Middletown transcript., 1895-03-02


who got Calvert place in an ambu-
lance of the enemy. A fortnight later
Calvert walked to consciousness. He
lay somewhere in the chill North on a
prison cot, and Caleb leaned over him
20 ask: "Marse Travis, mus send the
letter now?"
''No, no, no." groaned Calvert; 81
am broken up. am worthless now.
Not with all my wealth, not with all
my lands, would l ask her now."
When at last prison doors were flung
wide, when hundreds upon hundreds
of crippled, manned Southern boys
turned their prison-paled faces home
ward, young Calvert found Caleb
waiting for him.
freedom and honor had been Caleb's
in the land of Calvert's captivity, and
these he had used to the utmost of his
power for the comfort and succor OF
his master. Now together they turned
their faces to the warm, sweet South.
That was returning that was no
homecoming. CalYert's father was
ouried. his mother crushed with SOW
low, his home burned, his Negroes
freed, his lands mortgaged.
In little cottage at the park gate he
.ound his mother, and this they made
nelr home; there Calvert managed to
Ike out al existence for himself, his
nutlisr, and The ever-tailhful Caleb.
LII those first days of homecoming
Caleb ad asked, seeing that Lorena Ill
,el girlish beauty, looked kindly on the
nalmed hero "Shall | give de letter
..uw Marse Travis ~
"Nv, no what have | to offer
aoman 7" Calvert would eXclaim.
Al intervals in all those long years
wnen Miss Lorena was left sole heir to
d goodly fortune, while Calvert scuffied
with only salary of chancery clerk
ship and swelling current of mort
cages with no breakwater of payments
to check their progress, Caleb had con-
tlnued to ask, when violets were sweet
and japonicas bright, "Marse Travis
mus give the letter now ?"
Since the mothers death Calvert had
lived alone in bare little hired room
over shop. Wirs-pulling politicians
had maneuvert to thrust the Major
out vi his office, and now with cleal
honor ever his and hard chance ever
agains, him, he made meager sum by
copying and accounting.
Caleb lost neither his position at the
courthouse nor his place as CalveIts
houseKeeper and man of all work. just
now the faithful creature lived in con-
slant terror lest the Major should dis
cover that oftentimes his own earnings
went to help out the meager sums the
Major gave him for the frugal house
keeping. He well knew if ever q sus-
picion of this reached the brave Major,
himself was forever banished, and the
Major given over to utmost poverty
and unmitigated discomfort.
These thoughts, together with the
dreams of what might have been, were
loo much fer Caleb. He resolved to
make one more effort to gain permis-
sion from his master to deliver the
letter. He rose from the steps Of the
Doric portico-all the bangles and
chains tinkled on him as he started
across the street to the Major-but
sudden decision stopped him short;
wheeling about, he struck off in the
opposite direction as fast as his old
legs could carry him.
1t made no matter that the Major
called to him querulously. He pre-
tended that he could hear nothing.
He stopped nor stayed until he had
reached the broad door of the Banks
mansion and had tapped an apollo
getical tap under the electric bell there
ON. At the door he had trembled ;but
mis- kuees verify shook and bowed
under him, and all his brazen adorn-
ments tangled on him like bells on a
shaken tambourine when he stood be-
fore Miss Lorena.
She was so utterly different in ap-
pearance from the the girl be had been
dreaming of for his masters sake. He
felt ready to swoon, too, for the room
smelled SO strangely and diffusely
of old, very old rose petals, of
simmering tea, of dried, sweet fern,
that one would have fancied that thele
was never fresh violet or day of gay
youth in the whole world. But there
was no drawing back now; for Caleb
held the yellowed missive abroad in his
hand, and Miss Lorena was already
cycling it curiously. So, bowling and
bending till be tinkled like rattle in a
baby's fist, he laid the old letter in the
hand held out for it. While she fun
bled with the ancient seal, Caleb's hand
fumbled with his blue-checked shirt as
il it would tear it into shreds.
The antiquated paper told faithfully
young loves story-a sweet, fervent
tale. For moment the reader was
herself young az a n, thirty years well
J forgotten; but, suddenly remember
ing these thirty years and more, she