The Portland daily press., 1898-03-21
TContinued.l

y
name, step this way, please"
The old man with the long beard had
suddenly lifted his voice to send this in
vitation toward Timothy Drew, who
was hobbling past in tremendous
hurry for fear he would be late at the
wedding.
Timothy turned sour face toward
the shabby strangers who had seated
themselves on the curbstone on the op-
posite side of the street. He hesitated
and glanced from them toward the fast
fllling church. The clock in the steeple
allowed him ten minutes. Those cold
ehappies couldn't have much to say, "
and Tim still stood in secret awe of
Yankee blue. He crossed over and said
shortly:
"Well, gents?''
The armless old man opened the con-
versation in answer to Tins "Well?''
"What is the name of your town, Mr..
What's-your -name?'
"My name is Drew, sir, and the name
of this town is Cloverdell -
"Send any rebs to the army?'
Timothy hoped he was not giving any
Of the boys away, bat he answered very
vigorously, holding his stiff old back
proudly:
EVERY mothers son went except me
and one or two other wore out old bum
mers."
f'Did, hey? More fools they"
t'I'd rather you wouldn't talk digre-
speotful of them, gents. We folks down
this way think everything of them, es-
peoially them as didn't come back. AS
soon as we get our bearings good we are
going to raise monument to them. :"
fTo whom?"
<'To Merrimap Bascom and to little
Potts-two different sorts Of heroes, but
both Of 'em victims to what they called
their duty
"More fools they" said the armless
old man. after a queer pause, during
which he seemed to find some difficulty
in breathing.
"Who is going to be married over
yonder?"
The goggled old man turned his face
toward the church, where fresh batch
Of arrivals was just being put down.
"Four makes two today" said Tim,
with grin at his own wit Gone OF the
high contracting parties is the luokiest
dog ever heard of. Went out at the
eleventh hour. like the laborer in the
Bible, and made more by it than them
that bore the heat and burden Of the
day. Got in some good work at APP
pomattox; was lucky enough to find a
man that owed him pile of money !:
came home and is going to be married
today to the girl he loves. Streets in
luck"
"Who is the girl?"
"Miss Belknap."
sAny relation to Captain Belknap?"
"Look here, what do you know about
our boys? By token of them blue over
coats you must "a been on opposite
Sides
1--WE might have been that and yet
fought in the same battles. p"
eyes, of course, of course. Then
maybe you might have kncwn some
thing about the colonel?'
Colonel who2 Colonels were as thick
as cowpeas on both sides the line. - The
man without an arm drew his shabby
old cap still farther over his brow as he
asked this question.
Old Timothy Drew barred his gray
hairs to the breeze.
'tThe colonel Our colonel. The best
and bravest man that ever trod shoe
leather. Merrinan Basoom by name"
"No, T don't know anything about
him. say old man, you had better be
getting back to the church if you want
high seat on the right side of the rib
bon.
Timothy took the advice thus gruffly
given very willingly, only asking one
question in his turn. j..
care you gents prospecting round
here with a view to settling? Lands
going to be awful cheap.
Rather early to answer that ques-
ton. I say that must be one of the
brides White cockades and all that on
the horses heads The three stared
down the road. Timothy hobbled away
as fast as he could go. The two old men
sat quite still.
GLOW soon we are forgot, " said the
uldA Will Ou4y OE1O al LII w Las SOi1AE'
ion. The Old man with the long beard
turned on him sharply.
81 don t see that you We been forgotten
SO soon. Old Tim never barred his head
SO reyerently before you i'll life. y
"But the monument is to be to both
of us''
And the old army overcoats shook
again.
NJust like them. The Cloverdell peo-
pie always were great on sacrificing
themselves to sentiment. The idea of
wasting any money on stone to met"
''Not SO loud, Potts-that is, if you
are going through with this thing"
"We've gone through with it pretty
well already, haven't we? Thatcher
pushed us out of the church, and old
Tim tells US about the monument our
townspeople are going to erect to u.s.
SIT does seem as if that ought to set
tie the wager, but do you know, old
T ~ rxI,1 |,