I HIS WORD OF HONOR.
A Tale of the Blue and the Gray
WERNER.
Copyright. IBM , by Robert Bonner's Sons.
CHAPTER X. ( Continued. )
"I hope , sir , that you are not ven
turing upon a jest with me , the jus
tice of the peace ! How does it hap
pen that you have anything to do with
such matters ? Who is this Roland ,
and what does Mr. Harrison say to
the affair ? "
"Nothing at all , because for the
moment he is in a very uncomforta
ble situation , which prevents any pro
test. But , as to my authority , allow
mo to show it to you. "
The barrel of a revolver was sud
denly presented to the old gentleman ,
who , with a cry of terror , fled to the
recess of the window , leaving both
dignity and dinner in the lurch. The
clerk , on the contrary , who had lis
tened with mouth wide open , sat as if
paralyzed with terror.
"Help ! Murder ! Robbers ! " shouted
Mr. Thompson ; but terror so stifled
him that the cry sounded a piteous
whimper.
"Don't Scream , sir , " said Maxwell ,
quietly. "We can come to a friendly
agreement. As 1 said , the point in
question is merely a wedding. The
bridegroom is my friend , Lieutenant
William Roland. I have the pleasure
of presenting myself to you as Doc
tor John Maxwell , both of the Union
army , which will arrive here in a few
hours. "
"The whole Union army ? " exclaim
ed Thompson , with a fresh outburst of
horror.
"No ; not the whole army there
would scarcely bo room for it on the
plantation but our regiment. I told
you.during our drive that the troops
were marching in this direction. But
wo desire , for certain reasons , to have
the ceremony performed first. The
bride and groom are ready , and I hope
you will be , too. I place myself at
your disposal as a witness , your cleric
will be the second witness , and I sup
pose you brought the marriage con
tract with you. We can use it at
once. "
"Unprecedented ! Impossible ! "
groaned the justice , who now came
forward again. His clerk had recov
ered from his stupor so far as to fly
from the range of the revolver. He ,
she must be ready to be married at
once.
He had at last entered with the ut
most zeal Into Maxwell's bold plan ,
which had at first seemed out of the
question. It was really the only way
to secure his bride and prevent any
later intrigues of Edward. He ha"d
an inviolate right to claim his wife.
Happen what might in Springfield , she
belonged to him alone. The brief de
lay which would be caused by the cere
mony was really not so dangerous as
it seemed.Captain Wilson could hard
ly have reached the city , and the escort
cert would not arrive before evening.
The doctors were not expected for
several hours ; and as for the servants ,
Maxwell's judgment of them proved
correct.
CHAPTER XI.
From the moment they discovered
the identity of the two strangers all
hostility was at an end. They be
longed to the ranks of the "libera
tors. " Besides , they loved their young
mistress as much as they feared tfi
Edward the stern master. The last
few months , during which he had had
the reins of government , had shown
the whole household what was to be
expected from the new master. Now
he had mysteriously vanished. Per
haps he might even be dead. But not
a hand stirred to seek or aid him.
Besides , practical John , who never
lost sight of any possibility , had tak
en care to prevent danger from the
few white men who were acting as
overseers in the fields. He had sum
moned the whole establishment , and
briefly stated that the Union army was
marching' in that direction ; that one
regiment would arrive that evening
and hold every human being in
Springfield to a strict account , if a
hair of his head or Lieutenant Ro
land's was harmed. The composure
with which he related this fairy tale
made a strong impression , and the
rapidity of all these incidents bewil
dered them. No one ventured to raise
an objection when Maxwell ordered
the fastest horses to be harnessed and
the carriage brought round ; but all
hastened to obey , while the doctor
LEAVING BOTH DIGNITY AND DINNER.
too , took refuge in the window recess ,
where he vied with his employer in
trembling.
"May I request you to let me see
the document ? " asked Maxwell.
"But it contains the name of Edward -
ward Harrison , " said the magistrate ,
desperately.
"We'll erase it and put William Ro
land in its place. "
"But that won't do. "
"It must do ! I most courteously
beg you for it. "
A movement of the revolver gave
this courtesy the necessary emphasis :
Mr. Thompson tried to hide behind his
clerk , and the latter , with a trembling
hand , drew out a paper which he held
like a shield toward the oppressor.
"Space for the names has been left , "
ha stammered. "They were to be fill
ed in at Springfield. "
"Excellent ! Then there is nothing
to be erased. Calm yourself , Mr.
Thompson. I assure you that I have
the highest regard for you , and have
told my friend so much about you that
he , too , holds you in great esteem.
Permit me again to apologize for dis
turbing you , but there is nothing to
prevent your continuing your meal as
soon as the ceremony is over. So , if
you please "
The gentlemen did not look as if
they were inclined to follow. They
left the window with evident reluc
tance , but they did leave it and , un
der Maxwell's escort , went to the
drawing-room.
Here they found William with Flor
ence , the latter half-bewildered by the
rapidity with which events had fol
lowed each other. While waiting in
terrible anxiety for news , her imag
ination conjuring up the most terri
ble possibilities , Roland suddenly
stood before her , free and unharmed ,
and in hurried words told her that
proceeded to exchange the courtesies
already mentioned with his esteemed
friend , Mr. Thompson.
Florence was sitting on a sofa , with
William standing beside her both in
the greatest agitation and excitement
when the gentlemen entered. Doc
tor Maxwell , however , was calmness
itself , when he made the necessary in
troductions.
"Lieutenant Roland the bridegroom
you already know the bride , Miss
Harrison. William , I have the pleas1
ure of presenting to you the justice <
of the peace , Mr. Thompson , who , with
the utmost readiness to oblige , instantly - 1
stantly consented to gratify your 1
wish. "
William looked at the magistrate ,
whose pale face and shaking knees
distinctly showed how he had been
induced to show this vaunted oblig
ingness. The affair , which afforded j
his friend a malicious satisfaction , was ]
extremely painful to him.
"Calm yourself , sir , " he said , approaching
preaching him. "You are perfectly
safe. Neither you nor your compan
ion needs fear. I deeply regret that
we were forced to put the request in
such a form , but the circumstances <
compelled it. As soon as the wedding :
is over , you can return to the city. " 1
The old gentleman again breathed 1
freely. He had imagined the lieuten
ant a far more terrible personage than
the doctor , and now he proved to be
the more humane of the two. But Mr.
Thompson preferred to place himself *
close to Miss Harrison as quickly as ]
possible. If he stood close by her '
side , no one could fire at him.
Meanwhile , Maxwell had given * the
marriage contract , which had been
handed to him , a brief , yet thorough
scrutiny , and now again laid it on
the table.
"Everything is correct ! " he said.
"The names are still missing. Please
insert them. Mr. William Roland
Miss Florence Harrison ! There , now
we can begin. "
The magistrate had so far recovered
that he could commence the cere
mony , which was performed very
quickly , but in strict legal form. The
usual questions were asked and an
swered , " the signatures were affixed ,
and In less than ten minutes the wed
ding was over. William , deeply mov
ed , clasped his young wife to his
heart.
Maxwell glanced toward the door ,
where Ralph had appeared during the
last moment , but remained standing
motionless in order not to interrupt
the ceremony. The doctor exchanged
a few words with him in a low tone ,
then turned to the young couple.
"Mrs. Roland , please go to your
father. William , you can accompany
your wife. There is no fear that your
presence will disturb the sick man
don't leave her alone now ! "
A significant glance emphasized the
words. William understood that the
last moments of Mr. Harrison's life
were at hand , and putting his arm
around his wife he led her to her
dying father.
( To be Continued. )
How a llocr Signs Ilia Name.
From the London Mail : The Boer
may be fairly good at handling a rifle ,
but he is sadly deficient , in his ability
to handle a pen. When the average
Boer has to attach his name to a docu
ment an air of importance pervades his
dwelling for several hours. The chil
dren are constantly chided , the patient
"vrouw" has a preoccupied look and
the husband himself puffs even more
vigorously than usual at his pipe.
Eventually a corner of the table is
cleared and carefully wiped. The fam
ily Bible is-placed in position and the
sheet of paper requiring the signature
placed upon it. An expectant silence
fails upon the company. "Stilte ! "
cries the wife. "Stilte , kindetjes , papa
gaat sein naam teken. " ( "Hush , chil
dren , father is about to sign his
name. " ) The family stands round openmouthed -
mouthed , and all eyes gaze expectant
ly upon the paper. With arms bared
for the fray , and with pen carefully
poised , the Boer bends to his task. The
pen is gripped firmly between his
horny fingers. In thick , ungainly
scratches , and with slow and painful
motion , the pen begins to work , and
at the end of , it may be four minutes ,
the deed is accomplished.
Half-TPay House of Biff Birds.
Near St. Charles , Mo. , is a great
sandbar , called Pelican bend , which
projects into the Missouri river , and
for some unknown reason it is a favor
ite stopping place for the numerous
flocks of pelicans that migrate north
and south every year. It has been no
ticed that regularly each fall on Sept.
4 they begin to arrive. They remain
till cold weather and then pass on
south. In the spring they return to
the bend , remain a short time , and
then proceed north. It may be that in
the shallows around this sandbar are
quantities of fish of which the awk
ward birds are fond , for they live al
most entirely on fish. A pelican loves
nothing better than to wade in shal
low water , where schools of minnows
and small fish are gathered , and to
scoop them up in its great elastic
pouch that hangs under its lower bill.
These big-bodied and short-legged
birds are clumsy enough on laud , but
they have enormous webbed feet , and
widespreading wings. So in water or
air they move rapidly , and they seem
never to tire of swimming or flying.
EartU a Pyramid In Shape.
Since the earth was first formed
many theories have been advanced as
to its shape and the process of Its
formation , but no one until our day
ever maintained that its form was that
of a huge pyramid. Centuries ago Py
thagoras and Aristotle declared that it
was spherical , Anaximander that it
was shaped like a column , Democritus
that it was a concave disc and very
much resembled a huge porringer , Em-
pedocles and Anaximenes that it was a
plane disk , and Zenofanes that it had
roots 1 like a tree , which spread in all
directions far into the infinite. Now
comes J. Greene , an English scientist ,
and a government official in the Sand
wich islands , with the bold announce
ment that all these ancient theories.as
well as the modern ones , are utterly
baseless , since , according to him , the
earth has the form of a triangular py
ramid , or , in other words , of a regular
tetrahedron , with the apex at the south
pole and the base at the north.
Obeyed the Qrtlcrs.
New York Evening Sun : The story
of the green servant girl who boiled a
watermelon is more than rivaled by
the story of the experienced girl , who
boiled the plum pudding. She was the
sort of young person who more than
anticipated any directions with the as
surance of her knowledge on the sub
ject , so that the woman of the house
hold gave her but one important hint
about the Christmas pudding. "Be
careful not to let it boil down , " she
said ; "put plenty of water in the ket
tle , and keep putting more in as it
boils out. " "Yes'm , " was the response.
There was no doubt but that she
obeyed that injunction to the very let
ter. She'- had put in plenty of water
and she had added more from time to
time. But another little item she had
neglected she had not put the pud
ding into a bag.
His Favorite Barber.
Grymes "Why do you always go to
that particular barber ? " Ukerdek
"He is bald as an egg. " Grymes "What
of that ? " Ukerdek "He cannot ad
vise me to use a hair restorer. "
One of Mr. Lincoln's characteristics
was his ineffable tenderness towarc
others , says the Springfield Repub
lican. He wrote Injuries in the sand
benefits on marble. The broad man
tle of his enduring charity covered a
multitude of sins in a soldier. He
loved justice with undying and solicit
ous affection , but he hated every de
serter from the great army of human
ity. He was dowered with the love or
love.
love.He
He was always equal to the occa
sion , whether saving a sleeping sen
tinel by one stroke of the pen from a
dishonored grave or writing that bold
and steady signature to the proclama-
"I'D GIVE THEM JESSE ,
tion of emancipation which made the
black race give him a crown of im
mortelles. As the negro preacher in
Vicksburg said of him : "Massa Lin-
kum , he eberywhere ; he know ebery-
t'ing ; he walk de earf like de Lord. "
His Keen Irony.
Abraham Lincoln could say true
things when just resentment required
censure. He released some prisoners
on the other side of the "divide" in
1863. The wife of one of these insisted
"that her husband was a religious
man , even if he was a rebel. " Mr.
Lincoln wrote the release slowly , as if
in doubt , and , without smiling , handed
it to the now happy wife , but said ,
with keen irony :
"You say your husband is a relig
ious man. Tell him when you meet
him that I say I am not much of a
judge of religion , but in my opinion
the religion that sets men to rebel and
fight against their government because ,
as they think , that government does
not sufficiently help some men to eat
their bread in the sweat of other men's
faces is not the sort of i-eliglon upon
which people can get to heaven. "
Dick Gowcr'd Appointment.
Mr. Lincoln once told Horace Dem-
ing , a Connecticut congressman , when
he had been importuned to join a
church , that "when any church will
Inscribe over its altar as its sole quali
fication the Savior's condensed state
ment of the substance of law and gos
pel , 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy soul , and thy neighbor as
thyself that church will I join with
all my heart. "
His great good sense was shown in
his making Dick Gower a lieutenant
in the regular army. Dick had shown
his bravery and his capacity among
the western Indians , but was rejected
by the board of military martinets at
Washington because he "did not know
what an abatis , or echelon , or hollow
square was. " "Well , " sharply said tLo
dilettante officer with a single eye
glass , "what would you do with your
command if the cavalry should charge
on you ? "
"I'd give them Jesse , that's what I
would do ; and I'd make a hollow
square in every mother's son of them. "
Lincoln signed his commission and
Dick made a famous soldier.
Bead the Letter.
McClellan then requested his chief
of staff to find a copy of the letter. It
was speedily produced , and Gen. Mc
Clellan proceeded to crush Mr. Lincoln
by reading his vituperative attack on
Stanton , with reflections on Lincoln's
conduct of the war. Lincoln's peace
ful smile vanished. When the letter
ended he rose quickly , looking neither
to the right nor left not waiting for
any farewell to Gen. McClellan.
He seemed oppressed with the con
sciousness of the dangers of the mili
tary as well as the political situation
of things. He drove slowly with Gen.
Blair over to the boat , which was to
convey them from Harrison's landing
back to Washington. When the vessel
had started , Mr. Lincoln , for the first
time since leaving McClellan's tent ,
broke the silence and said to Gen.
Blair :
"Frank , I now understand this man.
That letter is Gen. McClellan's bid for
the presidency. I will stop that game ,
tfow is the time to issue the proclama
tion emancipating the slaves. "
He forthwith Issued the proclama
tion of emancipation. Within a week
after the world was startled by a new
charter of freedom for the slave.
Gen. McCIolIan's Mistake.
Congressman Vaux of Philadelphia ,
In his late years changed his views
nbout President Lincoln. He told an
, nteresting story about the proclama
tion of emancipation. The classic
and scholarly Vaux had been making
speeches in Connecticut. 3rd came
home with Frank P. Blair of Missouri ,
who was very close to the many-sided
patriot president while the war lasted.
Gen. Blair told Richard Vaux this
story :
"Mr. Lincoln had become Impatient
at Gen. McClellan's delay on the penin
sula , and asked Frank Blair to go with
him to see the commanding general.
The distinguished visitors arrived on
a hot day , and went straight to McClel
lan's headquarters. They were re
ceived with scant courtesy , and the
commanding general did not ask the
president to eat or drink. Lincoln sat
in his white linen duster , uncomforta
bly silent , with his long and sinewy
limbs doubled up like a jackknlfe , till
finally Gen. McClellan broke the dense
silence by saying :
"Mr. President , have you received
the letter I mailed you yesterday ? "
"No , " courteously replied Lincoln ;
"I must have passed it on the way. "
WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN.
The greatest names in American his
tory are Washington and Lincoln. One
is forever associated with the inde
pendence of the states and the forma
tion of the federal union , the other
with the universal and the preserva
tion of that union. Washington en
forced the declaration of independence
as against England , Lincoln proclaimed
its fulfillment , not only to a down
trodden race in America , but to all
people , for all those who may seek the
protection of our flag. These illus
trious men achieved grander results for
mankind within a single century from
1775 to 18G5 than any men ever ac
complished in all the years since first
the flight of time began. Washington
engaged in no ordinary revolution.
With him it was not who should rule ,
but what should rule. He drew his
sword , not for a change of rulers upon
an established throne , but to establish
a new government which should ac
knowledge no throne but the tribune of
the people. Lincoln accepted war to
save the union , the safeguard of our
LINCOLN ROSE QUICKLY ,
liberties , and re-established it upon
"indestructible foundations" as forever
"one and indivisible. " To quote his
own grapd vords :
"Now we are all contending that this
nation under God shall have a new
birth of freedom , and that the govern
ment of the people , by the people , for
the people , shall not perish from the
earth. " * * *
LINCOLN AND THE WIDOW.
The 12th of February.- Abraham Lin
coln's birthday , brings to our thoughts
ol
stronger than over reminiscences
this noble man's Hfo , says n. writer in
Harper's Round Table. Hundreds ot
books have recorded nndwlll perpetuate
his good deeds for centuries to come ,
but It is a pleasure to road now and
then of some little act of kindness that
will stand alone illustrating the
man's sympathies and
breadth of this
the nobility of his character. During
all that dreadful period when the civil
war was ravaging the country Lincoln
held the reins of the government , and
although worn out with the unceasing
toll , ho never neglected an opportunity
to help those who suffered.
One day a poor woman , whoso tears
had worn furrows down -her cheeks ,
gained an audience with Lincoln , and
in a few words related the sad tale of
her husband , who had fought in the
Union army , only to lose his life , and
of her three boys who were then fight
ing. She requested the discharge of
s.
LINCOLN WROTE THE ORDER.
her eldest boy , that she might have
some one to support her. Lincoln's
heart responded to the appeal , and he
replied : "Certainly , if you have given
us all , and your prop has been taken
away , you are justly entitled to one ot
your boys. "
The poor woman went away light of
heart , only to return later , tearfully
begging the release of her second son.
The discharge of the first son had como
too late. He was killed before it
reached him. Sadly Lincoln sat down
and wrote the requisite order for the
release of the second son , and rising ,
handed the paper to the afflicted wom
an , saying : "Now you have one and
I have one of the two boys left ; that Is
no more than right. " Weeping with
joy ; the poor mother blessed Lincoln
and hurried out to send her precious
order.
' % ' '
Hobart and Newspaper Men.
The late Vice-President Garret A.
Hobart delighted in informal chats
about people and things bordering on
Bohemia. The ways of newspaper
men strangely interested him. He said
once that he envied them because of
their roving freedom and the ease with
which they seemed to write. He con
sidered writing a greater art than
speaking. "I find no trouble In talk
ing to an audience , " he said , "but
when it comes to putting my thoughts
on paper I find It a great task. Read
ers are more critical than hearers. The
art of writing is the greater. "
New Fodder for Cavalry Naps.
Molasses for cavalry horses will In
future be one of the items of expense
for the maintenance of the army In
the Philippines.
LINCOLN'S HUMBLE HOMES.
.J-iNCqcN , !
' -V *
Here are three homes of our great martyred president , as unpretentious * .
as he was himself. His birthplace was a cabin in Hardin county Kentucky " * "
'Taln't much of a place to be born in , " said young Abe , revisiting the"
scene in his youth. The years from 7 to 10 the lad spent In the Indiana
home , near Farmington , Coles county. The picture also shows the modest
house In Springfield , where Lincoln lived when events began to push "aim n
toward the top of the ladder.
