Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-05-12

sort of tales here!'' said the guardian.
Either you have q family to support
you OF have not. If you have, they
must take you out of here and look
after you. If yon have not, you must
turn out and chance your luck. You
are only Is; you ought to work for
your livingl You look big enough.
Look at me. am not so big as you
"a bit fatter, perhaps and l work
every day of my life.
He went into comfortable Office
for an hour or two every day; the rest
of his time lie spent in eating or il
sleeping, preparatory to eating more.
The guardians all pretended to dis
believe Redferns story about his son.
and finally, on the evidence of the
warder, who testified that the old
man was lazy ana good-for-nothing,
they gave him two hours in which tc
leave the workhouse.
Redfern's face was gray with suffer.
ing, and shooting pains from an old
wound in his shoulder caused him
agony. His knees trembled visibly.
and his eyes grew dim and restless.
He summoned strength at last to ask
the guardians if he might have back
the medals that had been taken from
him.
However, as the warder swore that
he had never seen the medals, which
at that very moment were resting in
his pockets, the virtuous. well-fed
guardians of the poor ordered the old
man Indignantly from their presence.
He tried to protest. but the warder
his arm for him to stop.
Then Redfern's weakness overcame
him. He pitched heavily forward to
the floor. He was taken to the mfr
mary again, and the doctor said that
| in few hours he would be we'll enough
to go out.
When the old man came to he saw
the warder directing the scrubbing
and cleaning of the ward with unusual
care, while women paupers were fas-
| tening up fresh curtains to the win
| dows. There was an air of hustle and
| preparation about the room such as he
| had never noticed before.
A warder, noticing that he was
awake, ordered him to get off the bed
and smarten himself up. The pauper
told him that Captain Armitage and
his young wife were coming to look
over the workhouse. The captain
was fine young fellow, and he owned
most of the land round that part.
| All the paupers whispered incessant-
| ly the name of Captain Armitage, and
at last something in its sound awoke
| the old mans memory.
"Armitage-Armitage? Why, that
was my old colonel's name," he said.
''Ah, but this is young man, and my
colonel is dead. Yes, he is dead; I
shall be dead soon. | shall hear him
say: 'Redfern, you have been men,
toned again in the dispatches. Then
he'll say-yes, he'll say"-the old man
felt nervously over the breast of his
coat-''he'll say: 'Redfern, where are
your medals? Yes, 1 must have my
medals
He tried to raise himself from tn
bed on which he was sitting, but the
weakness held him prisoner.
Presently carriage came through
| the great gate at the entrance to the
workhouse. At last gentleman, tall
and handsome, entered the room with
lady-a young lady, very little more
than girl, on his arm. She looked
about her compassionately. But her
eyes wandered back necessarily to the
features of the strong man by her
side, who in his turn looked down at
her smilingly and with abounding
love and affection.
AS the captain and his beautiful
young wife came to each bed they ex-
changed words of comfort with the oc-
cupant. At last they drew near the
bed on which Redfern sat, fully
dressed, his hands clasped together
and his eyes bent dreamily on the
floor
The little lady walking by the cap
tain's side, with look at her hus-
band, stepped forward and touched
his hand softly. He started and
glanced up.
Captain Armitage noticed the cut on
his cheek.
"How did you get that SCARF" he
said.
''I was soldier" replied the old
man. 81 got it at Alma. :"
"Why, my husbands father was at
Alma, and so was mine!" said the little
lady. "Tell us about it, can you?"
Then the old man told his story.
Captain Armitage was bending over
him, deeply interested. Suddenly he
gave start and, dropping on one
knee, took the old mans hand III
his.
''Is your name Redfern?" he said.
eyes, answered the old man, James
Redfern."
Captain Armitage did not rise from
his knee He held out his hand to
his wife and, drawi lg her toward him,