The weekly examiner., 1901-03-23

phere as he involuntarily quickened his pace. It will probably never be known what turned his thoughts to other days when shot and shell rained about him and he advanced rapidly from the ranks to the position of cap- tain, then major and colonel, coming home wearing the straps of general,
 all his advancements being achieved by bravery. It may have been those mem ories were refreshed in his mind by the murmuring breezes that came gen. tly down from far-famed Alexandria and the undulating domains of the la mented Lady Fairfax. 1t any rate he paused in his walk and remarked half aloud: .sI have half a mind to give it to soldier" A passerby hearing that remark would not have been able to interpret it's meaning, but the read CT of this story will know that he still had his mind on the Pamunkey post office. tsBut there is the rub, he went on. (Which one? There is McMurry-he is veteran of the civil war, and no better soldier ever shoul- dered a musket. Then there is Ran dall, a soldier of the Spanish-Ameri- can war, and he must not be sighted, and last comes Murphy who now has a son at the front. We'll, I have no choice in the three, now which shall it be2'
 The troubled man walked on in deep thought for few moments, then pull ing out his watch to ascertain the time he exclaimed: "I have it! will leave it to chance, and may the disappointed candidates and their friends have mercy on me. I can make no mistake, in the three. Either of them would fill the bill. Tonight I will not wind my watch. It will stop in the morning at about the time awake. If it stops on an even number of minutes, McMurry gets the post office; if it stops on an odd number Randall is the winner, and if it stops five seconds either way from the minute mark Murphy will be open for congratula tions.''
 With that the old warrior and states man thrust the watch into his pocket and went back to his work of framing caustic speech against a measure pre- pared by the other side of the house. The matter of the post office vacancy at Pamunkey was out of his head so far as he was concerned. He had left it to a mechanical agency which would soon settle the fate of the multitude of aspirants.
 Tn the meantime great anxiety pre- vailed at Pamunkey. The newspapers had caught the spirit of the contest and published all sorts of predictions as to the result. One started a guess ing contest and sold coupons on the -fc7. dered the proceeds Of the sale of fine Jersey COW in purchasing coupons for his friends to vote for him. A large installment of his votes came into the office of publication on the very night the congressman's bejeweled watch was counting off the minutes to decide
 ttlaef it it sss,3tllld at odd of esen, or for the man with the son at the front.
 When the general awoke the next morning he lay still for several mo- ments and looked at his watch, which reposed on his dresser. He wond tered whether or not it had stopped, and if it had who had,won. Finally he arose, placed the watch to his ear and lis tened It was as dead as the chances of a host of candid ates at Pamunkey. He hesitated to look at the face of the watch, and finally dropped it into his pocket with the thought that he could just as well look at it after break fast
 On coming out of the brea kfast-room the general was about 10 draw his watch from his pocket and decide the momentous question, when he noticed young second lieutenant coming up the steps. A moment later the gen eral advanced toward the young uolun- teer infantryman, extending his hand and exolaiming: Hello, Ferguson, where did you drop from?''
 ssJnst in from the Philippines . re- sponded the soldier, grasping the hand of the congressman. The two went into the hotel and had a long talk over the situation in the orient. Felix Fer guson was a son of an old comrade of the generals, and his home was in Pa munkey. When the two reappe cared from the steps the congressmafl was asking the question: Well, now that you have received your discharge, what do you expect to do?'
 To be frank with you, general, am going back to old Pamunkey and mar " pretty Elsie St. Clair and settle down, responded Lieut.. Ferguson, col bring slightly.
 At that the general took out his watch and appeared to wind it in a me chanical sort of way. This act set the l wheels going and ruined the chances of some post office aspirant. It will never be known who won on the stop ping of the wheels, but it is known that 1 one of them lost on their starting. You are just the man am looking fW," said the congressman. They need a man in the post office down at | Pamunkey and I'll have you appointed l this very day. This will give you and your young bride good start in life. "
 Thank you" said Ferguson, "this