The National tribune., 1903-03-19

81 should feel criminal if l stopped an
| instant to look at anything before going
right on to ST." said Mrs. Klegg.
ME. too" echoed Annabel.
"Or 1 before seeing WILL" said Maria
internally. I'm just crazy to see Wash
ington, but l don't want TO look at
single thing until VIII can see it with me.
Well see it all on our wedding tour
'Fm afraid there'll be one difficulty
| said Serg't AmmoE gravely. Il haven't
| mentioned it before, because we've had SO
much else to talk about and I've been
turning over in my mind ways to get
| around it. There's very stringent order
against allowing civilians to go through
the lines to nurse sick and wounded, or to
recover dead bodies" -7t.ss--..
whats that? What's that?" they all
| exclaimed.
serg't Ammon gravely repeated.
| 'Why. that's absolutely inhuman,'
gasped Mrs. Klegg.
sits barbarous." echoed Annabel.
s'The awfulest thing l ever heard Of"
said Maria. Its worse than Injuns''
''All that, and more, too" answered
Serg't Ammon. sBut war is a pretty
rough proposition, anyway you look at it.
IL it wasn't rough it wouldn't be war. and
the rOugher you can make it the better
war it is. But there has been strong
reason for this. as for almost everything
else. 1t seemed at one time as if the
whole North was coming down to see
| about their sons and brothers. They
crowded everywhere. worried the Surgeons
nearly to death. disorganized the hos
pitfalls, and got into all sorts of trouble
| themselves, for there was no place for
| them to sleep and nothing for them TO
eat. They packed the trains and boats,
| and filled up all the roads leading out of
| Washington with every sort of rig they
could hire. Undoubtedly there were a
world of spies and blOcknde-runners
among them, taking all sorts of things to
| the rebels. The whole thing had to be
| prohibited"
''But we got dispatch from father
saying that Si-1 mean our boys" she
corrected herself. remembering Maria
| were very i'll, sick. and for me to come
on at once" said Mrs. Klegg, in a tone
that settled it, the orders of the Secretary
of War to the contrary Notwithstanding.
"Sad to say, there have been many
thousands of boys just as badly off, pos
sibly worse, for they have died, which 1
sincerely hope yours will not, and they
have had relatives that loved them just
as dearly. The order was issued against
them"
There were fresh EXPLANATIONS of in
dignant protest.
do you mean to say that We may be
stopped here from going on any farther,
after We have come all the way from
Posey Co.. Ind.?" demanded Maria, her
soul up in arms.
Il was thinking what We could do. l
know Congressman from Indiana-Geo.
w. Julian: he's from Wayne County, up
on the Ohio line. His wife's distant
relative of my mothers. He's as sharp
as brier. though he does come from
among those Quakers. He's a big man
here, and they all stand around and
him Immediately after breakfast and see
if he can't fix it for you. If he can't no.
body can. He don't live far from here
In the morning they waited anxiously
for Sergt AmmOn's return. Presently he
came in with a slender, nervous man,
with irOn-gray hair and sharp. incisive.
but rather complaining, manner of
| speech.
''Serg't Ammon has told me all about
your case" he said briskly. as soon as
the introductions were finished. 81 know
all about your husband. I've met him
down in POsey County, when was stump
ing the State. It's a mighty hard case
If I'd known you were coming I'dve tele-
graphed you not to before you started, for
Stanton is like iron. But now that you
are here I'm going to do the best can
Secretary of War at once. 1 haven't
much hope. but we can at least try, and
We'll get at him early in the morning, be-
fore the crowd has rrfffled him up nm
bearably. Get on your things as quickly
as YOU can and let's start"
They got in stage and went directly
to the dingy, rough building which was
then the headquarters for the greatest
army of fighting men that the world had
ever seen mustered
Early as it was the entrance and
waiting-roOms were filed with crowd of
men. officers and soldiers in uniform and
civilians in smart street dress.
Sharks, cOrmOrants, yultures, shOddy |
contractors" said Julian bitterly, with n |
toss of his thumb toward some of the |
more pretentiously dressed. "Greedy i
jackals, faitening on war which is |
bringing mourning every day to homes all |
over the land" .,s..-s., -=-
The messengers and watchmen imme- |
diately made way for the powerful and |
influential Representative. The doors |
few open, and he and his party were
ushered directly into a large, excessively |
plain room, with clerks writing mt desks |!
as busily as if their fortunes depended
upon getting through specified amount
Of work during the day.
At the farther end of the room, near
window, leaning, pen-in-hand, upon a
standing desk. stood a short, thick-set |
man, with full black whiskers, and his
piercing eyes cleaning through gold |
bowed spectacles. He was addressing n |
large, imposing-looking man, faultlessly |
dressed and carrying a silk hat in his |
gloved hand.
"No. sir; I tell you shall do nothing |
to arrest the course of justice. don't |
care II your client is a wealthy and in |
fppa nj rnon a oh hn 4 Sc