The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-02-19

to save home and country. Dim strug
Cling ideas swan through his brain.
Cant ye see for yerselves?" he sale
only.
Yes they saw. In a crowd they followed
those blue tails in at the sound of the bell
promptly. The little black broadcloth
jacket had been apt to tarry or even to
strike off in another direction.
Promptness and gravity marked the de-
meanor of the blue uniform through the
session.
The fact is, the horr1d little wretch that
/ liked so well to read history was conscious
of his military blue at every turn. Wash
ington had worn it, and this was the blue
that Grant had worn, and Sherman and
Sheridan. His father was right. A uni
form stood for something in Lycurgus'
mind.
Once, though, when little pug-nosed
Bridget Sullivan tumbled off her seat in a
sound sleep, the ever-ready giggle, all
the morning suppressed, came up wildly
in Lycurgus, and dubbed out of his eyes,
his ears and his nose, and conyulsed his
whole frame.
But the laugh was succeeded by a sud-
den soberness. And when Bridget's Bit
ter wall arose at her surprise and mortifi-
cation, something new. like compassion,
went to Lycurgus' heart. Poor little
tired, STOPPING Bridget, with the water
soaked hands that had to wash the dishes
and work hard before she could go to
school. Lycurgus made resolve. At
recess the sandwich and sweet cake in the
pocket of the beautiful blue trousers
found its way slyly into Bridget's red
hand. Lycurgus was hungry, but SOL
diers have gone hungry on long marches,
haven t they? Usually Lycurgus was an
awfully realistic little fellow, but ne lived
in his Imagination all that forenoon.
1t was cold, windy day, and it was
Monday.
Now one of Lycurgus's hateful Joys had
been. on the way home from school, to
run around to the back of the house and
dismember the clothes line from its posts,
and then. safe hidden, to hear Kate, the
laundress, vie with Peter Hornkins and
himself in language.
But today the clothes line was already
down, struggling, the clothes sodden and
freezing stiff in the snow, and poor Kate
shivering, trying to get it up again.
Lycurgus came upon the scene. "I'll
help you, Kate.
s'Get away VII you,' the laundress
turned on him fercely, "Mr. Kurg, or
III tell your pa this minute. It's great
help you'll II give body, you. -
But Lycurgus was at work. His hands,
which disdained gloves or mittens, were
as red as Kate's own, but far more deft.
Kate assisted in blank wonder.
ssWhatever ails ye, Mr.. Kurg' said
she then. ''Sure ye'l II not live long; YEN
die afore night.
But Mr.. Kurg marched away stoutly
1t was fun somehow, vaster than the old
sneaking fun, to be an erect, silent hum
CRY, self denying man in blue.
The next day was Washington 8 birth
day, and no school. and those blue coat
tails were leading the boy into all kinds
of frolic, you may depend, but stopping
Just short of cruelty aud meanness for
once; still, if you had asked Lycurgus' s
mother where he was that day, she would
have owned sorrowfully that she could
not tell you.
And in truth he was not in very good
place-down with the factory ragamuffins
among the tenement houses, where his
schoolmate Bridget lived.
Pat Sullivan was off on what was famiI-
iRrly called in that quarter foot, and
Mrs. Sullivan was bemoaning her lot
with a peighbor, and little pug-nosed
Bridget was minding the baby alone up
stars. He saw her up there at the win
dow.
When 10! out of that particular Door
tenement smoke and flame suddenly is
sued. In three minutes they had gained
with terrible rapidity, and the fire depart
ment, though alarmed, was mile away,
and only a few tipsy men and q crowd OF
bows on the spot. Little Bridget, finally
aroused by the sitting smoke, from her
accustomed habit of sleeping when she
held the baby, could be seen screaming
in terror at the window, the screaming
baby in her arms.
ssWull they never get here? IT'S death
to so up thin stairs fur anither than a