The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-27

laughed Tom. Well. shall have TO be
on my guard against your head-slicing
captain"
Uncle Jonas. Uncle Jonas. wan;
YOU" called a voice from the house. and
Tom saw Miss Pamela Brundage becxon-
Ing. The cd fellow shufFied away. to re-
turn again with the importance Of an
ambassador. Bowling as low as his rusty
Joints would serve. he said: ''Yo's great
~ 'onnahed, Mars Yank, sub yo'. Dey
family ak de plaishar ub yo' company at
den own dinnah table az 70 dis alter
noon. ] 'spects 'twar dat fish. de fust
trout ub de yare," he mumbied. discOn-
tentedly, yet smacked his toothless gums.
Tom accepted his novel billet and went
10 hts quarters In an outbuiiding 10
smarter his toilet. His meals had Al
ways been served TO him alone, and now
ne was 10 be the guest OF thTeadbare
gentiliiy- His pulse quickened a heart
beat Or two in spite OF himself at the
thought o. PORy.
The board spread on the front porch
carried glitter Of old family pate on
he cUriOusly darned and bepatched
c!oth. The fried fish was fianked with
savory platter OF bacon and greens,
and APPETITE pricKed sharply at their
homely bidding. A stately wreck Of
man sat in the wheeled chair at the
foot. Brilliant black eyes. still afre
with indomitable spirit, gave the lie to
tWitching features and rigid limbs, and
there was something which went to
the heart in the struggle TO lift an i'm
potent hand in salute. His thick tongue
broke into splutter of sounds. and his
daughter translated 10 the soldier
guest:
The general thanks you for your
cyurtesy, an desires to apologize that
ne eyan't talk with you. My father.
you know. sun, Is greatly afflicted"
"A world of impatient scorn spoke in
The paralytic's eyes. as one disdaining any
overt sympathy, and the strong young
soldier fancied he could read those spark
ling chances: The clay is chained fast.
but the viii and spirit are a-saddle lead
Ing column of sabers in the thick Of
the war game" The elOquence Of his look
softencd 10 another mood as il was bent
on the frank intelligence Of Toms ASPECT.
His own grandson. the last TO uphold
the honor of his name, like this fine
Northerner, and enemy, was part of the
Dreadful machinery forever decorating
and crushing out lives Both, too. might
Within few weeks be its victim. with
/ cold faces turned up to the cold sky
| The sad irony Of that regard enbar raised
/ young Wentworth, but he replied 10 Miss
! Brundage's words with quick tact:
/ happen 10 know a little of Gen. Brun-
{ dage's past He has done so much IN
( peace and war that on our side We should
/ quite rejoice he can't be active against us
were it not that his own suffering is the
gaoler."
/ Miss Brundage beamed graciously, and
/ even Polly, drumming her little toes just
/ opposite. relaxed the sUllen hostility Of
her face, but she hadn't forgotten the
: morning episode and took no part In the
table talk
! "Ah," sighed the elderly maiden. IF
/ waw could only be waged by pussons CT
! gentle blood an tempered with the fine
| cyurtesies of speech al deed! Surely, Mr..
| wentworth, your own family name be-
| speaks descent most as good as that of
our own Virginia gentry"
My fOrbears and their people. | be-
lieve," said Tom carelessly have cut
some figure in New England for a couple
OF centuries but that doesn't count for so
much in the North"
Miss Brundage futtered her corckscraw
| curls at this plebeian point of view, and
| so the modest feast slid on toward its end.
with the lddy's maunderings and Toms
strain between polite replies and his keen
er desire toward the fine weary old face
and The equally speeches. Polly. whose
lashes, however, sometimes opened wide
a shine or laughter In the wells unveiled
at the spinster's flights. AT last garrulity
harked home 10 the Brundage pedigree
and remembered that a Hunker-Went-
worth. OF New Hampshire, had married
INTO the Brundages about the time Of the
| revolution. SO perhaps you may be cur
fahaway kinsman." she simpered
Uncle Jonas had been tanning the flies
from his masters face and Interpreting
glance, he hobbled out Directly again
his footstep limped on the walk, succeeded
by clang Of rife butts on the bricks and
harsh, Gimme that, old ebonyr' Tom
! leaped from the end Of the porch and
faced burly ruffian in blue decanter in
hand, with half dozen men al his be- tx.
This place is under Federal guard and
I warn You off the property" he said
sternly. but how bitterly he deploreI the
lack OF saber and pistol. left in his quar-
tiers. for instinct foresaw a crisis, and no
sharpness OF word could rival that bris.le
Of weapons which stamped alert authority
''Ho, ho?' sneered the big marauder.
who wore a corporafs stripes, though
regimental marks had been removed from
the cap. That's all in my eye. Yer one
O. the dOwny coves. l s'pose that spots
all the soft snaps while We hev TO do
the fghtin' an get chucked into the
guardhouse fur a little fun. Theirs too
much o. protectin' the rebels anyway, and
we hain't here fur nuthin to-day; so, Mr.
Cavalryman, ye'd better jest shet yer
teeth an yer bloomin' eyes ef yer wise an
Vally yer own skin" The already half
drunken rascal took a big pull of the
peach in the decanter erd passed il TO
one OF his gang, while he laid a hand on
Toms arm, which the latter shook fierce
ly off and with a couple Of bounds was
again on the porch with the look OF a
wolf defending tie cave where its cubs
lay.
CHAPTER III.