Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-02-12

but for the sake Of and against an in.
palpable thing men called ''opinion. 8"
he felt their fate and his own was soon
Co be- weighed in the balance.
The crisis came and passed. and
Colonel Bassinger retired from the
world condemned by all men a traitor
TO his country in spirit II not in deed.
Tom and Martha Washington had
fled in the night so strangely did the
evil spirit that had come upon the
land change all hearts
He will but curse and drive us
forth II we ask his blessing" Tom
had said. and the love deluded girl
had yielded.
The gilt on new swords was rusted;
the lace on new uniforms was tar
nished; the iowery elo1uence of ora.
tors and party leaders had grown
hoarse and sore of throat the big
newspaper headlines alternately tell
ing OF victory and defeat had filled all
homes with henrtaches and terror; the
land was full of graves and every heart
bereaved
Weeds and briars were encroachino
upon the margins of the broad fields.
upon which rested Colonel Bassinger's
eyes as his rolling chair yet made its
daily circuit OF the shaded verandas.
The wide lawn was waste. the inner
door-yard neglected. the trailing vines
and untrimmed rose bushes were run.
ming wild. numbered with dead
branches and without leaves.
The black tribes were smaller.
Many of the more intelligent had gone
to Zine de Yankees the more simple
had fallen prey to speculator thieves,
who promising freedom. had seduced
the ignorant slaves TO run away only
10 be sold to far Southern masters
along the Gulf coast.
The majority of his slaves, how.
ever, remained with the colonel liv-
ing life of condolences and perfect
ease. Guerrillas in various guises
and under different pretexts extorted
money and supplies from the great
granaries or without pretext boldly
pillaged his vast stores. The bulk oil
his wealth was in foreign banks, how
ever. and his hold upon the affection
Of many OF his slaves held them true
to him. Sc no lived.
The land wasted aEaasy Death and
famine assumed tangible shape, Inc
strong cities were in the hands of ~nfiS
enemy" or smouldered in ashes that
marked his camp-fres on the all-con-
quering march to tho sea.
Tom Hardness was in tho CONQUER
ing host and hurried forward to pro.
tect his father-in- laws home yet
dreading to meet the injured father,
whom he must tell that his daughter
the lovely. lovable Martha, the fair
Southern rose-had died in childbirth
among the Vermont SHOWS.
To Union-hearted men the coming
OF the national army was, indeed, the
bringing of the jubilee more truly SO to
them, perhaps, than TO the freed
slaves.
1t was indeed. so with Colonel
Bassinger.
As the great army came nearer it
attracted the slaves from thousand
plantatlons. only the black foreman.
Uncle Richmond, and half a dozen
others remained true to Colonel Bas s.
niger until the federal commander
marched down the wide stage road
past the great Bassinger mansion.
The forlorn old Colonel was sitting
in his easy chair which Uncle Rich
mond had draped in tattered old
Union flag. facing the front gate, as
Tom Hardness came in. accompanied
by federal officer. Tom told his sad
story briefy-and hastily departed to
escape the terrible anger and reproach
OF the bereaved and long silent old
father.
Calling Uncle Richmond to his side,
the Colonel babe his faithful old serv-
ant help him to bed.
He died. few days later talking in
tones of endearment with his wife
and daughter, and resting his sorrow
dimmed eyes often upon the tapping
folds of the old flag which Uncle
Richmond had wrapped about the
posts of the old-fashioned bedstead. =
Atlyo Al