Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-03-23

when one Gay ano{her letter came.
How well Aunt Tilda knew these or
long white envelopes and how eager
to know If the pension would come
nj last Another disappointment
1.-The evidence Of a physician who had
treated the soldier since his return
from the army. Was required. No
physician had treated him, because
he was too poor to employ one, and
again Aunt Tilda led the blind man
BY the hand over the long. weaEy
road to c -. to make another alii-
davit.
ssNever mind. Uncle Bob would
say. sits comm mex time TiIda.
sho, and thar won't be no waitin =
so another envelope was added TO
those they both boarded so carefully,
and which they seemed to regard as
pledges of the pension.
Anotber wait; how long The days
were, utterly t1reary to the blind man,
whose whole heart was now bound up
in that one idea--to get money ''fuf
TiIda, SO she wouldn't haf to work so
hard. =
Then Aunt Tilda came with an
other long letter" and, full of hope,
she handed 1t to Jeannette to read
ssAffidavlt from commissioned officers
and the regimental surgeons, proving
origin of disability, were required.
Far and wide Jeannette sent letters,
for her heart was sore for the two
people so helpless and destitute.
Some officers were dead, some had
removed to parts unknown. others, in
the changes of time and place, and
the long lapse of years, had forgot
ten Uncle Bob. and the evidence re-
quired was impossible to be obtained.
SO another affidavit was made 10 that
effect by Uncle Bob. Another long
walk to C-by the patient two. and
another wait.
II Sc dun glib it up, Tllda. | can't
do no more. Use showed dat lef
here well, dat j got sick in de army.
dat Use in de hospital at Cairo, dat |
dunno de name ub de hospital; and
dat de smallpox made me blind, and
pears to me dat de more | look fur
it de less ! git
"Neber mine, Bob, Miss Jane says
its all right, and It's; maybe we'll
get letter to-morrow; and Aunt
Tilda tried to speak hopefully of
what she felt to be so utterly hope
less.
/ But Uncle Bob knew, what he
dreaded to tell the faithful helper,
that day by day his strength was
growing less. and his one greet fear
was that she would be left without
any means of support. Times grew
bad there on the old homestead. and
Jeannette had hard work to make her
slender means suffice for her wants.
Aunt Tilda did not hint to her that
she and Uncle Bob lived mostly ON
sshoecake;;" it was hard, very hard,
hut '.when Bob got the pension, they
would have s25 month, and that
would make her and Bob rich. . So
Aunt Tilda cultivated the ground
around the cabin as best she could,
| and worked at de house, and all
the time Uncle Bob never knew of the
rags she wore and the priyations she
| endured.
And while she worked and hoped.
Sharpe, the notary public in c.,
received letter from the Pension Of
flee, making inquiry as to the credi-
bility of one of the principal Witness
es. This witness owed Sharpe GER
tain bill, which he either could not or
would not pay, SO letter went back
to Washington, saying that. TO the
best of my knowledge he is not to be
relied on, and the letter went on its
!. way the same, the very same day,
that tired and oyer-worked woman
trudged wearily over the road to
/ C-and asked almost hopelessly at
the postoflice, lis dar any letter fur
Miss Jane or Bob, . to receive the al
most invariable answer. None to-
day.
Surely Sharpe forgot the Justice
due his fellow-man forgot the worn.
ragged woman, and the blind man
she had so often led to his office,
when he sent that letter to Washing
ton.
A fortnight later another letter
came. Sim Ray was not a cred-
ible witness, il said, .sand d more
credible one must be obtained to
reply to the following questions.
Then followed list: ssWhere Was
the soldier when first attacked with
the diseases What hospital was he
sent to- etc..-questsons which
Jeannette had learned by heart. they
were asked 50 frequently.
Three years bad gone since the
first application vas made. three
! years Of alternate hope and disap-
| pointmenf 10 these on the farm.
end even Jeannette grew tired wait
ing for the decision Of the Pension
Bureau. She had expended much
money In postage and other neces-
sary expenses, entirely unknown to
| Aunt TiIda. and she felt that her
scanty purse could i'll afford It bssE
the sight Of the patient sadness Of
Aunt Tiida. and the thought Of her
sorrow and bravery, helped her %
make many sacrifice How intense