The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-26
CHAPTER NJ.


When Isaac Akers took the last look
at the strange woman whom he had
met but a few hours before in such
strange way. and who had rescued him
from the grave, her noble qualities With
which he had become acquainted, and
depth of thought, seemed beyond his
ing through his mind and ever saying,
You owe your life to her" made all
strange bewilderment. To him, all of
his life, past, present and all that was
to come, crowded into the past few
hours, he had to confess to himself that
there was a deep and all controlling fas-
eination that had taken entire possess
sion of his thoughts, and bound him
hopeleSsly to the woman regardleSsly of
her ugly face; the very remembrance
which had ceased to excite anything but
pity, and, as pity is always the strong
est incentive and argument In love, 1t
but intensified his passion. Men and
women, alike love all they pity, and
pity all they love.
Love is the sunshine of life that is
made brighter by the clouds Of its sor-
row. AS a continuous day of sunshine
uninterrupted by night would soon burn
the world up, so a continuous, flaming
love. without disappointment or tears,
would destroy itself. The imperfections
Of others make us love them more. The
crippled and deformed child is dearer
to a mother than its perfect brothers
and sisters, because she pities it
more It is helpless. It hobbies into
her open arms with it's deformed limbs,
with its distorted and crooked fingers il
wreaths garlands of pity and affection
in her heart that bind il more closely to
her bosom than all else. So with the un-
fortunate condition of the woman. It
appealed to Isaac Akers in a purer and
deeper sense than the most beautiful
face could have done, but what should
he do? He had enlisted for the army
'Tis true he was supposed to be dead.
he was buried; that would have released
him had ii been SO, but as he came
back TO life he came back to obligations.
OF course he could desert and go home.
and il might not be known, or he could
go somewhere else under another name.
While that would elude others 1t would
not avoid his conscience. Then he asked
himself after all what he was going to
war for, and he answered to fight the
enemies of his country; that is. citizens
of the same government to settle quar-
rel that had brewing many years, famed
and fed by two factions of eXcitable agi-
tators. The fire-eaters of the South and
the abolitionists of the North and many
| Of these agitators, when the fight came
on, were the last ones to take a part.
Especially" he said to himself "this
| is true of the quakers of our village.
| They have been shouting and shouting
| for the conflict in season and out of
| season, never stop on week day or Sun
| day, and now, since they have gotten
| the fight up, they say they are con-
| scientiously opposed to war, therefore
| they stay at home and let me go. Alas, -
Isaac Akers said, strange country that
| says the life of the nation is at stake
some of us must go and get killed while
other people hide under their creed
E7xrpru a a-hn6ind Chnl1Id Sfa on
an equal footing like any other man.
regardless Of his creed, faith or any
| thing else. After ALL such a claim is
| only another cover for a coward"