Evening star., 1900-11-17

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the fact that his occasional quarrels had
| overrun the borders of his chosen state and
| overfiOwed into Ohio. Mcintyre & Lane,
| attorneys and counselors-at-law, had long
| been his closest associates outside the linn
| its of his own commonwealth. The Wlte OF
| his youth and middle age. his devoted help
| meet, the fond mother of his stalwart boys,
| was McIntyres only sister, and all Ken
lucky knew the Stanch old SQ3re doctor
! would never take another in place OF her
| who for seven years had been sleeping In
i the peaceful churchyard close at hand.
sister. the widow of a gallant solder VINO
| fell at Buena Vista. came and kept house
| for him the year after his treasure was
| taken away. though for many moons he had
| fiercely iepeiled the idea of having any one.
| Time, high health and the demands OF his
| profession and his neighbors had gradually
| restored the old geniality and kindness,
! but the balance wheel, the gentle monitor
| and guide that so often and SO long had
! curbed the impetuous VIII and unreasonlns
| impulse. was Sorely missed. In more ways
! than one the proud. high-mettled old gentle
man had fallen into error since her demise
| and the latest and worst instance was IN
| the case of Norman-Norman Mcintyre as
| she had fondly named him for her beloved
| fatner-Norman whom she had loved with
a tenderness Observation-Disclosures Tor
whom. despite all his pride IN his first born
| Young Harry of the West the hot
| headed sire seemed to hold in especial favor
Norman. whose chosen career he had
| practically closed
| The story was already all over Kentucky,
! though hardly fortnight old. The lad, IN
! his twenty-first year was at West Point,
! standing well up in his class and wearing
| the chevrons of cadet sergeant. Eighteen
| months more would graduate and eStaoilSh
! him for life in an honorable profession, for
| which he was eminently fitted, when he fell
| out with a senior. a cadet lieutenant of his
company. and. after the manner of the
corps, challenged and fought his adversary,
who. in truth. had been the aggressor. and
had used his official position to vent a per-
sonal spite. There was girl at the bottom
of it all. There generally is. The sympathy
of the battalion. almost to man, was with
the kentuckian, but. ill-luck would have
it. the affair was brought to the attention of
the commandant in a way he could not ig-
more. The regulations were explicit, and
| cOurt-martial had to come The finding was
| guilty the sentence dismissal, but 1t was
| coupled with the unanimous recommenda-
| tion of the court for cemency, based on
high character and soldierly record and
| the Secretary of War commuted 1t to con-
tnement to barracks for a brief period and
the loss of mis- sergeants chevrons. Every
| body felt confident that when June came
around Norman Hollis name would again
stand high on the list of cadet officers. Nor
| man himself knew that he had gotten off
easily. 1t was the old doctor who went wild
in his wrath. who had hurried on to Wash
ingtOn and thence to the Point arguing. de-
nouncIng. raging. Regulations be ID, said
he. In an affair between gentlemen the
only regulations governing the case We're
those of the code, which every kentuckian.
every sOutherner, every man except a base
born mudSill must recognize. His son had
been put upon and nsutted by a fehnw-ca-
Diet. no matter what his battalion rank. and
had simply acted as gentleman in demand
ing reparation. I'D have diSOwned him if
he hadn't He served the scoundrel per
fectly right. suh.' The doctor looked for
triumph and acquittal. He would have con-
sidered even official commendation only
right and proUer under the circumstances.
He listened in amaze to the order prOmul-
eating the findings and sentences and then.
in, -t,rtrc Of nod hi, tn
write Instantly his resignation: and Nor
man. smarting under the lash of the implied
Ieprimand. yet secretly reluctant and doubt
ing. Obeyed the fathers mandate. In vain
did the comma ndant himself gallant and
distinguished southerner, try to reason with
the irate kentuckian. Holt would have
fought Hardee right then and there and
only limited few at the officers mess were
aware how narrowly a meeting was averted.
They got the fire-ea ting phys'c c'an away
from the Point and Ion to Washington"
where. rabd old whig that he was. he more
than relished the opportunity of having it
out with the Virginia democrat who signed
the order that swept the chevrons from
Norman's sleeve.
A man of mark and influence was Dr.
Holt in the border states, but Kentucky
and Tennessee. by presenting candidates Of
their own for the presidency in the moment
Gus election just decided. had defeated the
party to which they We're naturally allied
! and to the wrath of the south had opened
the doors of tn White House to "A rank ahol-
itionist IAN obscure rail splitter" "a son
of the soil. who sprang from howell" Holt
went to denounce and upbraid, but found
a cabinet that could outdo him a both. He
was stunned by the reproaches of the Pres
ident's hackers and advisers. The Presi-
dent himself he could not see at all. He
| found that for the first time in national his
| tory kentucky was not a name to coniure
! with at Washington. The border states
had betrayed and knitted the great demo-
| cratic party. was the cry, and turned the
| nation over to the niger worshiper The
| doctor wanted to fight Floyd the war
| secretary, but found the Capitol full of
amazed and disguised statesmen. in whose
| mouths the very names of Kentucky
| and Tennessee We're opprobrium Kns-
men of rank and influence surrounded
| the wrathful borderer and whisked him
| away. taking Norman with him The sec
! ond week in December found him home
again, and. forgetting for a time at least
| his bitter rage in the joys of hospitality
| Then Beileview was thrown wide open for
! the holidays. Norman should be welcomed
| by the prettest girls to be found In the
| west, and Norman should be hailed hence
| forth as a Kentucky gentleman and no
| starving Subaltern in the army of an OBJ
noXious government. Holt had retired from
| practice three years before by young DR..
| WOODROW succeeding to the good will and
| the bad debts Holt had inherited wealth,
| a beautiful home and estate. He had
dozen hunters, dogs by the score. and he
| hardly knew just how many Ethiopians-he
! never spoke of them or treated them as
slaves He had his boys. Hal studying law
l Il,
| Norman-well, Norman should have a few
| months rest after the years OF iron-c.ad
| ldl0cy they called discipline at that Internal
| pduper school on the HuuSon. He should
| hook about him and take his choice of a
/ profession He should go to college read
law or study medicine, or stay home and
hunt. ride, shoot ana be the young suuire
! But before they had been home week the
FOND, hot-hcaded old father had seen he
yond all peradventure that the bow was
| already repenting his action and pinine TO
| be back at the Point. w
Never in his life had Norman been ham
per despite the monotonous routine, than
N the autumn days gone by, when on bat
talon drill or dress parade he marched as
ieIt guide of the left flank company where
| IN every kentuckian in the corps seemed to
! ma MS soldier station. They rode together
i"r hours each day, father and son, and
by every means In his power did the doctor
! strive TO reconcile the boy. and to divert
! ms thoughts. Norman rode as do so many
, hehtuckians. as though born in the saddle
| put ne couldn't be In saddle forever The
/ long winter nights were on them now and
| there were hours when he could mourn un-
seen Holt noted and thought and acted
! ihe Jollities he had planned for Christmas
, week were all well enough, but something
had TO be done at once. Old friends were
| the Waltons of Louisville, the Rays of Lex
Ins