The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-10-22

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him once more, was fighting his way
through the sharp winds and over the
moors again. But q battle against
something q thousand times sharper
and colder was going on in his breast
GA thiefr' he was saying over and
over to himself, s'me, who fought close
to the side of the Iron Duke! And yet.
can look one of them in the face and
tell him he liesa"
The walk that had been gone over so
merrily was terrible one to retrace,
and when the cottage was reached. in
stead of the pride and good luck the
moor invalids had been watching Tor, 9
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. crying:
PEGGY! I say no one shall call me
a theft I am q soldier of the Iron
Duke!'
But they did call him thief, though
for q 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.
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
!.There sits the soldier who stole the
Butcher diamonds from his host"
And as if this was not enough, one
day the sound of hoofs was heard
ayain, and rider in uniform clattered
up to the door saying:
"Comrade, T am sent to tell you that
your pension is stopped! His Majesty
cannot count a thief any longer a
soldier of his"
After this the old soldier hardly held
mn his head at all, and his hair, that had
kept black as coal all these years,
: turned white as the moors when the
winter SHOWS lay on them. :.
ssThough that is all the same. Peggy,
: he used to say. ''for it is winter all the
wear round with me! If I could only
die as the old year does! That would
be the thing"
But long and merciless as the winter
is, spring does come at last, if we car
| but live and fight our way through
: storms and cold.
8 One night cry of fire reused all thu
, countryside. All but the old soldier
He heard them say the castle wa!
burning, but what was that to him
I Nothing could burn away the remem
. brance that he had once been called
= thief within its walls! But the mex
, morning he heard step-nOt horse
: hoof this time, but q strong man walk
ing hastily toward him. .,
ssWhere is the veteran OF Waterloo!'
asked his lordship's voice, and when tn
old soldier stepped forward, he threw
: his arms about his neck with tears AM
: sobs. ~,
"Comrade," he said, scome up to tn
|, CASTLE! The snuff-box is found. an
q I want YOU to stand in the very roOr
where it was lost, while tell ever
q one what great and sorrowful wrong
n brave and honest soldier has suffered
= my hands!'
. 1t did not take many words to es
!; plain. In the first alarm of fire the but
:; Ter had rushed to the plate-closet t
. save the silver.
+ ssThose goblets from the high shell
3 Quickr' he said to the footman VIII
was helping him. and with the hast
= about the goblets something else cam
- tumbling down.
"The lost diamond snuff boxm erie
> the butler. 'sThst stupid fellow di
!. missed the day it disappeared. mu:
have put it there and forgotten all abol
itr'
IS The fire was soon extinguished, b,
+ not a wink of sleep could his lordshi
10 get until he could make reparation IL
s. the pitiful mistake about the box; an
p once more the old soldier made his wa
- across the moors. even the wooden lie
:" stepping proudly as he went alon!
!. though now and then, as the old feelin
u came over him. his white head wou
droop for moment again.
y The servants stood aside respectful
20 as he entered the castle, and they al
-. the other guests of that unlucky d.
no gathered round him while his lordsh
of told them how the box had been four
- and how he could not rest until forgive
by the brave hero he had so unjust
~. suspected of wrong.
ne sAnd now" said the compan
u twill you not tell Us one thing NOR
~ Why did you refuse to empty your poe
ne cts. as all the rest were willing to do
y; because" said the old soldier SC
eo rowfully, "because s0as thief, al
III. | could MT hoor that anyone ShOuld d