Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-02

Mary gave up the point of Mr.. Antho-
ny's western origin without contest.
There We're other shibboleths besides an
affection for the ashcake of his boyhood
which forbade the idea of his being
stranger in a strange land.
Miss Corneha stared into the fire, lost
in thought There was some mystery
about her enemy's antecedents she felt
convinced, and she was determined to
unravel it, and if possible TO his con-
fusion and overthrow. Her mind went
hunting about with its nose to the
ground like a hound on cold scent.
Presently it seemed to her to warm a
little, and she threw up her head and
gave tongue at once.
Mary" she said, turning in her chair
and regarding her niece solemnly, my
brothers overseer, the man who lived
with him so many years and was with
him at Shiloh, was named Anthony and
he had lot Of sons. Perhaps this is one
of them"
The solemnity of this announcement,
which was made with the air of one
loosing the seals and sending upon the
earth pestlence and Judgment, was al
most too much for Mary's gravity. She
bent her head over her sewing so that
Miss Cornelia might not be offended by
her mirth. Presently she remarked:
Il thought all the Anthony boys were
killed, auntie. Hector said so, and they
were in his regiment He spoke well of
them always-their gallantry, patience
and endurance at a time when courage
and patience were the rule. You know
old Mr.. Anthony, the father, saved my
husbands life at Malvern Hill. He
must have been brave, unselfish man"
Eyes, he behaved very well" assented
Miss Cornelia impatiently; she was not
interested in that part of the subject.
Everybody was always saving some
body else's life in those days-that is,
when they weren't all killing one an
other. That's war. Mr.. Anthony was
respectable old man, shockingly SLOUGH
ing and untidy. My brother thought
q good deal of him, remember. Never
mind him tholghi it's the boys want
What were their names? Lanky, slab
sided creatures, and so many of them
four or five. Let me see; what were
their names?" Miss Cornelia's brows
contracted perplexedly, and her memory
returned and grappled with the past.
Mary rose and crossed the room to an
old fashioned secretary, bound and
mounted with brass, and opened one Of
the drawers. Her fingers passed from
one pigeonhole to another until she
found what she was in search ola
en- II loothar hcr1r1 hook
sometimes carry in their pockets. With
this in her hand she resumed her seat
and began turning the pages rapidly.
Miss Cornelia watched her, still striving
to ensnare those elusive names with the
mesh of recollection.
Mary found the page she was in search
of, and ran her eye down it. Il can tell
you, auntie," she said. Hector kept
an account of all his men, and, as near
as he could, what became of them. The
Anthony boys are all mentioned here.
There were five of them. Hugh was
killed at Sharpsburg. David was
wounded in the fights below Richmond,
and died of his wounds in the hospital
Jim was captured, and died of prison
fever at Point Lookout. Robert lost his
life in charge in the Wilderness; and
Albert was shot at his post on picket
duty in the Valley. A terrible list of
casualties, but not uncommon for those
times Old Mr.. Anthony died of typhoid
fever the same summer that your mother
did. There is the family history, auntie,
and you must confess that it's sad one.
Stay! remember hearing Hector men
ton a second wife; but she had left the
neighborhood before | came to Repton
and I've heard somewhere that she mar
ried again. She had no Anthony chill
dren."
Miss Cornelia had been tapping her
fingers impatiently on the arm of her
chair for several seconds, Il know all
that, she said; but there was another
soma much younger child. ! remem-
Der him distinctly, saucy, freckled lit
tie fellow, full of mischief and sly ways
and SO dreadfully untruthful. He was
always coming over to the house to play
with our little Mary. The child was de-
voted to him, and being delicate she
was allowed to have her way in every
thing and INDUCED until it was sinful
She used to have him here continually,
and taught him all her lessons and dear
knows what besides. | disliked it SO
much; but then no one ever listens to
my advice. | am but cipher in the
family; although it would be better if
was more heeded-better for the rest,
mean" Miss Cornelia paused to allow
this reflection to sink into Mary's mind
1.-The boy ran away before the war;"
she presently resumed, because he
couldn't endure his stepmother, tidy,
respectable woman, who told me herself
that he was past all human standing.