Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-02-22
VOL. XI.

arms at sunset of the same day.
| Now, it was on the second night afte
this wonderful event that Gordon, hav
ing retired to bed later than usual
found himself unexpectedly awake. III
touched his repeater, and found it onl,
a little past l o'clock. He turned OF
the other side and composed himsel
afresh. Thoughts of his friend cam
over his heart as his cheek reached tn
pillow, and he said: "Poor Hamilton
Well, God have mercy upon us ]"
He felt at this moment that SOM
one near him said "Amen with grea
solemnity He was effectually aroused
and asked, "Who is there !"
There was no reply. His voice seem
ed to echo into Hamilton's apartment
and he then remembered that the doc,
was open which communicated between
the two r~0~ e0 iDtentlv
his own heart. 1t is all mere imagin
alton" he said, apd once more laid hi,
head upon the pillow, and the moment
he did so, he. distinctly heard, for the
first time, the Majors well-known step
1t was not matter to be mistaken
about. The ferrule sound: the pause
for the foot; the sound again, measur
ed on it's return, as If all were again ii
life. He heard it first upon the piazza
he heard it approach; pass through the
door from the piazza into the centre Of
the apartment, and there it seemed tc
pause, as if the figure of the departed
were standing on the other side of that
open door in the room it had so lately
occupied.
Gordon rose He went to the window
that opened upon the piazza, and looked
out. The night was very beautiful the
moon had gone down; the sky was of
the deepest blue and there was no
sound save the low dash of the waves
upon the lock at the foot of the bluff,
and no light save the lucidity of sin
gle star, which traced it's glittering
pathway of light toward him, across
the distant waters of the ocean.
It is very strange" said he; 81
could have sworn heard it.
He returned to the door that stood
open between the two rooms The
Majors apartment was darkened by the
shutters being closed, and he could
distinguish nothing inside~it. While
he stood gazing into the dark room,
the thought of being in the presence OF
a dissembodied spirit rose in his mind,
and although brave man, he did not
Immediately control the bristling SEN
sation of terror that began to possess
him.
He passed out onto the piazza. The
sentinel presented arms.
"Have you been long stationed
here2" said Capt. Gordon.
"Half an hour, was the reply.
"Did you-did you happen to see
any one on the piazza during the time p
"I did not"
Gordon returned at once to his room,
vexed at himself at having been the
sport of an illusion of his own brain
He closed his door and his window, an6
went to bed.
He was now thoroughly awake, ano
had regained, as he thought, entire po
session of his faculties "My old com
rade, said he, "what could possibly
want with me2 We were always
friends kind-hearted, gallant fellow
that he wasl No man was ever his
enemy, except upon the field itself
Why should / have dreaded to mee
him, even if such an event could pos
sibly be?"
A moment or two after this he was
almost paralyzed with dread, by the
recurrence of the well-known STEP
which now seemed pacing the dark and
tenantless apartment. ALI combined
to make, In his imaginatian, situation
appalling and awful. It was, there
fore, with great earnestness that he ex
claimed:
In the name of God, Hamilton lis
that you?"
A voice from the threshold of the
communicating door, addressed him in
tones that sank deeply into his soul:
"Gordon listen, but do not speak
to me. In ten days you will apply fol
a furlough; it will not be granted you.
You will renew the application in three
weeks, and then it viii be successful.
Stay no longer in Scotland than is alb
solutely necessary. Go to London.
Take lodgings at No. 27 Jermyn street
You will be shown into an apartment
looking into garden. Remove the
pannel from above the chimney-piece
and you will find papers which will es
tablish the fact of my marriage, and
will give you the address of my wife
and son. Hasten for they are in deer
distress; and those papers will estab-
ish their right. Do not forget mel"
When Capt. Gordon arose it was
broad day. He dressed himself, went
to town, drew up a statement of the
affair, and swore to it. A recent ar
rival had brought intelligence of the
death of his father, and of his acces-
sion to a large estate. Within ten days
he applied for a furlough, but such
had been the mortality among the Off
GERS that his request was refused An
other arrival, however, brought to the
island reinforcement for the garrison,
and the difficulty was removed, on a
second application, in three weeks.
He sailed Immediately for Scotland,
arranged his affairs, and intended at
once to leave for London: but agree
able engagements, one after another,
retarded his departure, and he forgot
his friends concerns, and the prefer,
natural visits which he had received
from him were no longer impressed SO
wildly as at first upon his mind.
One night, however, after social
party of pleasure, he awoke without
apparent cause, as he had done on the
eventful night in Dominica, and to his
utter CONSERVATION the sound of the
Majors iron footstep filled his ears.
He started from his bed, rang up his
servant, ordered post-horses, and lost
not moment upon the way until he
reached the number and house IL
Jermyn street.
He found the papers as he had ex
pected. He relieved the widow ant
orphan of his unhappy friend, and es
tablished them as such in the inherit
ance to which they were entitled by his
sudden death.
1t is known that Capt Gordon rose
very high in his military career, anG
was throughout his life distinguished
as a brave and honorable officer, and {
fortunate General.
GEN. VoN MoLTKE is not a Dane al
has been stated. He was born in Neck
lanburp and entered the service of Den