Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-06-25

mendable thing, and there are brighter
eyes than old Mats will CLEAN approval
when the story's told at Nashville.
CHAPTER XII
NIGHT ATTACK
Wlnstanley is not much of place, -
Frank Besant said, as they marched
that September afternoon up the one
dusty street that constituted the main
portion of the miserable village, whose
squalid houses and sallow. unwhole-
some inhabitants seemed from their
signs Of decay to be unworthy the no
tlce OF friend or foe. No wonder Bragg
had not stayed his march to pillage so
contemplate a community, as it was
really only settlement of unhealthy
cracker" whites, on whom even the
slaves looked with contempt.
''No, it isn't much of a place." Lieu
tenant Gregory, to whom Franks re-
mark had been made, assented, with an
expressive shrug of the shoulders
They say he was a bold man who first
swallowed an oyster, but hang me, if
he would not be a holder who laid him
self to rest in one of these huts."
"Yet that may be our fate" Frank
prophesied.
''The Lord Forbid" was the pious re-
joinder.
But amid all this squalor. one house
stood high on a hill at the further end
of the village, which boasted greater
pretensions than its humble neigh ors.
1t was a great. square, stone building,
utterly without ornament, but roomv
and capacious, which never by any pos
sibility could have suggested home, but
which was large enough to promise
accommodation for a host; and out of
its square. ugly gateway. tall, spare.
niddle-aged man was coming at a rapid
walk towards the advancing column.
''Howdy! Howdy!" cried one of the
cracker gentry, coolly Offering be-
grimed paw to Major Hopkins, a court
esy which that gentleman pretended not
to notice.
"Who is this person coming down the
hil1?' the officer asked.
"Him's Squar' Dixon, him is. We
'uns dom take much stock in he-kyind
o. peart on his raisin', an thinks his
self bettcr'n res O. u.s.
Squire Dixon forthwith rose one
hundred per cent in the Majors estima-
ton. good opinion, which was forti-
fed by his unaffected expression of
pleasure at the presence of Northern
troops. and his kindly offers of hospi-
tally.
Il am sorry kyant house you all, ~
he said, heartily. but your officers will
find a welcome in my pore home. an
your men can take up their quarters in
the village church,"a proposition which
was gratefully accepted
All went merry as marriage-beu
Considering the times. a bountiful sup
per was done ample justice to by the
grateful officers, who did not fail als<
to appreciate a box of excellent cigars
and an abundance of whisky, which,
though forced upon them with a gener
Gus display Of hospitality. they in
dulged in with moderation. The SQUIRE
proved himself an admirable host, and
won golden opinions from his well
pleased guests. His was a peculiar
case, as he explained to them. Sent as
a boy to school in Massachusetts, he
had acquired sentiments which were at
variance with the opinions Of his neigh
bors, particularly as regards the ques-
ton OF the abolition Of slavery, of which
he approved and which. of course, had
made him a marked man in the COM
munity. When the war broke out,
though his sympathics had been entire
~ with the North, he had never dared
to declare them, though he was willing
now and at all times to sacrifice any
thing in reason to his conviction-any
thing, in fact, short Of beggaring his
family. His family?. Oh, yes, he had
wife and three daughters who were
now in Cincinnati, thank Heaven! be-
yond the reach of immediate danger
As the Major said. when they reached
their chambers, Mr.. Dixon was alto
gether a most interesting person.
Lieutenant Cuthbertson, of Charlie Full
tons company, was on guard duty: the
rest of the officers were assigned to a
suite of chambers side by side at the
back of the mansion overlooking a neg
lected garden After a brief chat in
the Majors room they retired to rest.
But Hopkins, though he had professed
fatigue, was not inclined to follow the
example of his subordinates: SO instead
of throwing his weary limbs on the
tempting feather-bed he lit cigar, put
out his lamp, and drew a chair up to
his chamber window. 1t was q brill
liant moonlight night, almost like day
in its semi-tropical clearness. and the
Major, who was a man of sentiment.
looked with unfeigned pleasure on the
pretty scene which met his gaze In
front of him lay the garden and orchard.
and beyond, a rugged country road
winding up the side of hill covered
with scrub, but whose top was crowned
with lofty forest trees, sharply defined
in the white moonlight
TO BE CONTINUED.
Tho Sting Of Bees.
A curious observation made by DIR.
Terc, an Austrian physician, formed
the subject of paper read some time