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About Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190? | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1898)
WOULD ENSLAVE "AMERICAN PEOPLE SENATOR ALLEM DENOUNCES THE ATTEMPT TO ENSLAVE THE PEOPLE WITH A PERPETUAL DEBT. THE PROPER WAY TO RAISE REVENUE FOR THE WAR, iAn Inoomo Tax Law Should bo Substituted For tho Sohomo to Issuo Hundrods of Millions of Qold Bonds. Conoludod From nut, Mr. President, tills means more. !lt means nn Interest, these bonds nre not paid an Interest charge to tho people of the United States of $120,000, 00 during the next ten yenrs, making 5520,000,000 when the bonds nre paid. It means even moro than that. It menns that nt the end of ten years then will lie no money In the treasury with which to pay the bonds. They will be re funded nnd go on from year to year ns a great blanket mortgage upon the property and Industries of the count iy. Mr, Piesldent, when drover Cleveland, late of Buffalo, came Into power the second time, the annual Intel est charge to the United States was about $23,000, OOO.posslbly more than that. After four jyeurB of the delights nnd sweets and blesRlngs of the gold standnrd under tills administration the annua! Interest charge to the United States grew to About J34.OOO.0OO. Suppose Mr. Cleve land had followed out the platform and tenets of his party nnd had kept the promises mndo In this (.number In 1M3 "by his rpresenttttlves, nnd had caused silver to be coined freely nnd upon Iterms of equality with gold, there would not have been the slightest neces. city for Inerenslng the bonded Indebted. nesH $263,000,000, n wan done. Now It Is proposed by this bill to Increase ,the annual Interest charge to the gov ernment J12.000.000 more, or nbout $46 O00.000 annually. Mr, President, when we nre discuss ing the gold question, I should like to know from the Rcnator from Iowa (Mr. Allison), who Is In charge of this bill, or from any other senator of the nuance committee, wheie wo are to obtain tho gold with which to pay these bonds, nnd how we nre to obtain It? The drain upon the gold of the United States amounts to $325,000,000 annually: nnd where Is It to come from, unless we nre to enter upon n period of endless Issues of gold-bearing obligations until (the credit of the nation shall be broken down nnd the people nnd the govern ment shall go Into bankruptcy? England and other nations of Europe take from us every year $325,000,000 In gold, or gold equivalent In the form of Interest charges, transportation charges, nnd expenditures of money by American citizens visiting abroad. Our annual output of gold amounts to nbout $12,000,000, one-half of which Is con sumed In the arts, or practically one half. How nre we to qbtuln the gold to pay these enormous charges, to say nothing nbout pnying the principal of the debt when It falls due? My honorable filend from Nevada (Mr. Stewart) complained nbout this n few moments ago, nnd snld that our civilization was being reduced by It. Mr. President, unfortunately that state ment Is true. I wnnted then to call his attention, ns 1 call It now, to the fact that It Is the purpose of the gold power to reduce the civilization of America,; It Is the purpose of this power to wield such an Influence over our Institutions nnd our people that they will bo made mere hewers of wood and drawers of water. Does nny man need nn Illustration more complete than Is to be found In tho last presidential election? It has been charged, nnd never disputed, that $16,000,000 were used by the republican party In that election $16,000,000 to car ry a party Into power In u government where tho ballot Is supposed to be free nnd where every man Is supposed to vote without Interference or Interrup tlon; and yet bo open and so notorious has become this political prostitution that these charges pass unrefuted. Mr. President, the civilization of the United States Is Involved In this Issue. If the great mass of the people can be kept working nnd tolling year by year, yielding all above what Is necessary for mere existence from their suiplus earn ings to this gold power to pay Interest charges and deots, that Is exactly what that power wants; that Is oxnetly what It has endeavored to accomplish, nnd what It has almost succvided In accom plishing. The renntor from Nevada need have1 no concern nbout It accom plishing Its purpose unless there Is virtue enough In the American people to rise up and shake on this Influence effectually, Mr. President, a tidal wave of pa triotism Is rolling over the country. The "pence-at-any-prlco men" of four or five weeks ago are leading In the war today. The men who were laggards live weeks ago, saying the country should com piomlse Us honor, should compromise everything for peace, and permit the women and children of Cuba to sinrve by thousands, as they are starving now and before we get Into Cuba they will all be gone by starvation those men have put themselves nt the head of the procession, nnd ure carrying tho flag, and we nre In the rear, beating the drums nnd sounding the tlfes. Mr. President, the Moloch of greed Is to be fcatlstied at any price. On the 21st of last month we declared on high Christian grounds, on grounds of clvlllz. atlon even earlier than that, I think that we would Intervene In tho affairs between Spain and Cuba to put a sfp to unspeakable cruelty. Within 96 miles of our shores DOO.000 old men, boys, women, and sucklings had been starved to death. The civilized world would not Stand it longer. Hut here we were, the giant of the western continent, an.l I think when properly organized tho most powerful nation on earth In nil re spects, sitting down supinely, watching the process cf extermination go on In Cuba with scarcely a protest against it. After a time, Mr. President, there came a quickened public sentiment nnd a demand that something be done; nnd we all remember how the peace-at-any-prlce men skirmished for delay delay until the people of Cuba could be com pelled to assume a $500,000,000 interest bearing obligations. When that did not succeed, the peace-at-any-prlce men fell In and put themselves at the head of the procession, and they have been running the war since then. Mr. President, when will the war terminate. Jf It closes when the bond and franchise determines It shall, it will close only when they force from the remnants of the people of Cuba nnd the other Islands financial conditions which will satisfy them: and It will not terminate sooner than that unless there Is a popular uprising that can not be resisted. So we are marching under the gold standard today, If at all, and our fleets are sailing under the stand ard of the peace-at-any-prlce men. Every Interest of our country, even the patriotism of the country, must be coined Into obligations bearing Interest' when there is not the slightest necessity for it. . Mr. Rawlins Will It Interrupt tho Last Wook. senntor If I nsk permission to have a bill laid before tho senate? Mr. Allen For notion? Mr. Rawlins Yes, sir. Mr. Allen I can not suffer an Inter ruption to pass n bill at this time, bo cause I nm nenrly through, nnd I would not wnnt my remarks so ruthlessly cut In two nnd bo unceremoniously de stroyed. I shall be through In a mo ment. I want to put myself on record ns being now, ns I have always been, against the Issuance of bonds at ul), nnd I hope to see the time como when congress will have patriotism enough In both branches of It to tnke awny the power from the secretary of the treas. ury to Issue bonds, unlenw speflcally au thorized to do so. When there is neceB slty, Mr. President, for the issuance of bonds nnd that necessity Is presented to congress, the secretary of the treas ury will never be Without It. Congress will confer thnt authority whenever It Is necessary, but It Is n most danger ous power to place In the hands of a subordinate officer. The constitution devolves on congress the whole flnancla. policy of the nation the power to tax, the power to raise revenue, the power to coin money, the power to emit bills of credit, the power to control the en tire financial policy of the nation nnd Ih It possible, Mr. President, thnt there Is more wisdom In nn average secre tary of the treasury than there Is In both branches of congress? A continuing power to Issue bonds never would have been given in the early days of the republic And yet tho secietnrles of the treasury have de sired so much to use tho power that they have Issued bonds In absolute vio lation of Inw. There wns not a bond Issued of the $263,000,000 under the ad ministration of drover Cleveland that Is not absolutely void. John O. Car lisle had no more power to Issue bonds than my distinguished friend from Louisiana (Mr. McEnery) hnd at that time or nt this. There Is not n word In tho statutes, and there was not a word there then, authorizing the secretary of the trens. ury to Irsuc bondH; nnd I say In the face of his frlendH here that he violated the duties of his ofllce and the con stitution of the United Stntes when ho Issued those bonds. Yet so strong Is this power,' that that man, who had been the chnmplon df sliver for years In this chamber nnd outsldo of It, bowed to Kb yoke, nnd exceeded his nuthorlty .In the Issuance of bonds, simply to pla cate tne money power. What Is to be expected, Mr. Presi dent, of n country where n thing of that kind enn tnke place with Impunity? Does every mnn know thnt civilization Is Imperiled when n great public offi cer, In defiance of his duty, in viola tion of the statute, In vlolntlon of the constitution, can crente u debt for the people to pay, that will be n burden on them for generations to rome? We nre likewise Informed that the present secretary of the treasury thinks he has the power to Issue bonds. No doubt he thinks so. He represents aim ply one class of people, nnd that Is the cent-per-cent class so nply described by Mr. Dickens In the Veneering fnmlly. Do you suppose the secretnry of the treasury for a moment thinks of the man who tolls and labors and strug gles for a living? He cares nc moro for him than for a benst of burden. He Is only one of the small factors In the accumulation of wealth. And yet It Is true thnt no man enn become the head of the treasury department of the United States who does not go there ns the pet of this particular money power and to administer tho nffalrs of the government In Its Interests. I have nothing to fenr from the sec retnry of the treasury, nnd I certnlnly have no lovo for his administration of his ofllce. I say that his policy Is to keep up the interest obligations on the people until every man. womnn and child of the 75.000.000, nnd the 100,000. 000 that are to come pretty soon, will be the bond slave and the servant of the few, and our government will pass, as It Is rapidly pnsslng today, from n lepublle to nn offensive aristocracy. I have nothlrg to sny as to the policy we aie likely to pursue In the present war. It would not be proper for me to friiolse wh.it has been done ot what hay not been done thus far. I d6 not piopose by anything I may say nt this time or nt nny other time to lay any obst ruction in tho load of the president of the United Stntes In conducting this war to a sucre?.ful termination. I can not. however, resist the temptation of calling nttrntlon incidentally to this fact, to which I hnve icferred. I think, during my remarks. We started out to relieve the recon centrndos of Cuba, who were torvlng to death, who. I am Infoimed by coin petent and proper nulhoilty, nre now dying by the thousands dally, and wo have not taken to them one morsel of bread, not n particle of raiment, nor n cup of water with which to assuage their thirst. They are suffered to die today, as they weie dying months urv The very purpose for which this war was Inaugurated to carry out n Chris tlan civilization and to relieve those people has been abandoned, nnd they nre suffered to starve more etVetually than they were before the war was declared. Mr. President, I will vote every dol lar nnd every man necissiry to success, fully conduct the war. I fool somewhat lnter?sted In It because I received from the effete east a day or two ago a newspaper clipping saying that Populist Allen from Nebraska was largely re rpcnplbh for the agitation that brought abf.ut tho war nnd wanting to know why I did not enter the army. Mr. President, you know there are a ureal many patriots nowadays whJ nre not particularly con-erned about going Into th- army themselves, but deidr-j some body else to do so. I served through one war. I think I had th honor of being in a battle where you and I, Mr. President (Mr. Mills In the chair), were on opposite sides; and yet, as I said to my amiable and good friend 'rom Wisconsin (Mr. Spooner) some weeks ngo, if it becomes necesary to have more men, I will re sign my position If he will resign his, and we will take our muskecs nnd go side by side as private Midlers and dis charge our duty as best we can. Mr. Spooner That strikes me as a very poor sort of DatrlotUm Mr. Allen It ma be, but I th'nk otherwise. Mr. Spooner The senator Is wlK'ng, If It becomes necessary In order to serve the government tnd vlndlcat; in na tional honor, to go Into the army tcr that purpoae, it somebody else will also go, Mr. Allen The renator and I served about the same length of time In the last war on the eame side, but the senator wns wearing shoulder attsps at that time, and I was carrying a mus ket nnd knapsae'e. M. Spooner I sirved a while without any shoulder straps, or any other ndornn cnt except a knapsack. Mr. Allen Not very long. air. spooner Long enough. Mr Allen Not long enough to Injure you The senator wns riding a horse nnd vas drawing a good salary, nnd he had a servant to cook for him, and all those things. I did not. I was the fellow who carried tho knapsack nnd the gun. Mr. Spooner Perhaps you cooked. Mr. Allen No; I was the man who carried the knapsack and a gun: and I wnlked; I did not ride. I cooked sometimes, too. Mr. Spooner Nor did I ever ride. I wnlked. Mr. Allen You hnd a right to ride. Mr. Spooner 1 hnd no right to ride. Mr, Allen As n major? Mr. Spooner I wns not a mnjor. Mr. Allen Then 1 beg your pardon. Mr. Spooner I wns a cnptoln of nn Infantry company nnd marched with my compnny. Mr. Allen Hut you did not have to entry nny knapsack; I'know that. Mr. Spooner '""crimps I did not. Mr. Allen That Is the rea33n I mnke thr proposition I do to the senator. Wo ure about the same nge, nnd I wnnt to see him carry a musket nnd I am willing to go with him nnd carry one, too. I do not want to be promoted to the position of assistant adjutant general or assitant commissary general oi anything of thnt kind. My appll eaticn Is not on tile. I want to go under these-clirumstances If It Is neces sary; but I say to my friend frankly thnt I do not vnnt to go nt my nge unless, It Is necessnry. rut, Mr. President, speaking nerl cufdy, there ought not to bo a citizen of the United Stntes who, ns n Inst resort, would not be willing to lay his life upon the altar of his country in this great war against a nutlon whose people have for two thousand years been the known assassins of the world, that we may drive them from this continent, from the Philippines, from Cubn and Puerto Rico; and, Mr. Presi dent, If I hnd the power, I would drive them from the Canary Islands, the Capo Verde Islands, nnd from the peninsula Itself and destroy them, In the hope thnt out of their sickly civilization there might grow n greater nnd a better na tion. It Is barely possible, sir, that the time has come, which was contemplated by certain men, when the struggle be tween the Anglo-Snxon and tho Lntln Is at hand. It may be that we are en tering that period where a long strug gle, extending over years, 1b nbout to be entered upon with uncertain re sults. It was not altogether unwise in a distinguished English statesman to' cnll attention a few days ago to the probable necessity of closer relations between the English spenklng and Ger man spenklng peoples. And yet, Mr. President, I have taken, as I shall In the future, n firm stand against any alliance between this country and Eng Innd until England shnll be willing to do by Irelnnd wbnt we do by our states give them self-government and absolute home rule. Fortunes Made From War. Fortunes hnve been mnde by the mnnlpulntlon of war loans; at the be ginning of the rebellion the national bond Issue and the stability of the gov ernment, which made the bonds of value, were both regarded with doubt. The loan could not be negotiated abroad owing to England's secret but bitter hostility to the north, and to the mis trust of the Rothschilds. Tho late Jay Cooke, a western bunker, undertook the sale of these bonds; he placed the orig inal $5.20 loan of $530,000,000 as well as subsequent loans, which In the aggre gate amounted to over $1,000,000,000. This is aid to have been one of the most remarkable achievements In the history of the world's finances. His profits from the undertaking ran up Into the mil lions, but it was a service of paramount importance to the United States. The placing of the Internal revenue tax a war measure to Increase the In come of the government was not with out Its opportunity for aggrandizement. Certain grave senators are said to have made comfortable fortunes by peddling what were known as "whisky tips." These tips the standard price for which seems to have been nbout $10, 000 were engerly sought by specula tors, who bought and stored large quan tltes of whisky, knowing it would ad vance In price the moment the tax was placed upon It. One year prior to tho war. cotton sold at UVt cents a pound In the mar kets of the world! Two years later It was selling at 24Vfe cents, this rise, and those which followed, forcing It up to 65 cents, and affecting the price of all dry goods. Having foreseen the condition that war would necessarily create In the south, A. T. Stewart, New York's great dry goods merchant, had bought and stored millions of yards of cotton goods of all descriptions. In a single year from this source he realized $1,000,000. Devlin & Co. of New York, a great wartime firm of clothiers, profited in a somewhat slmlllar wuy. When It was seen that war was Imminent they pur chased all the cloth they could find In the market suitable for uniforms, and not even waiting for the call for troops began the manufacture of overcoats nnd army clothes. They had 75,000 of these wicked nnd ready for shipment when the president's call for men came, and these uniforms were worn by the tlrst troops that rrnrched to the front. It was during the tlrst year of the war that the word "shoddy" came into use. It wns applied to the worthless gar ments furnished the government by dls. honest contractors, but after the first year the giving out of contracts was so well managed that frauds of this sort became well night Impossible. It was the rise In the price of cotton that made blockade running profitable to English ship owners. The cargoes were sent out to Hermuda or Nassau and there transferred to the fast stenm. ers that were to make the hazardous run to some confederate port. The profits were so great that a single suc cessful run would more than pay for the best steamer afloat and meet he expenses of the voyage Into the bar gain. How It flourished, and what In ducements It had to flourish, may be Judged from the fact that during the war the blockading fleet took or de ployed more than 700 vessels engaged In the trade. Japanese Commercial Schools The Japanese have established commercial schools where the methods of commerce and business practice are taught. The whole system, according to the London and China Telegrsoh, Is one to which even Anglo-Saxon countries have not yet attained. Among the modern fea tures of government which exist In Jnpap are government-owned railways and telegraphs, and, of course, postal tavings banks. A WAR ROMANCE. Buchanan, In Bouletourt county. Vir ginia, nostllng high In the Blue Ridge mountains, In a valley formed by loft ier peaks, Is one of the little, towns which experienced an abnormal Infla. tlon during the boom which visited the state, followed by such Ignominious re BUlts ns nre described by Aesop In his nnratlve of the ambitious frog. ltB tiiuoo-Kiijwn uouievaras, Bllent factories and building lots are mute reminders of the vanity of human aspirations when reared upon an Insufficient foun dation. One moves nbout them with a sense of melnncholy ns nrnong the corpses of dend hopes. The chimerical feature of the little village lies west of Its Inhabited portion. To the east of It a few' blackened, apldly diminishing ruins tell of Its past. The town Is situated on the right bnnk of, the James river, and a bridge which spanned the stream at this point wns fired by McCauslahd in his retreat be fore Averlll In 1S64. the flnmes from which, communlcntlng with ndjacent buildings, had wrought this work of destruction. The only authenticated ro mance ot the wnr which has come to my knowledge grew out of the union gcnernl's ten days' halt there, but sit with me on the verandah of the old fashioned brick house, which stands on the main street of the village, nnd listen iu me story as i neard it from the lips of the aged housekeeper of Its heroine. "A generation," the old lady began, "has been born nnd tins renched matur ity since that Juno day In 1864, nnd yet I recnll Its events with far more vividness than the happenings of yesterdny. I have only to close my eyes to see again the little band of confederates, faint with fasting and fatigue, as they pass ed along the street yonder. The villag ers had rifled their smoke houses and pantries In prepnrntlon for their com ing. As they nenred this house, Mil- uieu, umnei Warrington s young daughter, and I stood at the gate and distributed the contents of two Immense baskets among them; and when these were exhausted our own frugal dinner wns taken from the fire and distributed to those who were still unsupplled. Then, breathless with anxiety, for they were hotly pursued by the enemy, we watched them until the last retreating form wns swallowed up In the distance It wns well thnt they hnd lost no time, for nt this moment Averlll, arriving at the opposite side of the river, nnd sup. posing them still In range, opened his battery upon the town. A large cellar extends beneath this house, and ou terror-stricken neighbors and ourselver sought refuge In It. for shot rattled nround us like hnll. nnd shells burst In our very midst. How long the enn nonndlng continued I cannot sny, but when the union general discovered that It was directed only ngnlnst helpless women nnd children nnd not less help less old men, it ceased, nnd we emerced from our hiding plnce. As we did so the ronr nnd crnekle of blazing timbers met our ears, nnd black ascending smoke clouds. Issuing from the lower end of the village, told us that It was In flnmes. " 'The town Is on fire. Catherine,' Mil dred cried, wringing her hands. 'Oh think how many will be made homeless and destitute!' Then, a sudden resolve seizing her. 'I will go to them!' she ex claimed. 'Who knows what service I mny be able to render.' "'Don't!' I Implored, putting forth both hnnds to detain her. 'Think of the risk you run. Think of my anxiety In regard to you!' " 'Kittle.' she said, turning back for an Instant and lifting her beautiful, earnest face to mine, 'neither your fears nor my own should prevent me doing nn evident duty. Besides, you must not be anxious nbout me. I nm strong and nctlve. nnd will be very careful.' Then, with sudden anguish In her voice, 'Oh these are precious, precious moments I am wasting,' and so saying she tore herself from me nnd was gone. "I had taken her. with her sister, an Infant of a few hours, ns a dying be quest from their mother Just four years before. The weight of the responsibility hnd never borne so heavily upon me ns now, however, with their father nwny In the army, and Mildred bursting Into a lovely flower, Into womanhood, and ns she sped away down the street and dis appeared behind the drab smoke curtain which parted to receive her. I stood leaning upon the gate to watch for her return. "At this moment the sound of clat tering hoofs nmnte upon my ear. nnd a union soldier, his hcrse white with foam, dashed past me, flourishing c glittering sword In the air He hnd discovered a ford at the opposite end of the village and wns the first federal to enter the town. The ret soon fol lowed. They hnd gathered bouquets of the mountain Ivy, with which the woods were Just then festooned, fas tening them to the ends of their bayo nets. "As they passed down the street, the band at their head plnylng 'Hall Colum bia.' they lo.iked like a moving par terre, but I scarcely heeded them In my ngony, for how wns she to make her way back to me through this thronu of hostile soldiery. After what seemed to me to be hours of wretched waiting 1 saw tl'e gleam of n white dress amir1 the uniformed ranks, and Mildred with downcast eyes and blnnched cheeks came toward me, escorted by n union ofllcer. She passed quickly through the gate, which I held open to receive her nnd ns she took my hand In her I felt how "lie trembled. " 'Kittle,' she said, drnwing me for ward, 'this Is Captnln Crawfoul. CJenern' Averlll's aid. He has been very kind In bringing me back to you, nnd In help ing our friends to save their property.' "I was profuse in my ncknowiedge. ments. but the stranger waived them saying ns he wiped the moisture from his brow with n marvelous cambric handkerchief: " 'If I mny be pardoned the liberty. I would suggest thnt Just now you keep n closer surveillance over your younp charge. This Is scarcely a time when' I think he would hove said 'beatulful,' but he checked himself nnd. after a mo ment's hesitation, added- 'When n young lndy may go abroad In safety without a protector.' "There Is on expression which I have more than once observed In a certain shade of gray eyes a look of absolute fearlessness and crystalline honesty that I hnve seen In no other color. Cap tain Crawford's eyes had that look, and as he stood before me on that spot Just Inside the Inclosure I thought I had never beheld a nobler countenance. "We were very fortunate In having made his acquaintance, for he at once stationed two guards upon the prem ises, with a third to occupy a room In the house at night. It was also a relief to find thnt our friend himself was also within hnll. for General Averlll se lected the lot diagonally opposite our own as Ms hendouarters. It surround ed the Presbyterian parsonage, the oc cupants of which fled nt the approach of the enemy, nnd with Its well-kept lawn oni overshading trees was a lovely spot. It was gay with the tents of the officers, nnd we could hear the sound of their laughter and murmuring voices a.s they lounged about, smoking and playing cards. The band, too, the verandah In the moonlight th general's lovely voice singing 'Then You'll Remember me,' and other famil iar airs to the accompaniment of a gui tar was watted to us on the breeze. "Captain Crawford was over bright and early next morning to ask how we had fared during the night. I observed that his right hand was bound up, nnd that his cheeks nnd eyes were feverish. "I wns so unfortunnte as to burn It at the fire yesterday," he said In reply to my Inquiries In regard to It, "and In consequence of not having It dressed I nau miner a bad night of It." '"But why was it not dressed?' I asked. 'You must have surgeons at hand.' "The Captain's face flushed hotly. He hesitated for a moment, and then said with tevldent effort: " 'The truth Is, I didn't care to enter Into any explanations as to how the In Jury wns received.' "An awkward silence followed this ad mission, and then Mildred snld, speak ing very Blowiy: " 'Let me see your hand.' "He tugged nt the bnndnge for a few moments, snylng, ns he stretched forth the wounde dmember; " 'I'm afraid It's rather an unsightly object.' "Unsightly! The term was n mild one with which to describe It. The palm was raw, and the back nnd fingers ter rlbly blistered. A sight of this sort always had a particularly unpleasant effect upon me, and I turned away feel ing faint nnd 111. "Mildred, too, grew pnle. wait a moment,' Bhe said hurrying away, 'while I get something to put on "She soon returned, holding In one hand a saucer of flaky lard, and In the other raw cotton nnd soft linen for bandages. " 'You see, I have only confederate remedies,' she said, as they placed themselves opposite each other In the hnll. "I kept them In view, slttlntr here on tho verandah, nnd I could see how deft ly she covered the cotton with the soothing ointment, nnd how skillfully she sepnrated the wounded fingers, nnd wrapped them nbout with It. " 'This finger,' Captain Crawford said. Indicating the little finger ot his right hand, is the only one that has escaped, but the ring' turning the plain gold band which encircled It nbout ns he spoke 'cuts Into the one next It, and must come off." "He held it between the thumb nnd forefinger of his uninjured hand, while Mildred placed the other In the sling which she had fastened about his neck. " 'I believe.' he said, as, having fin ished her task, she gathered her simple appliances together as If for departure, you would feel repaid for all the trou ble you have taken If you knew how much more comfortable you have mnde me. I nm all the more grateful,' he ad ded, "because I know whnt n staunch Ittle confederate you are." If thine enemy thirst," ' quoted Mildred, half under her breath, ns If giving utterance to thought which had all the while been running through her mind. " 'For heaven's sake, don't heap coals of fire on my head.' laughed Crawford, putting forth a deprecating hand. 'I hnve had quite enough of thnt already. Besides,' smiling down upon her, 'I am not your enemy.' " 'You nre the enemy of my country,' she said vehemently, the blood rushing to her cheeks. 'I could more readily for give you If you were my own.' " 'I don't even admit thnt,' he said, speaking very gently. 'The truth Is, we understand things differently, that's all. According to my way of thinking, the North and South are necessary to each other as necessary as the man Is to the woman, and the woman to the man. What would this country be today, do you suppose. If It hod not been for the New England element In It? Why, the hardy northerners, with the study quali ties which are theirs by Inheritance, toughened by the circumstances of their lot. are the bone and sinew ot our body politic. And what would we do with out the South, and the southern wo men.' he added, his eye kindling ns It rested upon her upturned face, 'the most feminine that God ever made?' "Mildred's eyes drooped. 'You must came back again,' she snld, turning a second time to go, 'If I can be of any use to you.' " 'Don't leave me,' he begged 'I want you to put my ring on for me. Recol lect how helpless I am. There,' ns she complied with his request, 'see how loose It is. I had no Idea there was o much difference In the size of my hands. , 'Won't you, he said pleadingly, drawing nearer to her, 'wear It for me until my burns are healed? It was my mother's wedding ring. She put It upon my hand almost the last thing before ?he died, exacting a promise from me that I would never be guilty of any thing which I should be ashamed to have her know. I have nlways tried to keep that promise, but I believe I could .keep It better If I knew that you, too, had worn the ring." "Mildred looked up. There were tears In the beaultful, pleading eyes. They "ffaced In an instant the lines which factional feeling had drawn between them; nnd. Impelled by kindred sorrow, she stretched forth her slender right hand. " 'Not that one,' he whispered, and. Mngerlng long over the task, he placed he ring upon the third finger of her left hand. "Captain Crawford came morning and evening to have his hand dressed. I was never far nway en these occas nns, and, although his words were not always audible, I could see how earnest lis face wns, nnd I nlso noted the an swering emotion In Mildred's own ex oresslve countenance. "The evening before Averlll left Bu--hanan he came again, and they stood together In the moonlight In this very spot. I was sitting Just Inside the hall door holding Margaret, who had fallen asleep in my lap, and waiting for a servant to put her to bed, for she was too heavy for me to carry. " 'I have come,' I heard Crawford say, 'to bid you good bye. We leave early In :he morning, and I can scarcely hope to ee you again.' "Something followed which I did not catch; then I heard him speak again, this time with pleading earnestness. " 'But you will wear It as a token of forgiveness as an assurance that you do not despise me as I despise myself for a course which, under the circum stances, would seem base and unmanly. Believe me,' he continued, his voice growing more and more tender.'I should never have revealed the feeling which I have for you had I possessed the strength to conceal It.' "I could hear how Mildred's voice trembled In reply to him. but her words escaped me. A brief silence followed, In which Margaret's regular breathing and my own heart throbs were distinct ly audible. Then there was a tremu lous 'God bless you!" from Crawford nnd I heard him turn from her and go down the brick walk and out through the gate. When th union troops had left Bu chanan I observed that Crawford's ring was still on Mildred's finger, but It had never been my way to seek her confl. dence, nnd I made no comment upon it. Letters, too, which I was sure were fwM iiiia -wuuJn4ij to ruiniA to Iiaj for months after their departure. I could see how pleased she looked as she read them, and then how angry with herself that she was pleased. "It was when her father was brought home, shot through the heart In one of the battles around Richmond, and laid In that room yonder, dressed for his last Journey In his worn suit of gray, that she first spoke of the ring. " 'Was I wrong to promise to wear It, Kittle?' Bhe said, clinging to me and weeping: " 'No,' I answered, putting my arms about her, 'He deplored this cruel blood shed as much as any of us, but he re sponded to the call of his native state as he pointing to the darkened cham ber where lay the silent sleeper did to his. Each was actuated by a sense of duty. Neither could have done other wise.' "The termination of the war follow ed close upon Colonel Cnrrlngton's death, ushering In a period of death and depression far harder to bear than the actual hostilities themselves, and for a time only Mildred's little school kept the gaunt wolf of wnnt from our door. Fifteen yenrs went by. We hnd been to our baby Margaret's wedding, and, waving our adieus to her, had seen her drive away, a happy laughing bride. "It was In the early autumn, and It had grown chilly ns the evening ad vanced, but I think It wns more for the sake of cheerlness than the warmth that we had lighted a wood fire In the library on our return, nnd drawn our chairs In front of It. The brealc In our little circle had saddened us, and we were sitting there absorbed In our own thoughts when a ring at the bell was followed by the entrance of a visitor. "It was the village postmaster, who, seating himself In the chair we had wheeled forward for his reception, drew a letter from his pocket and handed It to Mildred. " 'Read that.' he said, 'and tell me If you can tell what It means.' "She drew nearer to the light nnd as she scanned the contents the blood re trated from her very lips. I led the old man Into the discussion of the latest bit of gossip that she might recover herself, for I knew, as If by intuition, who the letter was from. ' "As she retored It to him she turned to me, saying with n laugh. 'It's some one making Inquiries about me.Klttie. We nre to come Into possession of a fortune, after nil. Who knows?' " 'Do you remember,' she asked after our guest had gone, 'General Averlll's aid, who was so kind to us during the war?' " 'Remember him.' I repeated, 'of course I do.' " 'That letter was from him.' she said softly. 'He wanted to know If I were still here, nnd If n letter nddressed to me by my old name would reach me, or if I had exchanged It for another.' " 'And thnt second letter.' I said. 'If It Is whnt I think you will not steel your heart against him promise me that, Mildred." "She was silent, but I read the an swer to my question In her drooped face and flushing cheek. "They were married a few months afterward; married in the little church yonder, very quietly, for was not her father sleeping near? The ring which had so long encircled her finger was removed by the hand that had placed in there, but It was restored a moment afterward restored with the solemn words of the marriage service, and be came the emblem ot their plighted troth." It was the Last Straw. The highway ran through a piece of thick woods, with a small -clearing and a dilapidated cabin to the right. A stout rope wns stretched ncross the road and as I reached It I noticed a man sit ting on the cnbln stepsand after puz zling u little I called out: "Is the road blocked beyond?" "Not as I know of," he replied. "It Is a toll road?" "Never heard It was." "But there Is a rope here to stop travelers." "Yes; I nut It there.' 'he replied. "Stranger, git down from yer hoss and come nlong over here." I did as requested, and found him a long, Jean man, with a tone of com plaint In his voice and an expression of martyrdom on his face. Inside the door, rocking to and fro and smoking her pipe, was a middle-aged woman whom I took to be his wife. "What Is the object of that rope?" I asked as I stopped beside him. "It's to make folks halt and turn in here." he replied In a husky voice. "But why do you want them to turn In here?" "To hear my story, sah. I want to talk to you about ten minlts, and then I'll drap the rope and you can go on Stranger, do you see weeds and thistles and bresh around you?" "Plenty of them," I answered as I looked over his small clearing. "And do you take notice of this shackelty ole cabin which Is ready to fall down any day?" "I do." "And what do you reckon we've got In the cabin to eat and drink?" he con tinued as his voice broke and grew pathetic. "True ns you live, sah, we hnln't got nothln' but mighty pore co'n meal not fltten fur hawga." "Well, that's bad." "And look at me stranger look at me!" he almost sobbed as he rose up like a scare crow. "I'm redooced to rags. I've had ager every other day fur the last two years. I hain't tasted whisky or terbacker fur months!" "That's hard lines," I replied In a consoling way. "I should say it wuz! I mout hev bin a big lawyer or run for ofllce, but I cum up yere to squat In this place to please that woman In thar! I did It bekase I loved her. My love fur her has redooced me to this, and ylt what did she do arter all this?" " "I have no Idea," "Wall, you won't believe It when I tell you. Arter all this, sah arter all this beln' redooced and sufferln' fur her sake arter growln poorer and poorer till the only thing we've got left Is a woodchuck skin wuth two bits, she gits up this mawnln' and calmly says to me that she wants to take It to town and sell It fur snuff! Ar ye 11a tenln' to me, stranger ar ye llstenln' to what I say?" I replied that I was; and he wiped a tear from either eye and let his voice quaver as he struck the door with his fist and continued: "And that shows ye how a man kin be made a fule ofthrough his love, and how my ole woman wants to roll in riches while I starve, and how the worm kin turn. I'll drap the rope now and you kin pass on, but you Jest tell folks that the worm has turned nt last, and that Andrew Jackson Danvers hain't got no woodchuck skin to trade fur snuff not In his dyin' life!" Railroad cars can be quickly unload, ed by a new machine which la provided with a section of tubing large enough to receive the car, which runs in on two rails, after which the tube la lifted and rolled upward at an angle until the top of the chute la reached, an opening In the tube permitting tVe load ta fail Jnto the chute. r J?M L Y .-j wi A I
