The National tribune., 1901-12-19
The Deacon Continues to Have Experiences
at the Governors Reoeption-of for Wash
jnptnn


as very bad news
Intelligence of Sherman'S brilliant sue
cess ran through Indianapolis like elec
tricity, and i'll the twinkling of an eye
changed the Unionists' weeks Of doubt an(
anxiety into exuberant gladness.
Coupled with the recent destruction OF
Hoods army before Nashville, it seemed
a final toppling of the so-calcd Southern
Confcderacy into hopeless ruin.
Every Union man in Indianapolis was
soon ont on the streets. He could moi
stay in the house. He must see the 9th
els and rejoice with them. He could b,
recognized rods away by the smile whicl
extended clear across his face, and ripplcC
against his ears.
The younger element built bonfires and
got out anything which would make q
noise-hOrns. drums, guns, cannon and
brass bands.
AS the meeting loyalists became groups
so the groups fiuxed into professions
marching with music and cheers toward
| the Indiana focus of all Union interest
Gov. Morton's house.
n big bonfire was quickly started il
front, where the ashes of that built tC
celebrate Thomas's great victory were
| hardly cold. and was actively fed by the
small boys bringing to it everything com
bustible in the neighborhood that was not
firmly nailed down.
| Boys TO whom bringing in an armful of
wood for their mothers seemed Il heart
breaking task, Wed with one another in
| carrying heavy dry-goods boxes Il quar-
ter of mile 10 feed the flames.
! The scene was one of the great events
/ of the Deacon's life. The sea of eager
eXultant faces. momentarily augmented, as
| new professions arrived. headed by bands
playing 80, Amt Glad to Get Ont OF
the Wilderness" We're Coming Father
Abraham" Brave BOYS Are They
Babylon is Fallen" "Wake. Nicodemus. -
"A Thousand Years. My Own Columbia, -
| etc, the leaping flames of the bonfire re-
fiected against the Winter sky. and the
DISTINGUISHED group of men gathered about
| the Governor altogether were something
worth having lived to see.
| How / do wish that Mother and the
girls were here" he murlnured to him
sell. I'd give that yoke o red steers 10
at least have Mother here. 1t don't seem
| right to be seeing all this without her.
Wish Enowed how ST come through that
| long march. Specially about that waller
\ ing in the swamps. 81 was always q lit
| lie tetchier about the ague than the rest
of us. Probably, though, Sherman took
| lots of quinine along"
| Of course the gathering had to have
| a speech from the Governor He was
| their prophet, their leader, their hero
| in the great struggle.
He came ont. and made one of his won
derful speeches, which was Il sufficient
compensation for good work well done
and an inspiration to further effort There
were no flowers of rhetoric, no cagle-soar-
ing, no famboyancy. 1t was strong. pa
triotic, practical. enmmon-sensc words to
the strong, Ihactical, patriotic men, from
the man who WAS recognized as their
chief. He said what they thou"ht and
| "spircd to, and he walked up their souls
10 strenuous realization of their aspra-
tons. IaFr
Other men made more brilliant speeches.
more fluent. more ornate, more imagina-
tive. more inirassionrt, but M0rton's was
The one men thorght over and were moved
by. rf,9
Il declare. I'm rs hungry as a wolf"
declared the Governor. after the speaking.
cheering and jubilatinn had extended be
yond II O'Clock "Talking always makes
Inc hungry, and feeling good gives me an
appetite. Come back, and let's see if
they left anything to eat Don't you
feel the need Of something. DcacOn?"
Seems 10 me. now that nv attention
mas been directed to it, that | do" an
Swered the Deacon. 81 always take n
little snack before going to bed, but I've
been SO Interested in your speech and
them g0lnsS on, that / clear forgot all
about II. That WAS a great speech of
yours. Governor. When you can make me
forget m hungry you're working wonders.
| would like to take bite to keep things
Ghict while I'm dreaming about Savan-
nah"
The Deacon's smack" and ''Iittle bite"
which he custnmarily took on Winter even
lnss, just before a chapter in the Bible
ana family prayers. usually consisted of
a generous slice of Mother Klcgg's famous
mince-ries, which had as much richness
as could be packed between two cr1Ists.
ii pitcher of cider, hickory nuts and wal
nuts ad i!bItun, and good part of a
basket full Of fragrant, large. carmipe.
skinned, juicy Rome Beauty apples. There
was enough nutriment in one of these
sEacks" to have sui1ssted an ordinary
man Tor week. But the Dcacon's ma
chinc"y was of the high-pressure type that
rcGnired liberal Sticking.
lie filed in at the rear of the Govern
"rs squad of particular friends, but looked
a little disappointed when the colored ser
want. i'll dress coat and white gloves
handed him napkin glass of cham,
Da@rc. and plate containing a delicate.
sandwich, some olives, and portion of a
salad
Il snrrOse it'll lie manners to ask for
a second hclning.' he muttered doubtfully.
as he took the hard-out. Il feel as if I
'"Hlu eat PNcfNihin" on that table there.
and vet run II" danger of foiIndcrinc From
the looks of Thugs around here. it'd seem
that holding these recertious was worse
than donation party-with hot even the
d"nati"ns-with nobody bringing even Di!-
low-cases % dried apples Wonder what
this stuff is on this plate? Crickey! I'd
like t. trade it for one of Mothers mince-
picS ard plate of her douelinuts."
LOOKS like cold slaw, and tastes like
watrry bash that had been frozen and
was thawing.' he continued. nibbling at
the salad. 'Aud Won don't know who
made it, neither, which is great objec
tion t" strange hash. 1t always adds to the
appetite for hash to be certain about the
woman who makes it. | hone the woman
who made this is n regular. close COM
muEion BaDtist. Mother is the only wom-
an whose hash ] can eat with as calm
certainty as | take the Declaration of
Faith" +.ry
He swallowed the sandwich at one bite.
aad looked around for another The at
tention OF the walters was elsewhere. and
finally the Deacon walked over to the side
board, whore plate of sandwiches was
sitting, SUM his fork down through a cou-
nic of inches of them, and went back to
his seat. aan.5
THAT maynt lie exactly manners in a
Governors house" he commented to him
self. "hut hungry stomach has no CON
science" IL.
He turned to his glass of champagne.
Which he had set on the window-sill near
by.
That's the clearest cider | ever saw"