The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-03
y

| Ecsiiutut WdS OiuticA VI dCtNc uutJ
| Hes feared for the days news and that's
what's the matter wi him." said one man.
and the villagers did not speak in despair
of such unspartanlike conduct. although
they smiled furtively as certained loud
voiced declarations concerning the virtue
Of hardihood kept ringing in their cars:
and they listened in silence when John
Morgan. loud voiced and emphatic as usual.
gave it as his explanation that the post
was always late and the evenings were
chilly as winter drew near
AS was the case OF Mahomet and the
| mountain. however so it was with John
Morgan and the villagers; II he would not
come to them, they asSurediy would find
| themselves gliding up to him where he
| sat ensconced in his comfortable arm
chair in the house on the hill, and from
the vantage ground Of his own Preside he
would enunciate the correct attitude to
be adopted concerning the war and its
consequences.
II take my facs from the ofeeshal re-
| ports in the paper there, where ye can
see them for yerselves IL ye want to-
| were the closing words wherewith he in
| variably fortified an argument which.
standing by itself as a mere statement
unsupported by external authority, might
seem somewhat shaky: and the empha-
| sis Of the delivery generally insured ST.
| lence. II not verbal acquiescence. Mrs.
Morgan at the opposite side OF the fire
swiftly clicked her knitting needles, and
with a faith beautiful In its simplicity
reconciled without effort the numberless
contradictions-so they seemed to her.
| which characterized her husbands many
| utterances In the course OF the day.
Few Of the villagers were in the way OF
receiving daily papers. and so 1t happened
| that by the time when the weekly news
budget should arrive great and decisive
battle had been fought. and throughout the
land the first thin wall Of grief was spread
ing and spreading as names OF men who
had once been fathers, brothers, lovers,
| were placed upon the nations list Of dead.
The sorrow wall was spreading daily. but
as yet II had not reached the northern viii
lage, and by John Morgan's coy frssiIe
the chances of the impending fight were
being discussed with an earnestness which
the gravity Of the situation easily rendered
excusable. John Morgan's arrangement Of
the forces, as told to the rather unusually
crowded audience. was sublime: but Diff
ficulty. unfortunate inasmuch that upon a
satisfactory explanation and solution Of 1t
depended his entire position. had arisen.
and John Morgan was more than ordinarily
loud voiced and more than ordinarily ag-
gressive and emphatic as objection after
objection. rendered with a quiet assurance
Y
He had uttered his usrai concluding die
! tum. but 1t failed TO silence the persistent
objector. who went the length of asking
to be shown where In the public print a
certain statement was to be found and
John Morgan, with much external gravity
and soul consuming perplexity and s1ffo-
Gated wrath, was ostentatiously hunting
for a passage which he was well aware
WIS not to be found In the rustling pages
of the paper. The deadlock thus occa-
stoned was on the point OF becoming irk-
some to the audience, when the outer door
was opened and neightor on his way up
from the postofice stepped into the heated
circle and laid letter on John Morgan's
knee. Its from the seat Of war;, he
said sententiously as he sat down. "a
see On Her Majesty's Service on the
envelope" having said which he threw
himself back In his chair and wiped his
forehead with his red pocket handkerchief
after the manner OF one who has done his
duty
To appear to be moved at the receipt OF a
letter, even with such high external Gre
dentials as the one before him. would have
been unworthy of man Of John Morgans
high reputation among his fellows: and
while sudden pause of expectancy fell
upon the little assembly John Morgan took
up itllcI itISuIt4y anu slduCeu DIT luc
superEcription with a careless negligence.
.'Ay, 4 see it's on Her Majesty's Sercice;
saw that at once from the outside-just
so, Just So The nluttered exclamation
concealed his startled perplexity. and was
intended tO insinuate a perfect familiarity
with documerSs of this class.
But there was no such tranquility evinc-
ed on the opposite side OF the fire. where
Mrs, Morgan sat. her glasses in her hand
and her staring in led at
the blue. cold-iooking document. Her
hearts action had all but stopped at the
first glimpse OF it. and she was waiting.
eagerly waiting. until the covering should
be unfastened and the contents divulgei
fer good or ill.,
''It'll be from Sandy she said family
and the tension evidenced by her voice
communicated itself to those Ground her,
and the complacent expectancy gave way
to a grave foreboding. The situation lad
become tragic.
But beyond a swift glance, almost as Of
fear. in the direction of his wife, John
Morgan made no sign Its on Her Mai
estey's service he kept muttering as 10
bent over the document. "A noticed that
on the outside-ay. A noticed that once
Will We no read it. john" said his
wife, gently, as she bent forward and
touched his hand.
He started up violently at the touch.
90 course can read it, What makes
ye think A Gamma read it?' he said, ar gri-
ly. It'll no take me long to do that.
The suggestion of his iiliteracy at sucti
time. among so many of his fellow
brought him to himself with a shock, and
he struggled to resume his old import1.-
manner as he proceeded slowly ard WITH
difficulty to unfasten the unfamiliar COW
ering
There was terrible struggle going on
in his mind. He recognized that he was
expected to read the letter. and that i'm
mediately-the silent gravity of those
around him told OF an interested, sympa-
tic expectancy-and the hour had now
come when 1t was him. John Morgan the
man Of reputed learning and the recognized
leader in his native place, to choose wheth-
er he was to publicly confess before all
his fellows that his profession OF learning
was a fraud. and that be himself was and
had been an impostor among them all his
days.
''Ahem." he began. "Dear Father and"
but his voice dwindled away; he could not
bring himself to say mother with that
terror stricken face opposite him. This
is TO say-ahem.-that 1 am well-quite
welT'-here a heavy fit OF prolonged
coughing overlook hiul-''weIl. ana hoping
you are the same, from your aifeetionate
son. Sandy.
He forced n laugh from his parehed
throat as he lamely concluded the woe
BECOME epistIe. and even to himself his
'oice sounded far away. There's no
much news in that-on Her Maiesty's SER
iice-from the seat o. war;
An oppressive silence prevailed through
tut the little room. and the yacuous smile
which John Morgan stroYe to assume died