Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-30

fresh hope and strength stepped out again
upon tine ties ;, All that bright st Sun ns
sun beat down too hotly he laid himself
down, this time in the cool woods. where
again he rested When the moon had risen
he left his bed of grass and pursued his
way. As the stars grew faint and the
moon sank In the west his spirits rose, for
did he not discern in the distance the
wooded heights of the Potomac, and were
not the first rosy beams of morning gliding
the spires of the Mecca toward which he
journeyed?
1t was a wayworn and dusty figure OF
lieutenant that FASTENED along Pennsylya-
mia avenue to the Navy Department that
Monday morning. The doors were closed:
then he was still in time! By end by there
began to be mild sort OF stir. The early
birds were ont seeking the worm. A watch
man opened the doors: a sweeper came
down the street and, entering the depart
ment, began to give the great halls the air
of neatness that public building demands.
Then the employees began to gather. Buck
ner now entered the door. and the first
person whom he recognized was old Lind
say Muse, the colored messenger. who had
served there since the time OF Andrew
Jackson.
Can you tell me-" said Buckner. when
the mail comes in?"
We'll, sab, we have sevul mails
mean the mail from the north, the An
napoiis mail"
We'll. sub, we gets sevul, as I tole you
but I 'spose the Annapolis mail will be
along bout hawf paws o'clock, sub"
What is the time? My watch has stop
ped
We'll. sub, it's bout twenty minutes
paws g. suh.''
Where do they take the mail when it
comes?"
Right In dat room, suh"
Buckners mind was in confusion. He
hardly knew whether he should try to pro-
cure surreptitiously the document for which
he had come to Washington. or whether he
should trust to the Secretary's accepting
his assurance that he had thoroughly re-
pented of his action. He wondered IL he
would be able to face the Secretary. He
had heard of him as a stern, set man.
What If he should refuse to accept his
promise? Buckner seated himself on
bench in the hall and waited. When finally
he heard the mail wagon draw up with
tremendous clatter at the door, and saw the
postman enter the hall with some enor-
nous bags, his heart almost stopped beat
ing. He watched the postman disappear
in the mail room, and when the messen-
gers began to leave it, carrying parcels of
letters and documents to the various Of
fees and bureaus, he got up from his seat
and slowly mounted the stairs, for he knew
that among those parcels was the desired
paper.
Reaching the second floor he asked to be
shown to the room of the Secretary.
1.-The Secretary is not here yet. sir. but
the chief clerk, MIR. WEIGH, is in his room
sorting out the mail
(which way?'
Fright in here"
Buckner entered and found himself in the
room of that greatest man on earth. to the
naval officer, the Secretary of the Navy,
Gideon Weil>s. The rapid beating of the
l1eutenantS heart set itself to the meas
ures of chorus which the academy mid
shipmen were to sing, roaring it out with
will, in loyal gusto:
IF you belong to Gideons band,
Here's my heart and here's my hand.
Oh, we belong to Gideon's band,
Looking for a home.
Did he belong to Gideon'S band? That
would be decided for him within the next
few moments. He knew, as the words rang
through his brain, that he was, indeed,
looking for home which he had very near
ly, If not quite, lost.
May I see the chief clerk?' he asked
with a shaking voice.
Yes. I am the chief clerk How cool
and careless this officials tone to the man
whose fate hung in the balance!
May L speak with you moment, Mr..
Weleh?'
81 am very busy looking over the Score.
tarys mail Can't you come in in an hour
or soT
An hour or SO! When the Secretary might
have the resignation in his hand in the
next minute!
Don't ask me to go away" said Buck
ner. Let me tell you"
The anxiety of the officers face struck
the eye or the chief clerk and he felt that
something was very wrong. Another going
to resign. perhaps, This was seriousT
Come in here said he.
Buckner drew near the desk piled high
with mail matter. Oh, If he dared but
seize upon every document there and de-
stroy all, SO that his own might he arnonp
them! But the discipline of the trained
Annapolis man stood him in good stead.
and with as calm a voice as he could sum-
mon to his aid he explained the matter of
such great moment to him to the chief
clerk.
When was that paper mailed?"
saturday afternoon"
And you wish to withdraw it?"
Yes, yes! For Gods sake give IL tn
met" e'' A. ~
The chief clerk was slowly turning over
the mail. Buckner watched him with
anxious eyes.
Il don't see it here" he said. haltinely.
Tor he pitied the younger man.
But 1t must be there! Oh, do hurry.
please. Secretary Welles may come in at
enveloper'
Mr.. WEIGH took up the document and
held it In his hand: he examined the ST.
carefully.
When did You leave Annapolisp', he
asked. e
"On Saturday afternoon"
oh! On the train that brought this?"
NO. the last train had gone"
"And you"
81 walked"
What? All that way? You walked from
Annapolis to Washington to get that res
ignation back?'
Buckner nodded his eyes still fixed on
the fatal paper. The chief clerk did not
speak. He was so long silent that Buck
ner's fears rose sickeningly, but as his
face whitened the chief clerk laid the
discriminating document in his outstretched
hand.
He looked at Buckner for a moment and
then he cleared his throat.
May you fight for the flag" said he
with the same spirit that brought You on
foot over the long road between Annapolis
and Washington"
And You will not mention it to-to--
Il shall say nothing now" said the chief
clerk Il have no right to tamper with
the mails. although it is within INV prov
ince to open the Secretarys mail. In this
case: don't believe the President himself
would say that had done wrong"
The handshake which accompanied these
words seemed to Buckner to place him
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