Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-05-26
The tune played was, to him, not
Marching Through Georgia." but

Better never have been born"
over and over. The tattered battle flag
carried with reverent hands above the
heads of the marching ranks, almost as
the host is carried in Old World relig-
ious professions, made his heart first
burn within him. then sicken at the
thought that his place should not have
been here among those who watched il
from afar off.
Either with them-or themr he
thought fiercely, first glancing at the
ranks Of battle-scarred soldiers. then
at the tall gray shaft, which seemed a
finger to write on the skies its witness
to the glory of the fallen members of
the til Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Some distraction from the thoughts
of the moment was absolutely neces-
sary. He picked up the 10-year-old
boy, saying to his sister, "Bub here
can't see, way down on the ground -
and swung him to his shoulder. The
boy smiled friendly wise into the rough
face and remarked with a wavering
sweep of his forefnger:
That's my fathers monument"
Your fathers, hey?"
Yes. He was the bravest man il
the -th Pennsylvania. My mother
tells us so often. He died for his coun-
try"
Who was your father?" Struck
again by that dim resemblance to
someone he had known, he asked the
question, half shrinking from the re-
ply, yet never dreaming what it would
be.
Matthew Barlow, an my names
Matthew Barlow. but hers" indicat-
ing the girl-"ain't. She's Dora Ma
tilda, after her aunt
Well, and wherein lay the horror Of
1t? Had he not wished and intended
to hunt up his family and be reunited
TO the children who had been babies
when he saw them last? And here he
had stumbled across them without the
least trouble. Across them-and
across his own monument!
where's your mother?" he asked in
a whisper, not daring to look behind
him.
Out working. She cleans offices,
mother does, an she couldn't afford to
take to-day off, cause it's desperate
hard to get along anyhow, she says,
and"
"Matty" In the girls tone of gen.
tie rebuke there was familiar cadence
he wondered at himself for not no.
ticing before. Rousing himself, he
said to her tentatively:
How do you know your fathers
dead? Maybe he'll come back some
day with lot of money and make you
all rich"
Dora Matilda shook her head. He
have come back to us before this" she
said confidently. He was reported
missing after the battle OF Bull Run
and mother says she's sure he's dead.
She says. too, that she'd rather he'd
left us what he did-an example of
being brave and willing to die for the
Un1on-than hundreds of gold and sill
yer dollars"
Your mother amt married again,
them"
Surely 1t was Lucy's own self in the
naughty f1inging back Of the head and
the answer which rung proudly out
Certainly not!'
The deserter suddenly set the boy
down. Something bore too heavily on
his shoulders. 1t was that great shaft
of stone, his monument The band
kept on pretending to play patriotic
songs, but really beating the air with
the refrain, Honor gone, all's gomez
Had he dreamed of something he was
to bring to these children, by answer
ing the advertisement which was tc
lead him, perhaps, to unlimited wealth
and comfort? What wealth, what com.
fort could replace to them-or to him
the heroic image which his return
would blot out from their young mind
The ten years of poverty which haC
been bitter to him had been sweet t
them with a sweetness he could never
| know again. Let them work and tot
on, and even if they tasted the bitter
ness Of starvation or death, it would
be better than anything he could give
them, who, as the martial music KEEP
reminding him, had better never hay,
been born!
Sister works too" the boy prattiet
on, lin a factory, and she saves money
through the year to buy flowers fol
Decoration Day. Then when all the
folks have gone away we put them or
fathers monument"
Matt Barlow reached out his hand!
toward the bunch OF limp roses ant
fading mignonette which the girl held
then as suddenly withdrew it. ''KeeI
EN-" he said gruffly, almost violently
Il thought I wanted one, but l don't
That evening, as the stars and TIT
gas lamps began to twinkle in unequa
rivalry over Washington square, thu
man who had been sleeping heavily OF
one of its benches opened his eyes il
response to a slight shake. Instinc
lively he felt in his pocket for his pip
while he inquired laconically:
Back"
"Yes," said Barlow, closing his lips
tightly. But as has been said the oth
er was man without curiosity, and h
asked no other question than:
Haven't got bit of paper / coulC
light my pipe with, have you?"
Eyes, 1 have" A crumpled news
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