The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-11-03

assd lion-like soldiers, with the face Of
his scarcely-kissed wife ever before
him, he had not been improvident, and
ere long they were snugly settled in
their breezy home. Absalom went im-
mediately into the superintendent of
Joel's mills by the river, and with
the flight of a sunny twelvemonth
he might have been seen sitting upon
the veranda of the cottage, like some
gigantic unclassifed kind of moth that
had been wallowing in pollen, with .
little blinking Heater upon either knee.
That this subdued and purring person,
weh-nigh eclipsed by the twins and
corn-meal and flour, could have been
one of the livehest and bravest of SOL
diers in the Army of the Potomac
seemed in the face of appearances
something doubtful. However, that
was his reputation; for though he never
could be inveigled into recounting his
own valorous deeds, there were those
who never tired of talking of his
bravery and daring. Among these
testimonials it was told how, lying in
the trenches before Petersburg where
every moving object was in danger OF
being riddled by the watchful foe, Alb
salon became FESTIVE upon certain
occasion, and leaping upon the breast
work ran for half mile along its top
in a rain of leaden hail and
jumped again into the trenches,
remarking that he felt easier
after it! Again it was told that when
he was Lieutenant his Captain was
wounded and left upon the field in one
Of the charges before Richmond in
which the Federals were repulsed and
driven back into the trenches. Absa-
lom, discovering this, sprang upon the
breastwork, looked sharply where his
superior had probably fallen, and dart
ed zigzagingly out upon the torn and
dead-strewn field. A blaze gushed
along the line of the foe, and he ran
forward into the teeth of tempest.
His cap was shot from his head, his
sword and scabbard were carried away,
but he brought the fallen officer from
the field and laid him down in the
trenches and said never a word. Thou
sands of Threats sent up cheer after
cheer for the brave deed, and the
sword he carried in his hand when he
came home to Openstone was the
sword that his company gave him when
he was made Captain. Whether OF
not these "reminiscences, for there
were others of kindred nature, had
got somehow tinge Of exaggeration,
could not at this distance be fairly
passed upon. But certain it is that one
seeing this alert and herculean fellow
go about his daily business, might not
unreasonably suppose him capable OF
deal of bravery. But in the hands OF
the twins, or more correctly with the
twins in hand, he was as helpless as
one could we'll imagine. Ether for 6
long time lowered about on such occa.
sions with a kind of breathless trepida-
ton, seeming well nigh as solicitous
for the safety of the father as for the
twins. For at sundry times those
doughty bits of humanity being en-
throned upon either of his knees, eact
with one of his huge hands rayed ou
behind it's back, had blinked anG
gurgled and shot forward shifting theil
heads together, and Absalom, in his
frantic efforts to save them, had ended
by letting them run through his fingers
upon the floor in musica
and tangled mess For some mo
ments thereafter he would have {
very wild expression, and for hour!
would be seemingly weak and I'M
strung, and twice after similar mis-
haps he had rushed sweating from the
presence Of the twins. However, il
the main he was happy; especially or
those occasions when sitting by Ether
upon the veranda, he held the twin!
successfully. Here the Popps otter
came singly and en- masse ,Yeslit, al
exceedingly volatile and high-spiritee
creature, quite comely of outline anc
feature, with a rather moist, large
mouth that talked unutterably fast
and ever and anon emitted little &c
static shrek, came great deal. Saloo
who in those days began to take on &
kind of sloping-shouldered, angular
phase of manhood, came quietly
like his mother, though with /.
somewhat CHASTITY display of cuffs ant
collar. Julius, too, put in uncomfort
ably frequent appearances, and as faith
er, grandfather and father-in-law, wa
gaseous to the limit of expression
Joel also sometimes came, and occa
sionally the stately Mrs. Whitney
trailed her silken plumage into tn,
breezy abode. But Absalom's proud
est moments were when "the kids, a.
he never ceased to call them, came OF
Sunday afternoons and sat with hin
upon his veranda while he had thu
twins displayed, and his happiest wher
Ether set the table upon the porch
with his growing beauties bolstered W
in double high-chair beside it, and he
looked across the snowy board and saw
Ether's bright cross-eyes and curly
head against background of greer
tree-tops, glinting mill pond, white
town-houses, and the blue and billowy
reaches of the far off prairies.
CHAPTER XII.
John Earling continued steadily al
his task; reading and studying al
every opportunity, with mind sc
clear and retentive that what was once
gone over seemed never lost again
Bower & Woodman thought very well
of him, indeed, but discreetly said
nothing. However, old Woodman
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