Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1898-04-29

Tall iron ratings en- ircled 1t like a
collar Of spikes, and one Widowed
porter's lodge blinked baueiully at
passers-by.
A weary old man helpel himself
along with the aid of a stick. He
Strengthened his figure when he
reached the lodge aud seemed TO hesi-
tate while he looked at the building
with dim, weak eyes, and the rushing
wind fluttered his clothes like rags on
a scarecrow.
He made several steps forward,
then retreated. As he Strengthened
himself to walk, three medals for valor
i1ngled loosely on his shruuken breast.
He glanced round nervously. There
was no one to watch. He was only a
hero, and he hesitated on the threshold
Of the workhouse. He had braved the
Russian cannon and had slipped down
a rope at Lucknow into a ruck of fren-
zied seroys. Why should he hesi-
tate?
April rain began to pelter down fit
fully. He pulled his worn cont closer
over him aud strole forward with
final resolution.
On tie steps OF the workhouse he
turned to get last furtive glance at
the outer world. As the sun leapel
from behind a eloudit glittered on the
medals on his breast.
In the lodge square-iowled man,
with hard, straight efeises in his sui
len face, was tapping abstractedly on
an old desk with an enormous key.
To an imaginative mind he would have
served as an admirable miniature por-
trait Of the workhouse itself.
"Name?" he said, projecting himself
toward big book.
James Relfern, late Of the Tenth
Black Watch, answered the Old man.
James Redfern was past work aud
explained this to the governor, who
promptly ordered nim to b eak hun
dre1weight of stone as preliminary
canter, this was prob IDLY to take the
freshness out of him aud to disillusion
him as to his insapaeity fog work.
Relfern was lock I'd in a cell fur
nished with great jagged Jumps OF
stone, and it was his compulsory duty
to break them into pieces sma enough
to pass through a grating in the wall.
The old man toiled hour af.er hour,
but his weak blows sesmal to be
rather caressing the stone tia break
ing it. At length, in the afternoon,
he fell forward over his hammer Al |
the jagged stones that l.tie~ed the
| floor.
"HelloT' said the square .owle
warder, opening the door. "None Of
this, yer know This amt ladies'
boodoir. This amt a."
He ierked the old man face up. His
features we're cut with the Jagged
stone, and black lines of hunger ringel
his eyes. .4...
When the wasder, by twirling Red
ferns had roand and round and BY
| pinching his arm, bad satisfied himself
that there was no shamming, the old
man was removed to the iltirnary.
He was very light burden, anl a
stalwart casual slung him over his
shoulder aud carried him of ianntily,
like sack of -four. Whoa he came
to, the doctor ordered him boiled eggs
and nourishing diet for a day OF
two.
A card to this effect was hung over
his bed with string. A pauper in the
next bed. who suffered from epileptic
&c analI.oo.ats,oI tl,o aiI ,,,o, ..o,
rulously. The boiled eggs seemed
particularly to rouse his lie. Every
time the warder passed to the other
end of the long room he would lift
himself on his elbow aud scream across
the intervening space: ''B'iled eggs
yahl" He put such an amount OF con
demnation into this phrase that the
other patients took up the matter and
by muttered aud disiointed conversa-
tion arrived at the opinion that the
old soldier was a parlous rufflan, a
presumer on generosity, an interloper
and thief
In three days the doctor certified
that Redfern was able to leave his
bed, and the old man meekly rose
and h1ddlel his painful limbs into
his garments.
Redfern went into the office Of the
square-faced warder, who said that he
must return 10 breaking stones OF
leave the house. There was to be a
meeting Of the guardians that after
noon, howeve~, and he had the option
of applying to them for lighter work.
The square-faced man took out OF
his desk the three medals which Red
fern had been obliged to temporarily
surrender on his entrance.
''They amt bad medals, are they?''
said the square-facel man. II sup
pose they are worth five bob apiece?''
''They are worth more than that tc
me, " said Redfern.
"Wouldn'tsell 'em, then, l suppose?''
said the warder.
"No, wouldn't sell them for any
thing; they are the only things l have
left to remind me that pye been sol.
dierr'
"But they amt much good to yel
now, yer know" said the wsrder.
'Look ere; I'll offer yer a bargain.
Yon amt got no reg'lar rights to STOP
in this workus, but if you'll make me
n present of these ere medals I'LL see
as ~ don't chuck you out yet d
wfsS.e"
II he had said the same thing 80
years before, Redfern would probably
! have broken some of the bones in his
thievish body. As it was he said
"Oh, no;you must give me my medals.
l must have them on when | die; you
eau have them after-you can have
them after. am the last of the old
regiment. When l die they'll all be
gone. must have my medals when
die; they wouldn't take me back in
the regiment. II parted with them
the colonel would say: 'Redfern,
where are your melals? Then