of the three held aloft Us its serice sen ice list hat on the point of his cleaning rod but tile the onh ODIN fire it drew as a chuck ling mocking laugh it would not v ork the little brown disciple ol of aguinaldo Agul naldo haldo held pr precious celous it had sounded like an all old springfield when he be shot the cor corporal corpo ial probably that was vas what ahat it vias nas if so then he ha had bad but one caiti calu idse idge in his its gun ile he could be shot or there might be time to escape before he could after that was fired but that one was one death indoe hoe should it 11 be bea was vias but one solution and as each of the three clImIna eliminated ted all other possible chances that one remained in his mind and each of the knew that the other knew so when adams passed around his canteen with an indication that they should drink each a third of the little water that thai remained the knew he was vas about to propose the one plan po possible sible ile he waited until the canteen lay empt by his side and then he whispered its it got cot to be one of us its pr ob ably a sure thing for he won t miss at that range but the man that does it can get up shooda shoot ln and maybe rif it 11 startle him and the two can jump up and shoot the tha minute his bis gun cracks shall vie e straws there was as no cepl the others looked at each other searchingly then the they looked down again adams went on his voice hard bard it if either of you fellows has got a wife and gilds back home that makes it differ different clit again he stopped and waited ilien ihen welch spoke jim carney here s got a girl back bach in boston shea promised to wait wail for him stow our gab said carnev loughl hl lil I 1 am in heie bete to haiie ma m C chances that s white talk said adams with just juat a tinge ot of admiration I 1 ive ve got a girl back there too but that aint am t like bein married with nith kids N hen its just a gill balk baik home its different how re we going to choose chooses 7 asked carne impatient adams i cached up ill to the edge ot of the mater hole and carefully caie fully de rached a long dry blade ot of file grass this he begin began to bi bieak eak into i inces of different lengths Y k droning fly buzzed before its his face and he slapped at it impatiently lie watched matched it as it ioe circling and then he be the shiang lets leave it to that cussed 11 alv lie he said its been aussin around here ever eier since we slid into tins this hole the man it lights on first ile he looked at ai me ine diners carney nodded his head nelch ech watched the 11 hi with a gat gathering heiing floan and mide made no cepl le leis s all lie still and see who nho he picks pick out said aid caan caln 3 we ciu can t waste time the men la on then hicks back their aching ebes fol loNNing evely movement moi ement of tile the fly for the moment it test lest ed on a swinging blade of 0 glass its head bead straight gh up to the be sun bun and ad 11 ils forelegs fore legs contemplatively rubbing their tips together ine velch belch sat up pulled his haversack have hae isack forward from his hip bip rummaged in fit it with his hand apparently lound what he was ing and bing down again jut ut his hand band to his mouth the others v watched him with suspicious interest well vou on are a queer ont OD said adams eating at a time like this welch aid nothing arid and the three resumed their vigilance of the fly it rose a black speck in the air darted in parabolic curves back and forth then slowly began to ophal do down wit ward the test was at hand band th the men la Is alongside with facing distance between them welch was in the center the fly de scented deliberately swung bachand back and forth and seemed to still its flight just over oer the face of carne in breathless silence the faint chord cliford of Us its wings was vas distinctly audible un the s face twitched the fly darted away the looked on without comments com menti k while a flush spread over the mans man s neck and up to his eats eais then the insect ans ct returned and aels urel dreb hummed back and forth and then in a swinging circle above the hand th tb it adams had bad stretched out upon the ground it settled within an inch and the man flinched the fly mounted upward again again it came back files have haie no long flight and aheady it was vear this time it would seeli seek a resting place its thed wings glew slower in fit their vibration and the noise of their buzzing deeper and more distinct it circled twice above the dusty shoes ot of adams and this time be did not move lle he looked on with his tea fea tures drawn in agony agon and his big teeth bis lip ifton alun the fly lose iose three or four feet in the ar air circled and like a bullet ui on 0 nh the face of welch it 11 alighted on his chin and crawled ad toward hi hia mouth ter lor a long minute the he other men looked on lit in silence the 11 stopped at the man mail b s up and began to feed came caine suddenly s baci of t his bis hand ban above it and the ln act darted oft off both C cnney uney and alarm alirna rose to sitting pos wres lures and looks looked at their prostrate pro corni conrade ade another minute aid a id a glance shot between n them carnei shifted Un cisily and whispered well nelch V elch old mana man still the ruan man did not move ills iea es and a sort of alk hovered about his lips adami his arm and shook him tho the 11 in dropped limpic back into place well bv god exclaimed carney and then place ig a anger on the man 3 e elfa lie he it back ord the white hite of the eie showed well by god he be muttered mutt again and reached for welchs wilst ile he hold held it for a little time between betheen his thumb and foi efinger alle adams looked on mith a puzzled stare carney dropped the and bent his ear to the man s nostrils then he ba diew bick back settled himself in his sitting and turned to adams from hom a question burst fainted 7 carney shook his head dead scared to death well ll 11 god or full fin fie e minutes the men were silent then adams spoke dull dulaj he took his chance with nith us and it tell fell to him he faded out without makin good but we can make him do it we can hold him up lip and let him get shot then we cm can get that sneak ing little devil that shot the cor 1 carney sat up right you are I 1 was ft as a fool not to think of it but it knocked me all in a heap to think of aneldh elch turning ellow ellou its it s just what NN ilat he s good fol foi now I 1 will ill bold him up and you can be read for or the little devil dei 11 he seized the body and hugging bugging it about the hips strove to raise it so that the head bead would show above the water hole bole but it was still limp it would not hold bold erect with a muttered oath carney seized the dead 4 V Y V t ap 4 e y j he hoisted iho iha corpse erect and ty upward mans rifle ind and jammed it down the back of the dead mans man s blouse the device schned ind and holding b the hips arid and keeping his own coin head bead well bent down donn he hoisted the corpse corpre erect and upward wis nas a moment ot agonizing suspense and then ring out the booming loar of a the tha sound was hardly complete bjoro b fore adams leaped up ind began pumping his liag at a latch of powder smoke in the bamboo kt the third shot was a bell ell and a clashing ot of blanches carney sat dova dowa ri and PlO plopped PIled up the lie b bod of his bla friend was as a 1 awning anning hole in the he dead mans forehead foe hed where the snub nub nosed slit ingfield bullet had clashed through and a tiny liny stream arnot ot blood trickled I 1 six away ay ti orn it he turned to a closet examination ot of the body of welch hell ot of a hole that old springfield makes lie muttered he ha untied the from about his neck and started to wipe awa aia the blood then lie he saw something that made him sti sta his hand lie he looked closek at the dead man a face anil and then sprang to his feet and swore sore aloud foi about the lips ot of his friend and spread over tile he lower halt of his face were nere what do lou on thinka grains ot of commis my blown sugar just beffie taps that night carney stood within the hip flap 0 of the majola tent and saluted ile he averred urgent business busl nesi the 1 I be major looked up wearily from his bis writing and listened carney carnev with more strength of language than usual to the majors ears begged that a ie commendation would be made tor for a medal of honor tor for the tha dead man to ho be sent to his relatives as Is customary when a soldier has died as a heio 11 1 thought he had turned sellow said the sold lei ei arid and god forgive me I 1 held up his body and let that little hellion shoot a hole bole la in his head and nd then I 1 found that he had fixed it all up lied hed batted baited himself with wilh sugar out of his haversack and that d d fly lit on him just as he figured it would sir bir it was more than he could land fand and the heart failure killed liln lil ill n you are right carnei carne said the tha major musingly when lit luu leard jeard the whole stor it li is the coial heroes that are the greatest of all I 1 will malie make the recommend tault liun for th medal of honor 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