Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-02-02

crooked characters, ,laboriously formed,
proclaimed to the world that a COM
pany would be organized on certain
night Without any intention what
ever Of being present at the meeting,
I strolled to the village that evening
and mechanically assembled the steps;
not that had any intention OF en-
rolling-none in the world. Kate and
/ hadn't been married but three
months, and I knew it would break
her heart if L left her then. And, be-
sides, my profession required my con-
slant attention. If things had been so
could have left L would have been
among the first to put down my name
4 guess I would. Still, impelled
by some marvellous fascination, wan
dered in. My old friend Troutman,
fellow whom I had tolerated with a
sort of patronizing Indifference, was
making q vigorous speech, and the
listeners howled approval at every
thing he said, though, goodness
knows, it was dull enough and violated
every rule of oratory. But suppose
to their untutored ears it sounded
very fine. At its conclusion Trout
man invited every one who wanted to
join the company to come forward and
sign the roll. A rush was made to
the front. started to go out, when
that chump of Troutman announced
that one more man was needed. He
waited and I noticed several glanced
at me. Ibwas rather impertinent, but
you couldn't expect anything better
among people with such raising.
looked over in corner and my eyes
rested on Jack Hastley. He. too,
was gazing at me, with slight look
of contempt, thought. was about
to reprimand the unmannerly beings
for their insolence, when Hastley,
with curious glance at me, walked to
the register, took up the pen and COM
pleted the list by signing his name. I
met him outside, drew him in corner
aud handed him $50. He took it and
thanked me with little more feeling
than I thought one of his breeding
could exhibit. Then I noticed that
: he wasn't such bad-looking fellow
after all. He had broad forehead,
clear cut mouth and nose, dark, in
telligent eyes, and then he had a
resolute air about him that made you
think he was something of a man,
even if he was pauper. When he
looked at me that night there was
something of such expressive earnest
ness in his face that I almost forgot
his father was laborer and his
mother had to do her own house
work.
Well, the volunteers were called
out. and Kate and I went to the depot
to see them off. She burst into tears
when Hastley got on the train and
waved his hand, but supposed it was
because she was thinking of that poor
Old father and mother he was leaving
behind.
After that came the Santiago fight
and some of the Kingston volunteers
got hurt. I was sitting in my study,
.isAd my thoughts involuntarily revert
. ed to '.my SUBJ" 1t was warm night
and all the windows were up. l don't
know how, he got in, there was no
noise of the door opening, but when l
wheeled my chair to the desk l saw
seSted opposite me the subject OF my
u xditation. I was naturally somewhat
a6tonished, but welcomed him as
eonrteously as I could under the cir
o1mstances. He gazed wearily around
the room. His complexion was curl
GUS mixture of pallor and sunburn.
His face was much thisner than when
I bad seen it last, and he had the ap-