Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-26
LUKE MASON.
A Thrilling and Romantic Story
 of the Late Civil War.

uluu U huOW Wi;tu tO uO Wlu Ic DdOy. 1AuS thou ght r. kill it, but it looked up at me so pretty wid it's sweet little eyes dat couldn't. 1 wandered about wid it for weeks, an stayed wid it long time in dis ole cabin. stole grub for it an myself, too, den black it's face an go to Quaker, an' tole hlm was a runaway nigger an wid my baby, an' he tux me by night, hidln' ebery day till we got inter Missouri, an den he | foun' one day dat de black come off de | baby's face, an dat it war white. He war goin' to tell on me, but run away frum hlm | wid de chile, an' trabel up de Missouri river | long way I tried to throw the baby in de water ter drown, but ebery timo try it de 1 little baby look in my face an smile, an can't.
 "One day I went to house way up de l river to steal sumfn to eat for me an de | chile. Ebery body war in dc field, an in de place war an ole big wooden cradle. stole l it ana corled it up tight as boat, an tyin' l de yaler handkerchief bout dc baby's head put it asleep in de cradle and pushed it out | in de river"
 Luke here was about to interrupt the narrator, but Mir. Netf said: l "No, don't do It now. Let m go on." l The negro resumed:
 II was cotched by some nigger- r-stealcrs, | taken to St. Louis, sold at auction, den my new massa tux me to Lexington, Mo, ,an' sold 1 l heard him say dat he find de baby-he tell l de young massa so, an when Massa Morgan 1 come up in Missouri fo' y'ars ergo to lib, l spect deyd know me, but 'um don't, but Dick l Sneed did, an he nebber see me till de war commence. Den say kill him, and on de las day ob dc Shiloh battle I shoot 'um wid my l own hand. Heah am de yaller handkerchief. I tuck it from de bureau de night de rebs come to hang Massa Luke," and he held up | 10 bop1-arohiaf nr ho hor1ar of tyhiof, were the words embroidered in black: | "LUKE MAsoN."
 "What! My God can this" 1 ''Hole on, boy, hole on, this mans weak. 1 I'll tell him, you can't" said Mr. Neff, dis playing an energy Luke had never thought l he possessed.
 To the failing man he hurriedly explained that he had found the cradle floating, and | that the child was alive, and that his brother had req red him. Colonel Luke Mason was that child. The Confederate Colonel was failing very rapidly, and while MT. Neff had broken the news to him quickly, he had done so in way not to excite him, The dying father reached out his hand and clasped that of his new-found son.
 My boy" he whispered, 'Tve found you at last" Then he called to his daughter, who started as if from stupor: "Come here, Elsie, my child" Placing Luke's hand in hers he said: "Here is your brother"
 Brother and sister silently folded their arms about each other. What was it that held all silent and spell-bound under that wonderful revelations That Luke was the lost son of Colonel Morgan none could doubt, yet not word was spoken, no shout of joy. Were the witnesses stunned with the announcement, or was it the presence ot death!
 Lillie came to them, and Lukc, placing one arm about her, turned to Elsie and said
 "Can you love her as a sisters" "Yes, yes," she sobbed.
 1 Colonel Morgan, without uttering another word, turned his face toward the dark dis colored wall, and peace came to his troubled soul. Soquiet was he, so silently did the change come, that the prayerful watchers knew it not until all was over.
 It was Luke's regimental chaplain who performed the burial service, and he and his sister, whom he had only so recently known, stood by the grave and watered 1t with their tears.
 l Luke determined at once to drop the name of Mason and take his proper name Morgan But this he found almost impos- sible while in the army, as all his papers were made out in the name of Mason. It was afterwards ascertained that Luke Mason, the original owner of the yellow handker- chief, was mulatto, who was a house serv- ant of MT. Morgan, and his handkerchief had by some means got into tho possession of the nurse, possibly pres ented to her by the original Luke himself, who was quite a firt in his way.
 Colonel Mason got leave of absence for a few days, and went with his sister, Lilhe, MT. Neff and Albert, who had been paroled, across the river into Kentucky, where they would be safe. He persuaded Lillie to be come his wife and they were quietly mar ried at little country church in Kentucky His sister kissed him on parting and tolG him to care for their brother Jasper if he should find him. He promised to do so, gave her to Albert and told him to care for bott if he should never return.
 Luke reached his regiment just in time tc join General Halleck in the Corinth cam Ipaign. His regiment had meanwhile been fully recruited and assigned to the brigade of General McArthur.
 Old Arkansaw Tom was constantly witl his beloved Colonel He seemed to hay. lost much of his jovial spirit since his thre, companions had left him. It was durinl one of the terrible assaults on Coriuth tha = the brave old veteran fell dead at Luke feet. The Colonel stopped to raise the fallen man, when he tell wounded and wa carried to the rear, so that he never looked on the wrinkled face of his brave old frient again.
 The Coloners little wife came to nurs
 him back to health, and he was able to joi1 his regiment just after the taking of Vicks
 burg. He found his brother, Major Jaspe
 Morgan, in the hospital dying from a wound
 His wife and sister were telegraphed for
 but came too late.
 It was in the charge at Kenesaw Mount
 ains that Blackhawk, who had insisted ol
 being Luke's body-servant, fell pierced b,
 a bullet in the bowels. The Colonel spranj
 to the ground and raised the head of th Q dying negro, and asked what he could do ( oo relieve or help him.
 8 "Nuthin', massa. Am de fight overr Q "For the present it is." 'I g done fur, any way; ye can't help me 3 massa. Would ye help me, who tried @ drown ye when baby!"
 3 "Yes, Blackhawk, have forgiven yo 0O that"
 "But, massa, ye dun know all"
 "What else is there to know2"
 "It war me dat sighted de gun an' pulle
 de trigger dat killed yer father"
 With an exclamation of horror Lux
 dropped the head of the wounded negro an