The Red Cloud chief., 1880-11-25


S.nitf' he sd to hinself in
greatd ssnIay.s' ~ mss&n angra,efM pol
troon his lordship will think he has
brought here!' and he managed To
brush them off while no one was look
ing.
Ii was delicious, though. in spite OF
everything. and after . while the VINE
began 10 fiow-that warmed his very
heart-and then he heard his iordship
calling To a servant TO bring him some
thing from his private desk. saying:
"Gentlemun, 1 am abou.to show you
the prou!est treasure 1 possess. This
diamond snuff box was presented 10 me
by the stout old Blucher himself. in re-
membranes Of service I was able ~ per-
form at Waterloo. Eot tlatf was a
whit worthier u it than The brave fell
lows under my command-understand
THAR
How the diamonds glistened and
cleaned as the box was passed from
hand q hand! As il the thickest cius-
ter of stars you ever saw, could shine
out in the midst Of a yellow sunset sky,
and tie colors of the rainbow could
twinkle through them attke same time
Il was superb, bat then tlsat Was noth-
ing compared To the glory OF receiving
it from Blucher!
Then there wa more wine and story
telling, and at last some one asked 10
Hook At the snuff-box again.
/" Has any one the snuff box at pres
ent?' asked hislordship. rather anxious
ly, for rs he turned to reach il no 5nuil-
box was to- be seen.
No one said yes" for everyone was
sure he had passed il TO his neighbor,
and they searched up and down the
table with CONSERVATION in their faces,
for the snuff box could not have disap-
peared without hands, but to say 50 was
70 touch the honor OF sentiepen and
soldiers.
At last one Of the nS0st fxmousofi-
GERS rose from his seat:
My lord, he said, "a very unlucky
accident must have occurred here.
Some one Of US must have slipped the
box into his pocket un~consciously. mis-
taking it for his own. j will take the
lead in searching mine, if the rest of
the company will follow!" =
"Agreed!' said the rest, aud each
guest in turn went To the bottom OF one
pocket after another, but still no snuff
box, and the distress of the company
increased: The old soldiers turn came
last, and with il came the surprise.
! With burning cheeks and arms folded
acos his breast he Stood UP AMI con-
fronted the company like a stag ut bay.
MOI" he exclaimed. .'no one shall
search my pockeLt Would you doubt
\ tire honor of a soldier"
.'But we have all done So" said the
rest. land every one knows it is the
merest accident at the most" But
the old soldier only held his arms the
tighter, while the color grew deeper
in his face. In his perplexity his lord
ship Thought of another eXpcdient.
1--WE will try another way, gentle
men," he said. 81 viii order q basket
ofaran to I've breught. md p~rrosethat
each one in turn shall thrust his hand
into the bran. No one shall ivok on.
and if We find the box at last, no one
can guess whose hand placed it there"
1t was quickly done, and hand after
hand was thrust in, until ut last came
the old soldiers turn once more. But
he was no where 10 be seen.
Then, at last. the Indignation of the
company broke forth.
"a soldier. and a hero OF Waterloo,
and willing to be a thief9' and with
their distress about the affair, and his
Lorlship's grief 1T his loss, the evening
was entirely spoiled.
Meantime the old soldier, with his
faithful cloak wrapped closely round
him once more,-was fighting his way
through the sharp winds and over the
moors again. But Il battle against
something a thousand times sharper
and colder was going on in his breast.
"Athiefv' he was saying over and
over to himself, "me, who fought close
to the side of the Iron Dukcl And yet.
can | look one of them in the face and
tell him he lies" ~-s
The walk that had been gone Y SO
merrily was a terrible one TO retrace,
and when the cottage was reached, in
stead of the pride and good luck the
poor invalids had been watching for, n
gloom deadlier than the fever followed
him in. He sat in the doorway as he
used, but sometimes he hung his head
on his breast, and sometimes started
up and walked proudly about, cTcin@:
Peggy! I say no one shall call RE
a thief! l am q soldier of the Iron
Duker"'3 "AH
But they did csffhfm a thief. through
for a very strange thing. after his Lord
ship had sorrowfully ordered the cot
tage and little garden spot To be
searched no box was found. and the
gloom and the mystery grew deeper
together.
Good nursingcouldno balance against
trouble like this; the beautiful daughters
faded and died, and the house was too
gloomy to stay inside. and If he escaped
to the door, he had to hear the paSserS
say
s.Thers sits the soldier who stole the
! Butcher diamonds from his hostr'
And rs if this was not enough, one
day the sound of hoofs was heard
again. and a rider in uniform clattered
up to the door saying:
''Comrade, / am sent to tel YOU that
your pension is stopped! His Majesty
cannot count a thief any longer a
soldier of his r-xfz T. SKI
After this the old soldier hardly held
up his head at all, and his bair, that had
kept black rs n coal all these years,
turned white as the moors when the
winter SHOWS lay on them.
Though that is all the same, Peggy"
he used to say, '.for it is winter all the
year round with me! If L could only
die as the old year does! That would
be the thing!!"
But long and merciless rs the winter
is, spring does come at last, If we~cm
but live and fight our way through
storms and cold. FssrRRHA
One night q cry of fire reused ali the
countryside. All but the old soldier
He heard them say the castle was
burning, but what was that to him?
Nothing could burn away the remem-
brance that he had once been called a
thief Eehin its walls! But the next
morning he heard a step-not a horSe's
hoof this time, but a strong man walk
ing hastily toward him.
.sWhere is the veteran of Waterloo?"
asked his lordship,s voice, apdswhen the
ddsoldar stepped FORWARD. he threw
his arms about his neck with tears and
sobs.
''Comrade," he said, "'comeu up to the
castle! The snuff-boX is found. and
| want O TO stand i'm the very rooms.