The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-03


DO talked about'-one of the social pun
ishments not much dreaded, however,
In tho region of Fort Concho. There
was, fear, consciousness i'll her face
Whenever she passed u man iii tho road,
and it is equally to bo feared that her
prudent chastity had but littlo sugges-
ton of SNOW or crystal in it, but rs belle
of Shutdown sho reigned supreme, and Of
course tho greater part of her female
friends cast aspcrsions upon her. She
kept all her admirers in state of mind
which had in it much torment, with oc-
casional glimpscs Of beatitudc. Charles
Hanks, Esq, stage driver, started out
upon his trip with largo fortune of
happy thoughts and discussed tho OBJ
joct nearest his heart with tho box pos
sengor for 20 miles at once. But when
he returned Sary would no moro speak to
him than if, rs he complained, no chad
been yaller dog" But Mr.. Hanks had
no special cause of complaint for he
Jared rs all his rivals did.
Father Grimes reputation was that
he was "allus good to that gal O.
his'n." He was never known ON any
occasion to use petulant expression to
any person or thing. Tho popularity
moro often remarked in him than any
other WAS that he did not swear. 1t was
n wonder he did not, for nobody doubt
Cd that he had a hard life of it With
regard to Grimes, tho half has not been
told. We have seen men who had sur
vived some great disaster, sosne horrible
mangling, and went crawling through
lifo thereafter lame, scared, deformod,
the hidoous semblancc OF human
creature. Such was this poor, rich old
man. His limbs wcro drawn 0wry.
His shapeless hands almost refused to
grasp his staff, and every limo Of
his face denoted an experience OF pain,
happily past for the time, but ever
leaving a grim promise to return and
wiring the distorted limbs nascw until
the hour of his relief. Yet Grimes
had not been the victim Of my sudden
accident or great calamity. FirN DOT
falling walls, nor the rebellion Of man S
gigantic servant against his master in
rushing steam and falling fragments
had been incidents i'll his hard life
And yet his fate had been little better
His days had been days of pain, and his
nights had been spent i'll torture and i'll
waiting and praying for daylight or
death. 1t is common enough, but Ariel,
bright spirit Of enchanted air, suffered
and grpaned no more in the cJoSrn pine
than strong man may beneath riicu-
matte torture.
Thus it was that the old mans gen
tleness was q marvel TO those who re-
viled him daily. Won and dofcrmod
with his battle of years with his enemy,
he sat at his cabin door in the sun and
placidly nodded at those who passed by
and whispered to himself and smiled.
Sometimes he had been asked if it Ind
not hurt him while i'll slow torment his
limbs had been twisted and drawn
thus. ooh, ycs!" he said, sit did
hurt" But he smiled rs Inc thus answer
ed question which would hnvo bocn
man had not seemed to possess some
panacea which enabled him to almost
defy pain.
This distorted figure, this pain writ
ten face and these strange ways Father
Grimes possessed alone. They We're
strange i'll the land, for sturdy, bearded
manhood, reckless ways, Loud words
and blood curdling blasphemy wire
tho rule with his associates and near
neighbors While they know TINT he
had within him something which they
neither possessed nor understood, they
only said GURUS crcotur" and passed
on. Whatever it was they had no res
pect foy it They thought him little
crazy. He had done strange things that
they knew of. Had he not once tried to
interfere with a very promising hose
race on a Sunday? Did he not como
down to the traders store uie night last
fall and lift up his quavering voice in a
Methodist hymn and try to get up a
boys, land hundred dollars in the
pot, and me with three queens in my
hand?" 1t was Charles Hanks, Esq,
who described this scene and added
Hes MI old fool, with stavin purity
gal. Twas just that which saved his
meat-a-interfcrin that-a-way"
1t WAS not strange that with those
queer ways Father Grimes WIS alone
III such place, with only his hcart TO
keep him company: There WIS chap
lain ut the post, but he seemed ms yet to
have discovered no affinity for this &C.
centric old man. He preferred soldiers
of the cross Of more robust Tendencies;
and i'll line. If being Christian was
what WAS the matter with Grimes
dazed head, he had IN o1ltirc monopoly
OF tho complaint. On bright Sunday
mornings there was formal service on
the parade ground, and plunlcsl heads
bowed slightly i'll the etiquette OF mill
tary devotion. But Father Grimes was
rs much ont OF place there as he was at
the suffers and stood afar OF, failing