Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-09

YET me TO Pastores, cried, and
you shall have a rosary OF golden
beads" had taken one from the con.
vent Of Spiritu Sancto. It shows how
necessary it is to take what you can
when you are upon a campaign, and
how the most unlikely things may be.
come useful.
II will take you," said he, in very OK.
cellent French, mot because hope for
any reward, but because 1t is my way
always to do what I can to serve my
countryman, and that is why I am 80
beloved wherever CO." With that he
led me down to the village to an old
cowhouse in which we found a tumble.
down sort Of diligence such as they
used to run early in this century be-
tween some Of our moro remote vii.
lagos. There were three old mules, too,
none of which were strong enough to
carry man, but together they might
draw the coach. The sight of their
gaunt ribs and spawned legs gave
me more delight than the whole
two hundred and twenty hunters
of the emperor which l have seen in
their stalls at Fontainebleau. In ten
minutes the owner was Harvesting
them into the coach, with no very good
will, however, for he was in mortal
dread of this terrible Cuchillo. It was
only by promising him riches in this
world, while the priest threatened him
with damnation in the next, that we at
last got him safely upon the box with
the reins between his fingers. Then
he was In such hurry to get off out
OF fear lest we should find ourselves in
the dark in the passes, that he hardly
gave me time to renew my vows to the
daughter. l cannot at this
moment recall her name, but we wept
together as we parted, and I can re-
member that she was very beautiful
woman. You will understand, nv
friends, that when man like me, who
has fought the men and kissed the
women in fourteen separate Kingdoms,
gives word Of praise to the one or the
other 1t has little meaning Of its own.
The little priest had seemed triae
grave when we kissed goodbye, but he
soon proved himself the best of com.
panions in the diligence. All the way
he amused me with tales OF his little
parish up In the mountains and in
my turn told him stories about the
camp, but my faith had to pick my
steps, for when said word too much
he would fidget In his seat and his face
would show the pain that had given
him. And of course it is not the
act of q gentleman to talk in anything
but proper manner to religious
man, though with all the care In the
world ones words may get out Of hand
sometimes. He had come from the
north Of Spain, as he told me, and was
going to see his mother in village Of
Estremadura, and as he spoke about
her little peasant home, and her 10y in
seeing him, it brought my mother so
wildly to my thoughts that the tears
started to my eyes. In his simplicity
he showed me the little gifts which he
was taking to her, and so kindly was
his manner that could readily believe
him when he said that he was loved
wherever he went. He examined nv
own uniform with as much curiosity as
D child, admiring the plume of my
busby and passing his fingers through
the sable with which my dolman was
trimmed. He drew my sword, too,
and then when told him how many
men had cut down with it, and set
my fingers on tho notch made by tho
shoulder bone Of the Russian emperor's
aide-de-camp, he shuddered and placed
the weapon under the leathern cushion,
declaring that it made him sick to look
1T it.
Well, we had been rolling and creak-
ng on our way whilst this talk had
been going forward, and as we reached
The base of the mountains we could
aear the rumbling of cannon far away
Upon the right. This came from
Messena who was, as knew, besieginR
cindad Rodrigo. There was nothing /
should have wished better than to have
gone straight to him, for he was the
best Jew that have heard Of since
Joshua's time, and if you are in sight
IT his bealSy nose and bold, black eyes
you are not likely to miss much Of what
$ going on. Still siege is always q
Door sort Of a pick-and-shovel business,
md there were better prospects with
ny hussars In front of the English,
Every mile that passed my heart grew
lighter and lighter until found myself
shouting and singing like young en-
ign fresh from Saint Cyr, just to think
If seeing all my fine horses and my gal
ant fellows once more.
AS we penetrated the mountains the
Dad grew rougher and tho pass more
avage. AT first we met few mule
eers, but now the whole country
seemed deserted, which is not to be
wondered at when you think that the
french, the English and the guer,illas
lad each in turn had command over It.
20 bleak and wild was 1t, one great
brown wrinkled cliff succeeding anoth.
er, and the pass growing narrower and
narrower, that ceased to look out, but
sat In silence thinking of this and that,
OF women whom had loved and OF
horses which l had handled. /
was suddenly brought back from
my dreams, however, by observing the
ANTIQUITIES of my companion, who was
trying with sort of bradawl which he
had drawn out to bore hole through
The leathern strap which held up his
water flask. As he worked with twitch.
ing fingers the strap escaped his grasp
and the wooden bottle fell at my feet.
| stopped to pick it up, and as did so
The priest silently leaped upon my
shoulders and drove his bradawl into
my eye.
My friends. I am, as you know, man
steeled to face every danger. When
one has served from the siege of Genoa
70 that last fatal day of Waterloo, and
mas had the special medal, which
keep at home in a leathern
pouch, one can afford to confess
when one is frightened. It may