The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-30
Brandon Banner.
an old clock

which has a history. It is over hun
dred and fifty years since its French
maker gave it the finishing touches and
| set its big pendulum in motion, and q
century since the brass hands marked
off the last hours of British supremacy
| in America. The house was the home
of Miss Polly Carter, an eccentric old
creature. who lived alone and held little
communication with the outside world.
She was called Crazy Polly by her
neighbors, who disliked her most heart
| lily. She died way back in the fifties,
at the advanced age of ninety. and was
promptly buried and as promptly for
| gotten.
She was so withered and ugly in her
| last days that it was difficult to credit
| the stories of her great beauty when a
| girl. 1t is said that at grand ball Civ
| en- in the old Robson manor house. at
Yonkers, an English governor remarked
that she was not only the most beauti-
full but the most charming young wom-
an in the provinces, and danced with
her so often that his angry spouse led
him home by the nose.
and worked-out farm passed into the
hands of a grandnephew in the west,
who still owns it. Everything of value
in the house was sold except the old
clock. which, with its rusty works and
battered case, was passed by as a worth
less piece of rubbish.
In the sad story of Miss Carter's life
1. Il oil
In the days OF the revolution the Carter
house, then a fine old place, lay within
the British lines. Col. Carter, its owner,
was with the continental army, as was
his nephew and his intended son-in-law,
Lieut.. Lawrence Carter. His daughter.
Polly, remained at home under the pro-
lection of a maiden aunt.
They were sad days for the poor girl,
days of anxiety and fear. For weeks
she had received no tidings of either
father or lover as the neighborhood
was infested with redcoats and all
means of communication cut off.
One rainy afternoon while sitting be-
fore the FIRE dreaming of the days when
horrid war should be thing of the
past, she was startled by the sudden
opening OF door, and the next moment
she was held in two strong arms and a
handsome young officer was kissing the
tears away from her lovely face.
second later she broke from the en-
brace and cried, her voice quivering
with fright: oh, Larry, Why did you
come? They will catch you. The
brutes are everywhere" The sentences
were broken by flood OF tears, but the
young fellow laughed lightly, and TAX
ing her face between his hands heaissed
her again and said: Never YOU fear.
my pet: know the country too well to
be trapped by the beef-eating Brit |
ishers- It's as safe as sanctuary here |
and / can get back through the lines |
tonight. But come, come, dry your |
eyes and let's have something to eat. /
am as hungry as bear and as wet as q
water rat"
Thus treasured. the trembling girl /
hastened to set food and wine before /
her halt-famished lover, who all the |
while was chattering as gayiy as |
schoolboy. He had removed his cloak /
and the tight-htting uniform showed off 4
his graceful figure 70 perfection He [
was strikingly handsome. and as good /
and honest as he was pleasing 20 The /
eye. Polly was girl Of considerable /
experience for her years, and had re-
fused more suitors than one, 5Et She /
loved her young cousin deyotedly and /
stoutly affirmed that he was a better
lover than cousin. which Tras saying a
good deal After be had finished eating
Re stretched out before the fire and /
smoked MS pipe as unconeerDedly Is II
there had not been an enemy II the
roCntTT. He told her OF her father and
81 the Frightening fortunes Of the army.
Then their tones grew low and earn
est and they told their love and talked
q the greet happiness in store for theHn
when Washington SHOULD have driven
the English q The was- The girl was
however. and fearful OF her
lovers safety Vt every so7.-f. she
would start II terror, and - The tine
came for his -lsarts,-c she eluzE % AiEn
and begged his1 - v~git uutil t1e Eao--
row ana make has vva7 through TIE
lines IL disguise. lie laughed a. her