New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-08-26
meal down yonder, =. nodding in the

he had extracted from his trousers
pocket, carefully weighing it III his
hand to make sure. that he was in no
danger OF giving awaya gold piece by
mistake.
"Do you think that if wanted chbri-
sty would be occupying this pa1atial
mansion and fasting until refuse. gar
bage seems a mess fora kinga'
Brester recalled what Martini Fad
said, and drew back his well-meant Of
fering with a sense .ofpersonal injury.
sob, come noYt Be off, Ikea good
fellow, and makeno, more trouble /.
The lumberman was impatient TO
bring the interview to q close. Hestill
fingered the silver-piece with an uneasy
sense that it would be better in the
possession of a? vagabond The man
raised his tattered hat, with a.: mock
ing bow, and essayed to step over the
walls of his abode; but his legs proved
too unsteady for the successfuli sse-
complishment OF his purpose He
stumbled, reeled and sat down on his
own roof-top, which rasped and clash
ed in a dismal chorus.
Brewster knew the meaning. Of tie
action. How many times hadhe seen
some poor fellow, reduced tothe last
limits of inanition, falter and fall CIV
the way on q forced march. His re-
Elections explodediin two words, each
possessed OF three syllables, and fol-
lowed by an explanation point. The
first was starvation; the second diff
ferred only in the first syllable, and re-
presented a very essential article OF
faith in the orthodox creed. He sup
perative order to the Waterman, WHO
forthwith seized one of the Migrants
arms. Half leading, half supporting
him, ignoring his faint protests, they
took him up the. path to the office,
and placed him on chair, before tie
fire. p
AS they progressed on their Shiny
path, Brewster inconsequently re-
called the battle of Shiloh, when Le-
noir, badly wounded and thrown from
the saddle of a dying horse, had been
led to the rear, protesting and fighting
every step Of the way: As he came.in-
to the light of the Office windows, he
accounted for the sensation by the dis
covery that the man, wore cheap
overcoat of military cloth and CUT, Of
the stamp usually affected by the
Shay-bunkers."
They placed him in chair before
the fire and, he sat there mutinous
captive, his felt hat with it's battered
brim drawn. down over his eyes and
partially shading his: face. The. arst
glance at the stranger in the honest
light of the Office lamp had in a meas
ure treasured Brewster and put to
flight his absurd fancies. There was
nothing striking or uncommon irp the
spare figure, Or the old face with it's
lines OF care and pain. It was a very
ordinary face, an eminently prosaic
face, he assured himself OF the same
type as ten Thousand others in the
city, but he could not resist a crazy
desire to see the, forehead barred, to
look at the left temple and
BAIL! Back to. those old memories
of the war again! So much for the
pernici'ous effect Of the afternoons as
sociations. Well, what was it, after
all? Only a young fellow, his blue suit
in tatters crazed with fever, crawling
past the dead line, a strong hand
stretched out tesave him dull report,
bullet leaving a bloody track across
the temple and along the scalp, OF the
reScuer.
And why had he lost sight of the
gallant old soul all these years? Con-
found it! Lenoir was just the one to
sneak off from his friends if the world
used him ill, to live in a dugout and
dine on scraps rather than ask charity.
Yes, and to Jest and flash out with a
dauntless spirit in a moment of hui
initiation and shame that beld worse
terror to a proud soul than the
bravest soldier ever faced on the bat
tle-ield. Could poverty, and despair,
and ill-health reduce the high-souled
gentleman and soldier to the likeness
of that old scarecrow? Brewsters STEP
ped impulsivly forward, reaching over
for a chunk OF tirewood, awkwardly
brushing the strangers head with his
arm and knocking Off the SLOUGH hat.
He hesitated just long enough to OBJ
serve q white track across the temple
and through thesparse gray hair, then,
with his brain in q whirl, secured the
SC1CA VI WOOu, lGlu IL CAREFULLY upon
the blaze, took out pencil and note
book and scribblcd q few lines to his
wife. A close carriage a fire in the best
room, a warm dinner; his pencil check
ed off the items at lightning speed. He
called the Waterman and dispatched
him with the note, meeting the mans
wondering look with one OF stern de.
cision. AS the door closed behind the
messenger, and his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
echoed fainter and fainter in the dis.
tance, Returned to find his compulsory
guest arising from his chair and con.
fronting him with white face.
''The almshouse? I'll die firstn'
9'Never while live, Colonel Lenoir. u
Having uttered this blunt assurance
Brewster sat staring at his old friend
through mist of tears The old man
answered with a startled look. He
drew the SLOUGH hat lower over his
eyes. His chin worked convulsively.
Old and thin and gray, overtaken by
reverses, crushed by misfortune, the
Colonel was found.-San Francisco
Ingleside.