Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-16

Frederick the Great OF Prussia; 90 was
Napoleon and WELLINGTON and Nelson.
And NOT All great men have been soldiers,
either. Kant, the great philosopher, was
a littls mite OF 4 creature; so was 'oitaire.
Most OF the men whose brains have inede
civiiization what il IL were under SIX feet
high. And there IL DR.. Holmes IN our own
country and lEsop- ~
She stopped abruptly and blushed. Poor
David blushed also. The General aIcned
bis left eyebrow, comicaiiy. hsop, lnue sun
mach. But il turned the subject OF con-
yereation. and General Fortescue was very
GOOD. hnmored and sfable the rest OF the
sveninr. When David bade them good
nicb. he felt that his cause had been nd-
yanced rather than retarded. Ana not
long afterwards sumter was hred upon
and David enlisted as a private. His regi..
ment was included in the command OF
General Tortescue. He rose 70 be captain.
then major, and was taken on the Generals
SAN. After the battle of Gettysburg he
Was oppointcd colonel In tho Wilderness
no WA by tho Generals side when the
latter was struck down by the fragments
of she'll. He carried him to the rear and
sat with hum during bis last moments.
1he old man knew he was dying:
ltliOW. Jaw, no oeiR'
"If I could make you eight feet high to-
5ev / wouldn't do II. A little man - every
bit as good as big one, and maybe better:
II YOU get out Of this alive tell Ruth said
so-apd eiye her my loye-and-ask her
for hers. IL you want TO. Yes, it's all
rgbt-you know. Good-b by. nv boy-my
son-good-by !" And with that the old
soldier turned on his side and was gone.
Colonel Densiow came out OF the war
laI i Va no n
theirs message to Ruth and in due time
they we're married. Dick wa. the hrst re-
suit Of tho union. and wnen ne had begun
20 walk about without obvious peril OF
falling down another baby came and lived
an hour. and Ruth died with 1T.
Denslow's welded life had lasted hardly
more than two years. II was with diff
| Guilty at first that he could endure the lone
! illness that cams upon him after his wifes
| death. He now lamented that the Same
missile that. had slain General Fortoscue
had not killed him also, for his heart
seemed dead. But in time the loss ecaine
less intolerable. he had at least known
| happiness, he had had Ruth for his wife ;
they had loved each other. Perhaps, for
SO much 10Y, the grief that followed wa.
not TOO high price to pay. felnaps, ~
would know him when they met. And:
mean while, TO comfort him, she had
a lsf' ever sm p' Sercased nr father had
Dicks cheerful babbio, his chubby legs,
and soft, clngiDg arms solaced the Colo
nel's grief and reconciled him TO the world.
| The bov was certainly marvel OF health
| and strength. lie grew amazingly. foI
| several years the Colonel contemplated
the rapid elongation of the child's arms
ard legs with complacent pride. Later,
! he suffered the phenomenon to. pass with.
out comment. The truth Is that DICK al
| thirteen already outmeasured his father.
Finally, when the youth was ready FOL
college he stood six feet i'll his socks, and
showed no intention of stopping there
head and shoulders above his progeni-
| tor. IL was only natural that the latter
| should view the situation with some nus
| eivipps. The boy would render him
| ridiculous. 1t was too much OF good
thing.
But the good little Colonel grew accus-
toned. if not recOnciled, to this also. Ma
ture will not be controlled IN such matters
and Nature doubtless knew best. More
| over. the time came when Dick, growing
outward instead of upward, looked less
long: seen from q distance. he appeared
| of almost reasonable proportions. In the
cast of his features and IN his dark COM
plexion he resembled his mother. lie
Lad the innate cheerfulness and good
| lumor which arise from well-balanced
faculties and complete physical we'll
being, but his outward expression was
habitually grave and he seemed much
more mature than he really was lie
| Colonel, ON the contrary, was both IN tenn
permanent and aspect younger than ms
wears. His face had few lines in 1t and
| his fresh color and vigorous bearing at
upwards of forty were those of n man OF
scarce thirty. That he should be the
| father of the serious and stalwart young
! gentlemen who at twenty looked not a
| day less than twenty-six or seven was
| fact not likely to be surmised by strangers
and the Colonel was quite sbrewd enough
| TO perceive II. Had he possessed the
sense of humor, the absence of which
we have already deplored in him,
he might have derived great amuse-
ment from this incongruity; ns 1t
was, the enjoyment was confined to out
siders. On the other hand Dick conduct
Cd himself with unfailing consideration.
| His manner was always deherentlal,sne
never presumed on his stature; in truth,
he both respected his father and loved him
! with his whole heart. The Colonel, tor
| his part, had begun By loving the boy for
| his mothers sake, he ended by loving him
| still more for his own. The two were In
separable companions. Dick kept his
| father young, and his father possibly
FASTENED Dicks maturity. After leaving
college Dick read law in his fathers Office
for a couple Of years and started nous
.ache. Then they went abroad together
on six months vacation.
They were too intelligent not to appreci-
ate the treasures and wonders of European
civilization, but 1t must be confessed that
a great deal of what they saw was weari-
ness to them. They gaZed rather torlornly
at the great cathedrals. They got on rather
better with the ruined castles. but the pic
ture and sculpture galleries made them
yawn Enthusiastically, The English lakes;
| mountains, and hcdge-rows compensated
them for much archaeological and artistic
fatigue but II was only when tney reached
Switzerland that they congratulated them
selves ON having crossed the Atlantic. The
sublimity and immensely Of Gods handI
work satisfied and exhilarated their Anne
rican minds. they only regretted no
having come there In the first place anc
let everything else alone. And IT was a
Lucerne that their meeting with the Pen
rlths took place