The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-01-02

| CIlclt tUc Olu R6ueEbl, CuI
you imagine that any mistaken idea o
Kindness would cause me to make you ,
companion of thieves2 Gentlemen,
he went on, seeing that the company
were not unaware of this little by. play
81 pledge yon my word that am sat
isfed of Ensign Ranson's honor; ant
whoever dares to doubt him makes mt
to be his accomplice."
And the old general seized the young
ensign's arm and marched with hin
from the banqueting- while every
one sat dumbfounded, till the spiteful
major remarked that wonders would
never cease.
There was nothing more to be said.
1t was discovered that Ensign Ransom
was not only invited to the castle with
the other officers, but was also asked
there by himself, and actually was be.
lieved to have taken tea with the gener.
al and Lady Elizabeth in their deepest
retirement. For the generals sake,
1ather than his own, his brother officers
continued on courteous terms with him
and he had alwas been SO shy, and held
himself 30 aloof, that perhaps he did
not discover there was but little cordi-
ality in their courtesy. And presently
he exchanged into another regiment.
which went on foreign service.
He was away for several years, and in
the fortunes of war he got rapidly pro.
NOTED, so that when he returned home,
though he was still young, he was no
longer poor nobody. When he landed
in his own country he found letter
awaiting him, written by one who had
| sat near him at that memorable dinner
party, and who was now residing in the
old castle where the general and Lady
Elizabeth had then been guests. This
letter pressed him, in the warmest
terms, to spend some of his earliest
days in England at this very castle, and
so give many old friends who were in
the neighborhood an opportunity of
meeting and congratulating him. En-
sign Ransom, now Colonel Ransom,
smiled little strangely when he read
this invitation, but he wrote a very po-
lite reply and accepted it.
Once more he sat in the stately old
banqueting room of the fort. This time
he had not walked in from the bleak
east end of the town, but had been driv.
en- from the castle in the chariot of the
castles owner. But, as he took his
seat in the chair of honor, he noticed
that every face at the table was, in all
i 8 changes, familiar to him. ALI of the
guests at the former dinner were not
there. Many of those, indeed, he we'll
knew, were sleeping on battlefelds far
away. But nobody was at this dinner
who had not been at the other one.
Once more the dishes were removed
and the servants withdrawn. The guest
of this evening was no wonderful story
teller, like the good old general, who
lad now passed to his rest. Colonel
Ransom was as taciturn as Ensign
Ransom had been shy, and he even let
the conversation flag and never seemed
to notice it.
Colonel" said the eldest gentleman
of the party, speaking with visible effort,
and giving a slight cough, TO vail his
embarrassment; "colonel, think we all
remember another time when we dined
together here"
Certainly 1 remember it,, answer
ed the colonel, lifting his gray eyes with
cool light in them.
Colonel, we fancy you think some
of us did you i'll justice then. At least
lady says you felt so-Lady Elizabeth,
the good old generals widow. If what
we are going to do is any way painful to
you. I hope you will pardon us, for we
are only following her counsel. Colonel,
there was box lost that evening. Here
it isl
Yes, there it was. cleaning once more
in the light which danced gayly upon it.
The colonel looked at il calmly, and
asked:
"Where was it found2"
His composure was exceedingly dis
concerting. Another gentleman, feel
ing that the first had done his part, now
took up the parable.
"It was found in the very chair on
which you are now seated, colonel" he
said. "You will remember that the
general sat there on that night. It
must have found its way back to the
generals own haud, and in the interest
and excitement OF his story telling he
must have intended to slip it back into
his pocket, which, if you recollect, was
the first place where he sought it. H.
stead of that, it evidently escaped the
proper orifice and dropped into the cov-
ering of the chair; that covering was
very thick and heavy, and hung in lap
pets about his legs. Part of it was un-
sewn, and this box dropped between the
damask and the lining and remained
there, safely and unseen, till the chair
was recovered last year."
Gentlemen" said the colonel, with
his accustomed calmness, though his
lip trembled little, "I cannot wonder
if some of you thought my conduct sus.
picious. thank you heartily for show
ing me your brotherly delight that those
suspicious were unfounded."
At the bottom of the table sat the
spiteful old msjor Che was on hslf-pay
now, and more spiteful than evtr), and
he thought within himself that there
was no knowing whether Ensign Ran
son had not taken some subsequent op-
portunity of getting rid of his danger
GUS booty into the hole in the damask,
and that the mystery could not be called
cleared up, unless the colonel had ex-
planned why he had demurred to the
search. And this spiteful old major
would have said as much to- his next
neighbor, if he himself had not been so
terribly deaf that he could not regulate
his own voice between confidential
whisper and mighty shout.
The colonel sat in silence for some
minutes. Then he recalled himself
with start, and, drawing something
from his own pocket, said quietly
Gentlemen, /, too, have something
to show you"
All pressed forward as he carefully
unfolded the soft paper packet and laid
something on the table. What was it