The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-03

IL not verbal acquiescence. Mrs. Morgan
at the opposite side of the fire swiftly
clio ked her knitting needles and with a
faith beautiful in its simplicity reconciled
without effort the numberless contradic-
tions-so they seemed to her-which char
acterized her husbands many utterances
In the course of the day.
Few of the villagers were In the way
of receiving daily papers, and so II nap
pened that by the time when the weekly
news budget should arrive a great and
decisive battle had been fought, and
throughout the land the first thin wall or
grief was spreading 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 spI eading daily, but as yet it had not
reached the Northern village, and ~
John Morgan's cosey fireside the chances
of the impending fight were being dis
cussed with an earnestness which the
gravity of the situation easily rendered
excusable. John Morgan's arrangement
Of the forces, as told to the rather un-
usually crowded audience, was supnme;
but difficulty, unfortunate 1nasmucn
that upon satisfactory explanation and
solution of 1T depended his entire posi-
ton, had arisen, and John Morgan was
more than ordinarily aggressive and en-
phatic as objection after Objection, ten
dered with quiet assurance and hrm,
were urged against his theory. lie nad
uttered his usual concluding dictum, put
1t failed to silence the persistent opJec-
tor. who went the length Of asking to
be shown where in the public print GER
tain statement was to be found, and John
Morgan, with much external gravity and
soul consuming perplexity and suhocat-
ing wrath, was ostentatiously hunting for
a passage which he was we'll aware was
not TO be found in the rustling pages OF
| the paper The deadlock thus occasloheo
was on the point of becoming irksome
| to tba audience. when the outer door was
oDened and a neighbor on his way up
from the postoffice stepped into the neat
ed circle and laid a letter on John Mor
gan's knee Its from the seat oil war;
he said sententiously as he sat GOWN
| "a see 'On Her Majesty's Service on the
envelope" having said which ne threw
himself back in his chair and wiped MS
forabead with his red pocket handker-
chief after the manner OF one VINO mas
done his duty.
To appear to be moved at the receipt
of q letter even with such hlgh external
credentials as the one before MIN, W0uiu T
have been unworthy or a man Ol JohiA
Morgan's high reputation ainoms H1S nf ~
lows; and while sudden pause vi - -
nectancy fell upon the little Assembly
John Morgan took up the letter lelsuIely
and glanced at the superscriptlon w Mn on a
careless negligence. "Ay, A see II on
Her Maiesty's Service; A saw that at
once from the outside-just so, just SO;
The muttered exclamation concealed ms
startled perpieXity, and was lhlenqeo W
insinuate a perfect familiarity with doc
uments of this class ,i,t+,
But there was no such tranqulilly
evinced on the opposite side OF tne NJ g.
cat
her hand and her eyes staring IN staFtleo
wonder at the blue, cold-looklng doCG-
ment which her husband held IN ms
hand Her hearts acton had an puI
stopped at the first glimpse of 1t, ana
she was waiting, eagerly waiting, until
the covering should be unfaStened and
the contents divulged tor good tq OF ~ +,,,
"ItH be from Sandy, she SAID 1alntiy,
and the tension evidenced by her voice
communicated itself to those around her,
and the complacent expectancy gave way
to a grave forebodfnS. Inc Slludeioh Heu
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 Ma
iesty's service" he kept muttering as he
bent over the document; "A noticed that
ON the outside-ay, A noticed that at
once" L.
wife gently as she bent forward and
touched his hand.
He startled up violently at the touch.
"O' course can read It. what makes
We think A Gamma read it?' he said angrl-
iy It'll no take me long to do that.
The suggestion of his illiteracy at such
a time among SO many of his Fellows,
brought him to himself with a shock, ana
he struggled to resume his old important
manner as he proceeded slow and Wltn
difficulty to unfasten the unfamiliar COW
ering.
in his mind He recognized that he was
expected to read the letter, and that I'M
mediateIy-the silent gravity OF those
around him told Of an interested, sym
nathetic expectancy-and the hour had
now come when it was for him, onn MOI
gan, the man of reputed learning ana
the recognized leader in his native place,
to choose whether he was publicly 20
confess before all his fellows that ms
profession of learning was a fraud, ana
that he himself was and had been an I'M
! postor among them all his days. EoW
! could he be able to hold up his head
/ among them in future? Would the very
chiIdren-the idea was torture, 1t was not
! to be thought of; and yet; on the Otler
| hand, when the thought of his soldier son,
and what news of him the letter might
/ contain, rushed upon his mind ms res9lVe
! almost gave way, and he made as IL 10
! hand the letter to one OF those around
him But his vanity conquered even as
! he old so, and in the despei alton of de-
| spair and perpleXity he held the letter
closely up to his well nigh bloodless race
FAhem,@ he began. Dear Father and
but his voice dwindled away; he could
| not bring himself to say mother with
! that terror-stricken face opposite hlm
This is to say-ahem!-that L am vel
quite weIF'-here a neavy fit of prolong-
| ed coughing overlook him-'well, and
hoping you are the same. Love-ahem :
love to all at home-hoping you are the
SANDY"
He forced a laugh from his parched
throat as he Iamefy concluded the, Woe
| beeoue epistle and even to himself his
voice sounded far away. There's no
much news in that-on her. majesty
service-from the seat o war
An oppressive silence preYai-ed
! throughout the little room, and the Vacu-
Gus smile which John Morgan strove to
! assume died away dreariIy on his lips,
and his white head fell heavily on his
breast His reading was lie. and in
| stinctively they all knew 1t.
! There was a sliVht movement In the
| stiffness of the room as a venerable look
ing old man stepped forward and took
! the letter in his hand.
! he said simply
| Slowly he pulled his glasses from their
case, and with much care adjusted them
on his forehead. Sir, he began. as he
! have TO inform you"-and then he stop
! ped abruptly.
''Neebors," he said quietly turning to
those around him, this is no place for
! you now" and as the last of them gid
ed in silent swiftness out of the room
there fell upon his ear the first low moan
! from the stricken mother as she received
the dread intelligence of her soldier son s
| death
And all through that dreary, miserable
! night John Morgan, as one of his reason
! bereft. kept mutterlng to himself, On
Her Majestys service-Majesty's service
"A saw that at once-from the seat o
war