The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-07

girlish joy and love went suddenly white as
the dainty gown she wore, and her eyes. as
they turned on the youth by her side, filled
with alarm.
IF you know he's going to join the rebel
army and can prove 1T, why, that's
enough" painted the first speaker. 'The
trouble is to prove it. Otherwise there's no
law TO hold him."
Prove it, BY heaven, Chris, you make
me swear!' was the vehement answer. IF
could prove far more-that he's in the rebel
service at this minute-that he's here
spy in our understanding notes of all our
preparations and forces and numbers. and.
just as Andre was hung on the Hudson
eighty years ago, so should that young
scoundrel hang here now. The laws of
war the world over will tell you So
And then. scrambling to the crest, full in
the light Of the unclouded moon the two
climbers slaughtered up and stood face to
face with the man of whom they were
speaking. .Eiinor Benton clinging, trem-
bling, yet in speeches. indignation, at his
side
For a moment there was awkward silence.
Paul Ladue. with cleaning eyes, stood
squarely confronting the foremost, portly
man of perhaps, thirty years. who was
still breathing hard as the result of his
climb. His companion, tall and spare and
few years older, slowly ranged himself
alongside his friend and looked to him to
speak. The stout man stared for a few
seconds at the silent twain, partly to re-
cover breath, partly to recover wits. FL
nally he lamely said "Ohoi"
Then, finding the steadfast gaze of La
dues burning brown eyes rather hard to
bear he turned to his companion. Rather
a-coincidence, isn't it?" said he. This re-
mark, too, fell fat. for no response fol-
lowed. 1t became necessary to say some
thing TO relieve the situation and
obviously the gentleman knew not what to
say. If there lived in this Western COM
munity man Paul Ladue held in especial
disfavor it was George McKinnon, junior
partner in the firm of Benton, Gray x
McKinnon, attorneys and counselors at
law, and it was George McKinnon who
stood there in the flesh and who, but a
moment before. had denounced him as de-
serving the fate of the spy. Ample reason
had he to hate McKinnon, for ever since
Elinor's return, the previous autumn, from
a visit to relatives in the East, that ener-
getic practitioner had been a constant
caller at the Benton homestead, and, de-
spite the fact that Elinor had not yet fin
ished her school days, was persistent In
attentions that showed to all society he
had become infatuated with her radiant
beauty-that the man of thirty eagerly
sought the girl of seventeen as his wife.
| On the other hand, McKinnon had noted
with jealousy unspeakable that the frank
| joyous boy and girl friendship that had
existed throughout the lads school DAYS
| had given place to the half shy half hes
! liant, yet strangely sweet relationship of
early love- pure yet passionate. McKinnon
was a keen student, a rising man at the
bar, brilliant Jury lawyer, and just the
| one needed to strengthen the somewhat
slow and ponderous combination of the old
! firm. Benton, a lawyer of the old school
! held his young partner in high esteem, if
not, indeed, in a certain awe. due to the
daring and successful methods that had
| distinguished him ever since his Gale to
the bar. On the other hand, he was not
/ too well pleased with his sons choice of an
| intimate. Paul Ladue was a dreamer, an
| idler, a poet, perhaps-a youth to write
sonnets and sing sentimental ballads Che
did play the guitar delightfully."-, and was
no mean performer on the banjo), he was
what the stern, hard-headed old deliver in
facts and figures called "a lapdog sort OF
fellow''-Just the last kind of intimate for
| a young man starting in the law. 1t was
! his gentle, tender-hearted wife who
yearned over the sad-faced young exile
| and made him welcome to their fireside
| 1t was the squires love for her, the wife
of his youth, that prompted him to follow
her lead and be kind and hospitable &c
Paul Ladue but he could hardly brook il
| either in Paul or his aging, breaking father
| that they who had suffered so much and
so unjustly at the hands of the South
should now seem to cling so tenaciously tc
all the ideals and traditions of their earlier
days and persist in calling Alabama
home" Time and again he forcefully re-
buked them both. Ladue, ST., would lister
i'm submissive silence until challenged t.
reply, and then would merely say. Il dare
say you're right, sir. but-they were my
people nearly three score years. My eldes
son lies buried there under the magnolias
and sometimes 1 think my heart is. too
Ladue, jr., would sit with flushing cheel
and downcast eyes and say nothing at all
| 1T was fTSu WIN WOuIu ldhC uP eiAS ~oo'
for him in vehement debate. 1t was Elinol
who would look volumes and who declared
il good to see how faithful boy could b.
TO all the old home ties and associations
IT was Mrs. Benton who had been his bes
and most powerful advocate for two long
years and then, it is hard to say, which o
the two lads more bitterly mourned her
for. the year before our story opens
the gentle lady had been borne II
her last resting place. And now tn
war had come. The flag had been lowere'
i'm defeat at Sumter. The men of Massa
chusetts had been nnobbed in the streets o
Baltimore. The first levies in the far Yves
had cIashed with the enemy in Missouri
and hostile armies were arrayed upon tn
sacred soil of Virginia. Now when tn
Young men of the Badger State were flock
ing to the recruiting offices. and companie
and regiments were being filled to over
flowing when Damon, trimming with pa
triotic zeal and energy. was seeking com
mission in the Union volunteers. Pythia
Paul Ladue was known to be writing fire
ouently. doubtless urgently, to his nativ
State-the State that had banished and i'm
poyerished him, yet could not Danish fror
his soul the old-time loyalty and love.
had amazed and offended many of these
his Northern friends who had welcome