The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-01-11

antc'r0om,' SAID the yong man, i viii con
vince him that have got touched his box
But thls pubic rXptsur viii not submit To
our consent was not aSkd, and
"'Certainly notr 'Ou upon your 'Gcncr
al, Won must not think d Inducing this inso
lent request were the uly sentences audible
in The general hubbnb at arose on every side
of HIM
but the General r,c. 'Gentemcn, he
sand quietly / have never vet refused 10 listen
, to an cnemyS petition. If you can satisfy me
SIR, perhaps your comrnes will take my word
| for you
| There was a murmur,f very reluctant nc.
quIescencc rs The Ensi in bowed and waited
respectfully 10 follow III General to the ante
chamber. They had nd disappeared behind
the heavy curtains htfpr all sorts of surmise>
were whispered round he table, gucsses and
hints so wild and So shstcr as to do credit
neither to the heads nor he hearts which orig.
mated them. The Genra and the Ensign
staid a longer time in the antc.room than
would have SnCcd oScarch the Ensign
pockets twice and thic, over. Not sound
could he heard. If anyconvcrsation was 90.
ing forward, II must huw been in u very low
voice. 1hctwO gentleman were away for near.
" half an hour All themilitary servants had
been subjected To the Commandments rigid
scrutiny, and then dismissed, 1t nigh, be aS
well that none but the'gntlcmcn of the regi-
mcnt should know cXtcty what the end was.
The delay grew flrst awkward and then awful
Even the whispers and rtmors Ragged into an
intent and excited wafhng.
AT last the Gcntri ana the Ensign came
out. The EnSign'S face was still very pale
what flush remained ulo, it had now mounted
to the eyes The old General was blowing his
nose,
"'Ensign Ransom has thoroughly satisfied
me he said, in his mot genial voice Never
mind my hoX. 1t has vanished by some OF
those mysterious accldms which will happen
sometimes. II will heio1nd some day. And
now, gentlemen, perhps, us we have been
thus broken, we shall not settle down again
very comfortably tonight. nope we shall
see you all at the caStlcheiore Lady Elizabeth
and ! leave Tor London
General, sad the communicate, drawing
him little to one side, may | say that sin
ccrclv trust your great generosity has not led
you To-
sir cried the old General, can you lmag
inc that any mistaken flea of kindness would
cause me to makcyo aCompanl0n of thieves?
Gentlemen, he went OF, seeing that the com
pany were not unaware of this little b,'play,
i pledge ven my word that am satisfied of
Ensign Ranson's homer, and whoever dhrcs
To doubt him makes IN, To he his aCComplicc
And The old Genera seized the yoing Eli
signs arm and marched him from the banquet
ing room, while everyone sat uumblOun ed
I'LL The spteiul major emaIked that wonders
would never cease.
There was ~ tning more to bc said. 1t was
discovered that EnsigI Ransom was moi IN y
invited to the castle with the other officers, tat
WAS also asked there ~ himself, and actually
was believed to have TAX. lea With the Gen
cral and Lady Elizabeth II their deepest retire
meni. For the Generals sake rather than his
own, his brother Oiliceh continued on cuur
teou> terms with him; and he had Il WHY'S hcen
so shy, and held hlmsrltso aloot, that perhaps
he did not q scover tlieil courtesy. And PIES
emily he Was eNchangcClinto lother regiment,
which vent on foreign ,cry &c.
He WIS away for sertral Years, and in the
toriu es Of var he got ripldIy promoted ,othal
when he returned hong, though he wa still
Young he was no Longer "a cor nobO ly. When
he l. I'd Il III his own coln,ry he quad a leIter
awaiting HIM, written 10y one who mad sat near
him al that memorable dmucrpmt,, and who
was now residing IN the old Castle where the
General and Lady Elizabeth had been guests.
This letter pressed hln. in the warmesl terms,
To spend some of hi, earliest days in England
At mis- very Castle, ana 81 give many old
'rl' nds who were in the neighborhood an OPP
OF meeting and conuratlllati.g HIM.
Ensign Ransom now Colonel Hanson, smiled II
itllc strangely when he read This invitation,
put he wrote very polite reply and accepted
ii.
Once more he sat in the stately old banquet
Of the fort This lime he had not
walked in from the bleak cas. end of the town,
Dul had been driven from tlc Castle in the
chariot OF the Castles owner But, rs he took
lls seat IN The CHAIR of nonOr, he noticed that
very face at The table was, III all its chan ges,
anlliar to him. All of the guests at the form.
r dinner were not there. Many of those, in
Iced, he well knew, were sleeping ON battle
fields lar away But nobody Was at this din
Ivr who had not been at the other one.
"Onve more the dishes were removed and the
crlanis Withdrawn. The guest OF this even
~ was no wODdcrit story tel Ter, like the good
'ld General, VINO had now passed To his rest.
'olunel Ransom was as laclturn lis Ensign
taiIson had been shy aud he even let The
flag, ana never seem, Il To notice it,
'Col,,ncl SAID the eldest gentleman of the