The Republican journal., 1883-07-19

IeCltu W 'OHlleu SldteS brlg Victory,
Haines, MASTER begging him to come
home. | encouraged her, though | know
ed it was of no use. But it kept her
alive, you see. | gave her that box,
number nine, and ! says, AS sure as a
letter comes | III put it there says |. She
come every mail day, and would look in
and away again without a word SO Sis
ter Sarah and the neighbors they heard
of it and they fell into the habit of put
ting a trit1e in, pound of tea, or bunch
of sage or balm, or pie, or the like. 50
it went on for five years, and that poor
soul had sent out hundreds of letters. |
reckon most of her earnings went in post
age. When one day Sam drove up in the
buggy with the mare, who should get
out of it but Zack, big and fat and a
goatee on his chm. He hadn't been to
sea at all, but had gone down to ALE
ghany country and set to work rafting TO
Orleans and had a streak of luck. I've
as pretty farm and house at Mckeer-
port as you'd wish to see,' he said, and
I've come home for mother" SO | told
him about the box. There she comes,
down the hill,' | said, and then nothing
would suit him but he must go inside and
hide. Zack always was crazy, joking
fellow And when she looked in the box
there was his red face staring out at her.
That" Abel W would say" taking off his
wig to rub his shining pate, ''was as
pleasant a day as | ever enjoyed After
they were gone, Doc Nipple took the
box"
"One of the Nipples went astray,
think p somebody ventured
But Abels face was stold. "They are
all doing well, the Nipples. Fine, pithy
men," was his reply.
But every body in Tarrytown knew
that when Joe Nipple took to drinking
and was turned out of doors by his father,
old Abel followed the boy and found
him in the swamp, carried him home,
and nursed him back to life. More than
that, he and Sarah kept Joe for four
months in their house, maintaining 50
strict watch over him day and night
that he could not get drop Of liquor
Everybody knew, too, the sacrifice which
it must have bet en to the orderly, dainty
old people to bring this poor drunkard
with his filthy habits to their hearth.
But the result was that Joe was cured
and actually became the "tine, pithy
man" in whom Abel eXulted
When the war broke out half a dozen
young Fairlam bs and Bassetts went
down to Philadelphia to Join the Northern
army. | am afraid that this fact was
Uncle Abel's only clear idea of the
matter. He ca ted nothing fer slavery
or States rights or politics or anything
else so far outside Of TarrytoWn. The
South" only meant to him Charley PUNK :
EFT, who thirty years ago had gone to
Texas, and the Squire's cousin Jane,
who had taught and married in Georgia
That the boys should 90 to fight these
kinsfok was terrible in his eyes.
In the second winter the women of
TarrytoWn made up some boxes of com
forts for ''the boys" blankets, mittens,
jellleS and every kind of cake. When
they We're ready, a town meeting was
held, and it was decided that somebody
must 60 with the boxes to Georgetown
where they were in camp. With one
accord Uncle Abel was named as the
proper messenger. "It would seem like
TarrytoWn itself coming, to them poor
fellows" the Widow Basset said sobbing
So Abel went, and the town met
together once week to read his letters,
which usually covered twenty pages of
letterpress and were full of details con-
corning every boy. Aunt Sarah and
Hannah then became their proud Gus
tOdians and were never tired Of reading
them to all who came, or talking them
over line 10y line.
The regiment was ordered into Virgin
ia, but Abel remained in Washington.
Month after month passed and yet he did
not come home. Every week came a
letter, cheerful, even joking, full of the
news and gossip of the capital. Squire
Plunkett was beginning to teaze Aunt
Sarah about the frs ky propensities which
Uncle Abel had developed at this late
day, when one morning letter in a
strange hand arrived addressed to ''The
Minister Of the Presbyterian Church at
TarrytoWn." 1t was from the surgeon
of a hospital in Washington and stated
that, three months before, an old man
named DOwreX had been brought in,
suffering from a lingering disease which
threatened to end fatally. He endured
agonies Of pain, and, the surgeon had
discovered, had resolved to remain in the
hospital and to die there in order to
spare his sister the sight of his suffering.
''There is but one chance in a hundred
Of recovery, and that depends on careful
nursing" The letter continued, "Iere
he has neither the care nor comfort which
is necessary, the hospital being only a
temporary one intended for wounded
soldiers IN traRStU. DoNreX refused
to give me his sisters address, and
hence | am forced to direct as | have
done"
Never had such a thunderbOlt de
scended on Tarrytown. There was not
a man in the town who would not gladly
have set off to Washington that night
but a committee of five, headed by
Squire Plunkett, finally took the man
| agement Of the affair on themselves, and
actually started on this tremendous eX-
pedition by sundown. After they were
gone strange waiting hush fell on the
village. We understood for the first
time what large share old Abel had
held in our lives. The coarsest boy in
the hamlet seemed to appreciate the
story of sacrifice brought in the letter,
and to know what illness and death
among strangers in the bare wards of an
army hospital would be to the old man
whose life lay so deep rooted among
his home and old heighbOrs. In the
five days that passed before he came
every one of those old neighbors was
busy in preparation for him. Every
comfort which housdkeepers in Tarry-
town had accumulated for generations
was carried down to the DowreX house
and, without Aunt Sarah's knowledge
sum was raised sufficient to bring the
most skillful surgeon in Philadelphia uI
to meet him on his arrival. Aunt Sarah
as the tension on her grew extreme, only
became more quiet She moved about
gently arranging his hair, and the pipe
beside 1t, for the tho4sandth time, say
ing: "Only let him get into his OWL
chair and it will be al right It's home
Abel wants"
When they carried him in and placed
him on the old sheer skin cushion, ht
looked at Sarah, then alt the pigeon holes
and then at the crowd of kind faces
around him and nodded, closing his eyes
with smile of unspeaka able content
''lts the first look of real life he's
given" said Squire Plunkett, 81 shouldnt
| uopIar IF ,ro bop+ !, ,f.