The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-13

who has never done disgraceful or dis
honorable thing in all his long life, should
die with the whole weight of this frightful
disgrace and dishonor upon his mind
II don't know what you or anybody
else would have done in my place; but l
know that if l were placed in the same
position again | should do just exactly
what did then. L assured Mrs. Vernon
that she might trust me to keep her secret;
| promised to back her up through thick
and thin in any statements that she might
have made; then L hobbled after her on
my crutches into the bedroom where the
poor old general was awaiting me, and /
lied hke-well, like the father of lies him
self. suppose nobody knows, until he has
been tried, what an Internal liar he can be-
[ don't exactly pride myself upon my
capacity for acting part or for telling
faisehoods; but must say that, upon that
occasion, L did both adm ably. To have
heard me talk, you would have thought
there had never been so2h a magnificent
hero as Herbert Vernon--Bromhead and
Chard, and their defense of Rorke's drift
weren't in it with him. | don't think it
was so much Tor the sake of the grey
bearded Old man, who calmly and smil-
lngly swallowed down assertions which
caused me to BLUSH to the roots of my hair
by their audaclty, as for that of his wife,
whose ewes were fixed upon me appre-
hensiyely the whole time, that | periured
myself with such efirontery. There was a
CHASTITY comicality about the scene which
panied me, though it made me almost i'll
clined TO burst out laughing once or twice
and which must have panied her ten times
more without tickling her in the least
All, ii doesn't make me laugh to think of
her now-the poor, proud, patient, in
vincible old soul! What pluck these
women have, some of theml | got nv
V. c. for doing what ninety-nine men out
nF 7 Il 10
heye 1t Is in the nature of one man ont
of any loo to behave as she did For
| found out afterwards that she was q
deeply religious woman superstitious
even, If You like 10 call that sort of thing
superstitious-and am sure she must have
thought that she was placing her eternal
salvation in jeopardy by her conduct
Much as | admired her, and truly as | SYM
pathized with her, hadn't the common
decency or good feeling 10 abstain from
putting n stupid, clumsy question to her
before We parted. | ought to have been
kicked for being such an ass as to ask her
where her son was. but | was too much
surprised at the time by her reply to real
lie my own brutality until some hours
later.
~ don't know she answered. He
has written, but 1 have not seen him
''Of course she hadn't seen him. and of
course she never would or could see him
much after looking at her face if | hadn't
been the born fool that | am. AS for
General Vernon, whom il became my duty
10 visit and converse with frequently and
freely he was a dear. simple old man, and
there wasn't the slightest difficulty about
deceIying him. About ten or dozen Of us
were in the plot, old brother officers and
other crones who used 20 toddie in
from the senior or the rag, and humbug
him to his hearts content He was alb
surdly proud OF his despicahle son: IL Was
evidently out Of his power 10 conceive that
any human being through whose VEINS his
blood coursed could be other than 4 gem
tleman anu brave soldier. He told rs
long yarns about his adventures in the
CrImea never forgetting To add that he
had had no such chances OF earning re-
nown for himself rs had fallen 10 that
lucky dog. Herbert's >. share, | don't know
EOw we managed 10 keep our counte-
nanCes; know that We all SUNK away,
With our tails between our legs. As soon a.
We were released, amt that We didn't much
care about walking away from
the house together Most likely
ne all secretly entertained the
same 1ope--that he would soon have a
second raraiyt'e stroke and die. He was
very 10. and the doctor said that his
strength vas diminishing dav by day. a.
though y was perfectly possible that he
might H1Scr on for some months - come.
lie himself often declared that all he
WISHED Tor vas that ne might be spared
hong enough 70 shake his boy bv the hand
once more.
As you may well imagine. We didn't
mean 70 let blu have THAI satisfaction if
Nc eoa.u help AZ, auG s. most coufoundedly
0@sasrcSAple experience Il was 10 nse Ia he
aeeosIed one evening just after lad left