Wichita eagle., 1886-09-03
a hard life the wife had with me tempers, ouS

"The wound me daughter, me officer and
meself had given me were KILN me with
anger and despair That wound hurt me
longer, hurt me sorer and hurt me worse to
the life core than any ever got from Mexi-
cans, Injuns or rebels, and / got them from
] all
< u
| @Well, sir, it was just five years from the
time I got that deadly hurt, and we were
| liyin' in -, with hard scratchin' to get
along on me pension and what could make
| laborin'. for was gettin' ould. I'm past 70
| now
IL came rather late one night and the wife
SAYS: You're wanted immediate to the
| Union hotel says she; you've been sent for
| twice Who is itn says l. I don't know,
saws she: but brush yourself up and go at
once says she, and I'll have nice stew for
you when you get back. Maybe its good
luck comm
$50 / trimmed up for inspection and re-
view I'd been tryin' to get a watchman's
place on railroad, and thought maybe some
of the masters were wantin' to see me bout
that
II soon got to the hotel. My names De-
lany,' says / to the clerk. He taps the bell
and says to the black man, Show the gentle
man up to parlor B., says he.
"'Gentlemenr thinks l. 'Parlor B, thinks
I, Its risin' in the world am Maybe they'll
be maxim superintendent of an ould SOL
dier, thinks l, and followed the blaclsie, all
in a blind of wonder.
"It's fine room were shown into, and
nobody in it. The sarvant left and l was
srnoothin' my hair before a big lookin' glass
that were there when l heard a swish like a
dress aside me- l turned and there were
Mary-my Mary.-so beautiful, SO like a
queen, with her darlin' blue eyes looliin' so
wistful at me.
ooh daddyr she cried, holdin' out her two
arms and calm me by the name she called
me when she were my own innocent little
baby. oh, daddy, listen to me now
"The anger rose up hot in me, though me
heart were beaten like 'twould burst me
breast and lump in me throat were chokin'
me.
'.'Not a wcrd,' says l, mot word with
deserters, and traitors, and worse! You're
dead to me! You were no more Mary Delany
from the night you left your parents"
"sNor says deep, clear voice, but she's
Mary Barton. and has been from that same
night and out of a room door, leadin' into
the parlor steps my old leftenant and put his
arm around her SO bold and loOkin' SO hand
some, that was speeches. and moveless.
"I struck the tears from my eyes, and
heard little voice say. 'Drandadn an l
looked down, and there was my little Mary,
three years ould, lookin' up at me, an holdin'
in her hands that ould fife.
II looked from the child to the mother, to
the father, and saw what an ould brute and
fool I'd been No need to tell me a word
more.
"'Tiss me, drandad says the little one, and
gathered her up, and !, that had never shed
tear for sorrow or pain, run the eyes out of
me with cryin' for joy.
1--WE talked and we talked. They told me
how they had been in England and France
for Mary's education; how the leftenant's
people had Joined them in Paris the year be-
fore, and how they all loved and thought
there was nobody like the ould sergeants
Mary, the sons wife. Ard all this time, God
forgive me for bein' selfish, 1 were forgettin'
the poor oud mother.
"The baby was bundled up, houldin' the
ould fife that Mary had taken with her when
she went, and that baby had always played
with. and we were soon in a carriage rolling
off to my poor home.
Mrs Delany was in bed in the back room.
'What KEEP ye, sargintn says she. 4 hope
twas good luck. Yen find TIL stew on the
Stover
"'The devil fly away with yer stew, Mrs.
Delany,' saysI Come out here and see the
stew I've brought you But before she could
move from the bed Mary was on her, and
well, you can guess the rest, happiness, the
toll. fha of hot ipbf T oI
the whole house with Yankee Doodle and
'Garryowen' on that fife, and with me feel
ms all worked and bein' out of practice, too,
they were played bad enough to wake the
dead.
"There amt much more to tell. Our troubles
and heartaches were over The next mornn
talkin' to Mary and the leftenant, l says,
takin' lot of letters out of my pocket, If
you young people are short of money, ,shere's
over $1,000 that belongs to you, that's been
sent to me for five years back
"'Oh, you dear, proud old daddy! cried
Mary, with her arms about my neck and
tears in her eyes and voice, 'and you wouldn't
use it in all your needs! l might have known
it, thinking what you did of me-
"Well, sir, that money went to buy a little
farm where and the ould wife live like
lady, and of course it will go back to them
that gave it when we die.
"There's boy now, sir. Tn going to see
him christened Delany Barton, and he's to be
a soldier They're none of them ashamed of
the ould sergeant and his wife, but she's not
able to travel, and SO l have to report alone
Will take a sup out of your flask, sir!
"Well, talkin's dry work and I've been
doin' a power of it; a sup would go well now,
but if you'll excuse me, l won't take it. Ten
minutes viii bring me to where they're all
waitin' for me, and I'd rather not kiss Mary
Snd the babies with the Taste touch of it on
my lips"
In ten minutes we stopped at station, the
old sergeant stepped from the cars, and as
we moved off he was still the center of a
beautiful, loving group.-Col. Duke Baillie
in New York Mercury.
Martha Washington a Beauty.