Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1893-05-11

medal!
There, beneath his threadbare old
blue coat, it lay, always felt by the heart
of the hero.
''Why doesn't he wear it outsider"
once asked.
''He used to-" said my father, It'll
Hiram Scudder, the druggist, asked
him what he'd take for the bit of pew
ter"
'What did old John say, sir?'
Take for the bit of pewterH said
he, looking hard at Scudder with scorn!
I've took better mems lives nor ever
yours was for to get it, and I'd sell my
own for it as quick as ever I offered it
before
More fool you,' aid Scudder.
You're noWt,' said old John, very
calm and cool, you're nowt but walk
ing dirt From that day forth he would
never sell Scudder a fish; he wouldn' t
touch his money"
1t must have been late in 1854 or
early in 1855 that first saw the medal.
Going home from school on a bright
winter afternoon I met old John walk
ing very erect, without his usual fish
supply. A dull, round white spot was
clasped on the left breast of his coat.
''NIr. Locke" said the small boy,
staring with admiration, lis that your
glorious Waterloo medal?"
"You're good little lad!'
He stopped to let me see the noble
pewter
''War's declared against Rooshia,' 81
al 81
to show it. The old regiments sailed,
and my only son is with the colors."
Then he took me by the hand and led
me into the village store, where the
lawyer read aloud the news from the
paper that the old veteran gave him. In
those days there was no railway within
fifty miles of us. 1t had CHANGED that
some fisherman brought old John a
later paper than any previously received
in the village.
'Ay, but the duke is gone,'' said he,
shaking his white head, ''and it's curious
to be fighting on the same side with an
other Boney.''
All that winter and the next, all the
long summer between, old John dis
played his medal When the report
of Alma came his remarks on the French
failure to get into the fight were severe.
"What was they ever without Boney?''
he would inquire.
But a lett err from his son after mixer
man changed all that.
''Half of us was killed, and the rest
of lis clean tired with fighting" wrote
Corporal Locke. 'sWhat with a bullet
1o - l. i
the fatigue of using the bayonet so long,
was like to drop.
ssThe Russians were coming on again
as if there was no end to them, when
strange drums came sounding in the
mist behind us. With that we closed
up and faced half-round, thinking they
had outflanked us and the day was
gone, so there was nothing more to do
but make out to die hard, like the sons
OF Waterloo men. You would have
been pleased to see the looks of what
was left of the old regiment, father.
''Then all of sudden French
column came up the rise out of the
mist, roaring 'Vive L Empereurr their
drums beating the charge We gave
them room, for we were too dead tired
to go first On they went like mad at
the Russians, SO that was the end of a
hard mornings work. / was down,
tainted with loss of blood, but I will
soon be fit for duty again. When I
game to myself there was Frenchman
pouring brandy down my throat and
talking in his gibberish as kind as any
Christian. Never word will say agin
them red-legged French again
''Show me the man that would, y
growled old John. cit was never in
them French to act cowardly Didn't
they beat all the world, except us and
the duke?"
With the ending Of the Crimean war
our village was Illuminated Rows of
tallow candles in every window, fire.
works in a vacant field and a torchlight
procession! Old John marched at its
head in full regimentals, straight as a
ramrod, the hero of the night.
His son had been promoted sergeant
for bravery on the field. We boys
thought the old army of Wellington
kept ghostly step with John Locke, while
aerial drums pealed and beat with re-
joicing at the new glory of English
speaking men.
After that the old man again wore
his medal concealed. The Chinese war
of 1857 was too contemplate to cele-
brate by displaying his badge of Water
loo.
Then came the dreadful tale of the
Sepoy mutiny -Meerut, Delhi, Gavin
pore! After the tale of Mana Sahib's
massacre was read to old John he never
smiled, / think.
Week after week, month after month,
as hideons tidings poured rapidly in,
his face became more haggard, gray
and dreadful. The feeling that he was
too old for use seemed to shame him.
He no longer carried his head high as
OF yore, That his son was not march
ing behind Havelock with the aveng-
ing army seemed to cut the veteran