IS IT WORTH WHILE 1
in It worth while that we Jostlo a brother,
Bearing his load on tho rough road of life?
I it worth while that we Jeor at each other,
In blackness of heart? that wo war to tho knife?
God pity us all in our pitiful strlfot
Ood pity us all as wo Jostle ench other ;
Ood pardon us all for the triumphs we feol
When a fellow goo down ; poor heart-broken brother
Pierced to the heart words arc better than steel,
And mightier far for woo or for weal.
Were it not well in this brief little Journey,
On over the isthmus, down into tho tide,
Wo giro him a fish Instead of a serpent
Ere folding tho hands to be and abide,
For ever and aye, In dust at his sido?
Look at the roses saluting each other;
Look at the herds all at peace on tho plain ;
Man, and man only, makes war on his brother,
And dotes in his heart on his peril nnd pnin,
Shamed by the brutes thut go down on tho plain.
Is It worth while that we battle to humble
Some poor fellow traveler down into tho dust?
God pity us all 1 Timo too soon will ua tumble,
All men together, liko leaves In a gust;
All of us humbled down into tho dust.
Joaquin Miller.
WHICH WAS THE COWARD?
WAN ALLEN was n romanticist
Incidentally he was a private In
D troop of the Forty-second Cav
alry. It might bo better to Btiy that
Van Allen had been a romanticist, for
tho word romance could hardly be ap
plied to Boldlerlng In the rico paddies
of Luzon. To begin with, "Van Allen"
rwas not Van Allen's name. Why he
W fit to enlist fraudulently was bc
rond the ken of his most Intimate
:rlends. Ho had no millionaire "paw
jaw" to disgrace; he was not a crimi
nal, nor a celebrity. It might have been
Shlw same love of romanco that caused
jfiim to assume the responsibilities of
such an aristocratic name as Van Al
len. Sad to relate, Van Allen did not fool
the thrills of patriotic enthusiasm un
til long after tho war was over and
soldiering In tho Phllppines had degen
erated into a one sided combat against
gnats, mosquitoes, dengue fever, mala
ria and periodical epidemics of small
pox and cholera. An occasional hike
through muddy rice paddles to subdue
recalcitrant, though decimated, bands
of ladrones was the nearest approach
to real fighting that the Forty-second
Cavalry had experienced since their ar
rival In the islands tlie latter part of
(1003.
! Van Allen had not Intended to enlist
Hvhi ho asked for Information regard
ing tho servlco from the Important llt
tlo recruiting sergeant who spun Invit
ing yarns for the benefit of gullible as
pirants to military honors. Hut after
ho had listened fully an hour to en
trancing stories of excessive clothing
allowances, large pay on foreign ser
vice, quick and easy promotion, and
the Indolent life of a soldier, he decided
that ho had at last found his niche In
life, and, besides, look at the romanco
in tho soldier's career! Tho next day
ho raised his right hand and swore
faithful alleglanco to Undo Sam for
three years.
lie enlisted for the mounted service,
nnd here again his romanticism came
to the fore. lie must bo a dashing
cavalier, not an unromantlc "dough
boy," hiking from dawn to dark with a
r'loug torn" slung across his shoulders.
! He was given half a day's rations,
and with a dozen other Innocents was
shipped to a post near tho northern bor
der of one of our Now England States
!to acquire a taste for equestrianism.
(To detail the agonies of "rooky" drill
In tho cavalry would only arouse pity
'and no amusement. Van Allen know
pothlng of lwrses when he enlisted, but
before he had been a month In tHe ser
vice lie could tell you more about tho
pleasure (?) of bareback riding four
hours a day than Is contained In any
riding school epitome.
After eight months of state soldier
ing orders at last came which sent the
Forty-Second to tho Islands, nnd thero
was groat rejoicing In D troop, but
after two months, packed like biscuits
in the hold of an army transport, sub
elstlng on steamed food, tho outlook
did not seem so cheerful nnd many
wore tlio prayers that tho "chow," at
Jeasr, would Improve wlien the outfit
reached station.
Manila was a welcome sight to nil be
low decks, and the twenty mile hike
into tho province of Itlzal was cheer
fully borne, despite the fact that a
cavulryman hates nothing so much as
n loug march afoot.
Bong-Hong was tho station for C nnd
D troops, and as unpromising a barrio
as could bo found in all Luzon. The
cholera had Just been co'iiquered,' after
ravaging tho entire provlnco and tho
.llttlo cemetery behind the post hospital
gave muto testimony that the command
previously stationed lu Bong-Bong bad
not escaped scathlesa from that terrible
plague. During the rainy seasons pro
vision sometimes got to Bong-Bong
from Manila every ten days, and often-
er railed to. lou couldn't tako a car
Into civilization every evening and must
needs mako your fellow soldiers your
amusement and trust in tlio lonl nmi
tho Inefficient mail system Tor neivsnn-
pers nnd letters from home.
Van Allen viewed the situation with
lisgust, and wished he was back In
Boston clcrklnc In tho irroeorv bus! I1PKM
he had deserted to become a soldier of
fortune ( ?). He vaguely wished ho had
not been so romantic, for somehow ln
couldn't Dud any romance lying around
loose In tho nlpa huts Inhabited by the
I'ngalogs.
Ho longed for real battles and scenes
of bravery, and would lie awake nights
planning his own actions should an out
break ever occur. Heroic dreams they
were, for Van Allen was a builder of
"WISHING HE WAS BACK
castles In the air, and many wero the
cortlllcntes of merit and "honorable
mentions" In orders that ho planned for
himself for 'dlstlngulslied gallantry."
lie almost prayed for a good insurrec
tion In order that lie might show his
ofllcers his true mettle. But nono came
and tho dally grind of routine was be
coming maddening. Guard every five
days, old guard fatigue, duty at the
stable and In tho kitchen, long, Idle
afternoons nnd longer nights had near
ly destroyed nil tho romance that Van
Allen had been cherishing In his soul
for twenty-live years. It wasn't a bit
like the books he had read. There were
no white women excepting the ofllcers'
wives, who, of course, had no word for
enlisted men nlovo a nod and smile for
a favored few. Disillusionment No. 1.
Then the stirring strains of martial
music never thrilled Van Allen's ears,
for tho Forty-Second's band, such ns It
was, was stationed with headquarters
at San Fernando. Disillusionment No.
2. And tho third nnd worst blow to ro
mance camo with tho knowledge that
tho days of tho cavalry chargo wero
over, and that the horses no longer
went Into action to the note of the bu
gle, but remained In tho rear, while
mounted men must stoop to lighting
llko the "dough boy," lying half burled
In mud bchiud somo friendly dyke In a
rice paddle. "Horses were for trans
Iortatlon, not for grand standing," the
G. O. had Bald, and that went. Still
Van Allen had never had ocular proof
of this, and wanted, to see this degra
dation beforo ho believed It To do
thiugfl like an ordinary 4"dough boy"
was tho worst diflgTaco a cavalryman
could suffer, and Van Allen couldn't be
lieve that tho cavalry charger had de
generated Into . pack mulo.
So Van Allen smoked Fillpluo cigar! 1
los, and wished ho was back in God's
country pulling a hand truck on some
wharf on Atlantic avenue. He man
aged to get into a squad sent out to
quell a waudorlng band of ladronos
whose worst crimo had been stealing a
llttlo rice from the natives. Ho pic
tured tho glowing deeds of heroism
he would perform when they "met up"
with tho "enemy." After two days of
endless hiking In tho mud and two
nights spent in a fruitless endeavor to
sleep on tho baro ground, under a dog
tent, a lodeatono for every kind of
crawling thing tho Philippines pro
duce; nftor finding seven half starved
ladronos, who surrendered without a
shot, ho returned to Bong-Bong and
spent a fortnight lu the post hospital
getting well from an attack of denguo
foror, complicated with a disease that
might Imj categorlcd as "shattered ro
mnnce." When he got out nnd around
to his regular duties again lie decided
that tho little recruiting sergeant and
ho wero going to have a brief talk If
over he got back to Boston alive.
Then ono day came tho rumor that
back In tho province the nntlves were
forming for an attack. At first tho re
ports of native spies had been disre
garded, and any Intimation of Insur
rection had been sneered Into silence
at division headquarters, but tho re
ports continued to como In from vari
ous sources until orders wero finally
Issued to Investigate. Van Allen's
troop commander was ordered to send
a squad of men out Into the suspected
district to find tho truth of the reports
In circulation. Then Van Allen knew
that at last his chance had arrived.
Ho secured permission to form one of
the squad of eight men detailed on this
duty.
After eight hours of hard marching
the squad rode Into the barrio of San
Estanlslao, reported to bo the head
quarters of the projected uprising. At
the first glance the barrio appeared
quiet and orderly as any Filipino vil
lage, and the men were inclined to
think that they had come on a fool's
errand. But there wore a great ninny
men around tho streets for so small a
place, and nil the next day they pour
ed Into tho barrio, many of them evi
dently from tho neighboring hills.
SA11 the natives appeared friendly
IN GOD'S COUNTRY."
and poaccnblo, however, nnd the doubts
that had arisen In tho men's minds
wero gradually lulled to rest. They
still kept a watchful guard on the
town, but discipline wns not as rigid
as It should havo been. Lleutcnunt
Halght was a young nnd Inexperienced
olllcer, nnd ns a consequence matters
went rnther loosely and caused old
Sergeant Brown to shako his head
grimly and confldo to Van Allen that
"ho had dealt with these brown devils
before, and that tho Jenlento was tak
ing things altogether too easy."
"Then thero may bo trouble," haz
arded Van Allen.
"Trouble?" grunted Brown. "Naw,
not trouble, just plain, slmplo h 1,"
nnd Van Allen's heart expanded and
throbbed at tho tliought that at last
lie was to participate in a real engage
ment. All that night ho busied himself with
last messages to dear oues at home,
meantiino humming plaintively that
popular, pathetic "Just ns tho Sun
Went Down." They always did this
In novels, nnd at last ho was to do
something that would llvo In history,
and be read by admiring people ev
erywhere. And Just before rolling In
ho sat down, and after much laborious
thought constructed a dying verso to a
certain blonde j'oung lady who work
ed lu It. II. Macy'a dry goods empo
rium In Boston:
"I place your picture 'ncath my dark
bluo shirt,
And, should to-morrow see mo bite tho
dirt,
Remember, dear, your face was next
my hear
Your name the last word that my tips
did part
Farewell."
Ami tho next day It came. Tho
squad was small, the lnsurroctos many
nnd tho retreat toward Bong Bong
somewhat resembled a rout Ordorlles
wero sent ahead for rc-onforcemonts,
but as most of tho horflcn had leen
carefully killed during tho first attack,
progress was slow. Many were walk
ing, and tho few horses remaining car
ried double burdens. Van Allen had
tho saddle of ono of these horses, and
Sorgeaut Brown rodo behind with ono
arm bound up, cursing softly and
steadily.
A man riding beside Van Allen turn
ed nnd gazed nt him with wide, star
ing eyes, and then smiled wnnly and
rolled off Into tho mud. Ills fellow
rider dismounted nnd threw him across
the pommel heedless of tho blood which
dyed his khaki pants n deep crlmnon.
Blood had been too common n thing
that day to causo remark or atten
tion. "Is he dead?" Van Allen gasped.
"How the h do I know," was tho
reply. "I'm no medic."
After tho first fury of the attack
the little party had numbered but nine
men nnd Ave Ivorscs, and of theso two
men wero now dead, and tho rest,
with tho exception of Van Allen, had
wounds, painful, it not dangerous.
Brown had only a flesh wound through
his left nrm. Although Van Allen was
badly frightened his romantic notions
buoyed him up, nnd ho essayed to Joko
with Brown, ns all regulars aro sup
posed to do when they are In great
danger.
"Those niggers don't seem to llko to
have us leave In audi nn unceremoni
ous manner," ho said, giggling fool
ishly. Brown looked at him contemptuous
ly. "I'ou see that and that and that?"
he said, pointing to the bodies of tho
two dead soldiers, and the othbr whose
life was fast ebbing out.
Vnn Allen nodded.
"Well, stow your chatter or I'll
knock you off this caballo. This is no
time for pleasantries." Van Allen sub
sided. Lieutenant Halght came riding
up to Brown and said :
"Sergeant, these niggers havo got to
bo stopped for at least twenty minutes.
How can It be done?" Brown shook
his head, but after u moment's thought
answered: "Leave two men nnd one
horse behind, and they can stand them
oft until the rest of the party aro met
my re-enforcements, sir."
"Who will stay?" asked the lieuten
ant. "I will, for one," answered Brown.
"And 1," cried Van Allen, all the ro
manco to the fore.
"Very well," replied Haiglit, indif
ferently. "Of course, you men realize
that tho chances nro slim for both of
you?" They nodded. "Well, I'll leave
you here. Hide behind this paddle
dyke and hold out ns long ns you
can, then make your getaway If II Is
possible, ride on n little further, and
lay for 'em again."
Brown saluted. Taking the horse
behind the dike, he niado him lie down
and then coolly laid out twenty shells
beside him nnd placed six In his piece,
examined his Colt, and then settled
himself to wait for the lnsurectos, who,
now only twenty-five or thirty strong,
were nlout four hundred yards in the
rear. Van Allen followed his exam
ple In detail and Brown smiled grim
ly. "Little fool," he said, "thoso twenty
shells must nil be emptied before we
straddle that horse. Sabo?"
Van Allen nodded. Ho was past
speaking. As soon ns the little detach
inent had filed nwny, his romance had
deserted him nnd now ho faced stern
reality In tho shape of a large armed
party of furious Filipinos, nil desiring
his donth. Somehow the thought took
all tho fight out of lilin and he cower
ed behind tho dyke, ncrvelews nnd
pitiful. Suddenly Brown fired n shot
nnd the foremost Insurrecto sat down
suddenly with his hands nt his breast,
"One," counted Brown; "he must hnve
a stomach ache," and he looked nt Van
Allen. For ten seconds he cursed for
vently yet softly. Ills daring ami
rndo lay face downward in tho mud
of the rice paddle, crying nnd trem
bling in nn agony of fear. Ills fingers
were dug into tho muddy weeds and
his whole body seemed shrunk Into
half tho compass of his clothes.
"Sit up," commanded Brown, in tho
meantime firing rapidly at the fast ap
pronchlng band. No answer except the
"ping, ping of bullets nnd tlio craven
sobs of Van Allen. Brown turned his
back and, firing nnd reloading, paid no
further attention to Van Allen. Sud
denly ho heard a rustlo behind lilm
and glanced about lu time to see Van
Allen vault into tho saddle and spur
the horso Into the road. He ceased his
firing In paralyzed astonishment nnd
wntclied his cowardly brothor-nt-arins
gain the road and head toward Bong
Bong at a charging gallop. During
that moment of Inaction the Insurrec
tos swept by, yelling and gestlculat
ing nnd firing at the rapidly retreat
ing Van Allen. A well aimed shot
brought tho horso to his knees before
ho had traveled a hundred yards, and
in a moment the entlro band was upon
Van Allen aa ho lav stunned on tho
hard road. Bolos flashed for a mo
nient, and ns the band swept on thai
blood stained thing thoy loft In tho
road became tho finale of Van Allen's
romance. Brown thoy did not see..
Only ono man had fired at them, andj
na Van Allien fled on tho horso they
looked for no one else, nud Browne
hidden behind the pnddle dike, wasj
left unmolested. ;
When the re-enforcements camo ami
found tho body of Van Allen in tlai
road, and fartlior on found BrownV
sound asleep In a bed of mud, tho ofJ
fleers shook their heads slgnlflcnntly!
and put Brown under nrrest.
Brown's report wns conclso:
"We held them as long ns wo could,
and then Van Allen started back Id
hold them up at somo place farther)
on. Ho never got a hundred yards-.t
One man on a horse could mako time.)
Two, couldn't. I stayed hero and they
pnnscd on without seeing mo."
In the court-mnrtlal that followc
cd
:o,
Brown was acquitted of cowardice
but was reduced to tho ranks foa
"gross neglect of duty" nnd transform
red to another troop In his regiments
But the stigma of that day's work haA
blackened a record for bravery that
had been fifteen yenrs In tho building
i
Every ono pointed him out as the ma
who niado a recruit stand the brunt
danger while ho cowered behind
-i.t.
Biiuuur. i
But back In Boston the blonde yound
lady got the plcturo and verse, nnd
shed many tours over her bravo soi-
dler lover, and In n llttlo suburban
town a mother lovingly cares for a
gravo on which stands a liaudsomo
Btono bearing tho words:
To the Memory of Prlvato
Who died while gnlbiutly defend-
Ing the lives of his comrades.
Ho went cheerfully to certain
donth.
"Ilcquloseat en puce."
And on his breast rests a medal of
honor. Back In the Philippines a quiet,
morose man Is called "coward" (out of
hearing), and yet he smiles occasion
ally and murmurs, softly, "It's worth
it, anyway." But then he has no med
nl of honor to live up to. Chicago In-'
ter Ocean.
WOOD ALCOHOL.
A. Deadly Spirit K.vteiiHl vttly Unetl In,
tho World' Commerce. I
Alcohol In Its severest forms Is n pro:1
uounced ikjInoii. The wood alcohol ot
commerce is the deadliest of thesej
spirits, nnd yet It has been coming into'
such general use as n substitute roi
uio iiiguiy tuxeu gram spirits inati
movements havo been started to Induce
the revenue department of the Unlteiy
States to authorize thu iiianufacturo of;
a denaturalized grain alcohol free of)
any tax whatever. Except for tho rov-l
enue tax on the grain alcohol, It could!
compete with tho horribly poisonous
woou spirits. '
Potatoes will furnish alcohol lu hlgltl
proportionate quantities, and with tho!
product rendered unfit Tor drinking!
purposes as Is done In Germany the
uses of the spirits lu tho arts oxcIih
slvoly should not subject It to tho cnor-j
mous tax placed upon the grain alco-i
hoi. j
Alcohol Is the base of almost count-
less commodities In use lu almost every
field of endeavor. It holds a first place
as a preservative. It Is an almost uni
versal solvent for drugs and chemical
substances. Germany, for example',
uses 25,000,000 gallons of alcohol every
year for commercial purposes, and
these uses nro multiplying rapidly.
Ether, celluloid, white lead, photo
graphic papers and plates, collodion,
perfumes of all kinds, transpnrcnU
soaps, fulminates and smokeless pow-v
ders, varnishes, Inks nnd even thoman-j
ufacture of an artificial silk aro dc-
pendent upon alcohol, and In many ofl
these eomblnntkmtlio substitution (a
the wood nleohof for tho grain product
may bo productive, of appalling cnlam-j
Ity to the unwilling workers In thesej
substances. I
JiiimiicMu CollTurt;.
In Japan a girl at tlio age of 0 wears,
her hair tied in u red scarf boundJ
around tho back of her head; the fore-J
head Is left bare, with the exception or,
u couple of locks, one on each side,
When she Is of marriageable age she
combs her hair forward and makes IV
up into the shape of a fan or a butter
fly, and at the same time decorates m
with silver cord and balls of varied'
colors. This means everything nnd is,
fully understood by tho young men of.
Japan. A widow who wishes for a sec
ond husband puts a tortoise-shell pin'
horizontally at the back of her hcadj
and twists her hair round It, while tin
lnconsolablo widow cuts her hair short
and goes In for no adornments of any
sort Theso last are rare. By thoso
simple means much confusion Is avoid
ed. A glance around the ball-room suf
fices to toll the age and status of every
woman in tho place.
'I'Jie Heal (tucMtlnii. .
"I know, old chappie," said Dobbs,
"she has her faults, and a temper, and
all that; but I I love her and can't
live without her."
"Just so," calmly replied his friend;'
"but the question Isn't that. Can youi
live Willi her?" I