Iron County register., 1890-05-29


had donned the blue: II could not hel p
| it. father. All the students are yolun-
| teering." he wrote.
Never mind. mother" said the farm
er, at sight OF his wife's wet eyes. eve
gave them to God when they were
| babes, and if He chooses to use them in
| helping 10 save the country, His will be
done"
Jacks patriotic heart would have
tempted him to follow the example of
| Dan and George. but Mr.. Gibbons said:
| "Wait bit and see how times go. Old
men like me and slips of boys like you
are not worth much on. long marches, so
for the present we had better stay at
home and raise something upon which
| to feed our soldiers"
Jack listened quietly and then with
| out a word went back to the plow he had
left standing in the furrow.
a year passed away, and with it
poor Jacks bright hopes, of the future.
| A hundred dollars that Mr.. Gibbons
had placed in thedesk in the room ad-
| joining his disappeared mysteriously,
| and circums tances pointed SuSpiciOuSly
towards him as the thieG Though obe-
dent and tractable, the boy was high
spirited, and resented, As base, any in
situations that called his honesty in
question. His indignant denial would
| have had much weight with the consci-
entious farmer had noa Ben, the Glib
bons' baby. asserted boldly that he had
seen Jack ''foolingr round the desk more
| than once
In the eyes Of the parents this proof
was conclusive, besides it accounted for
the many petty, thefts, that. in the last
| few MONTHS had sorely puzzled the
worthy couple. The soul of honor him
| self, Mr.. Gibbons would not tolerate
| any departure from recti tude, especially
/ in n,one for whom he had done SO much.
The result of the trouble was that Jack
packed up what fcw things he needed
for change. and went out from the
| home where his happiest days had beer
! spent.
God wilLnot forget your kindness ta
poor. friendless orphan" he said, as,
he took 1rlther Gibbons hand at paE-
! ting.
Going directly % > recruiting Office.
he enlis ed in D Michigan regimenS.
t and in less than d&enty-four hours he.
I was on his wav TO Tennessee, where
/ 'entFa1 IIdtitCh- SdS JuSt tIltlI 4kts
| siege to 8orinta In spite of his youth
and con sumptive tendencies Jack made
a good soldier, and came out ct the
| bloody conflict without his fair name
! being .arnishedL
| Instead of returning to the horse that
| had saeltered his boyhood, he. went
! West and settled upon claim, taking
up his lonely life as rightful 1eritage.
7
warfare deal with the poor old farmers
| lads Tor when the boys in hane came
marehing home, not one otlthe. stall
war5:sons. who had gone forth to battle
walked in the ranks George and Ben
| aai come home in pine 8effins many
days before. while Dan was left sleeping
beneath the bright Southern skies.
After Jack had gone away Ben gained
| lsis fathers consent to become soldier,
aut before a year had passed he sick
! aned and died, but no1. until he ha6,
taken upon him self the theft that haGl
sent the orphan boy alons into zhe worl0a
/ More than score of years afterwards
an irresistible desire TO loak upon the
faces of the friends OF his youth SAINT
Jack back ID catch glimpse of the>old
familiar walks. 1t was on the 3Oth of
May that lie arrived and the little town
| was gay with flowers and banners. join
| ing in the pr.,cessson that was vending
its way so the cemetery he passed quies-
ly to Ehe grave of his father, now
marked by marble slab In the same
row, s. little TO tho east, he read the
names of George and Ben Gibbons. and
an old veteran who was scattering flow-
+IN 9
| formed him that Dan closed his lie in a
| Southern prison and that the twoeaugh-
| ters of the same household had died
| within a week of each other, leaving
the old folks childless and almost pen
niless. Waiting to hear no more, Jack
hastened to the old farmhouse, and
| without making himself known listened
| to the pitiful story of the old peenle.