The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-05-29
c~STORY OF A~~o~7
! Soldier S Sword 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The sword, which had often caught
3 my eye as I walked past Amminadab's
store, was plainly a costly thing, made
solely for distinction to the wearer, q
straight, narrow, double edged rapier-
like weapon, which might thrust well,
though it's eVory hlt and Carven guard
could not endure the clash of heavy
combat l took 1t for a sword of honor
at first glance and fancied many expla-
nations of it's presence in n pawn
brokers' Window--one of the most
pathetic features of a great city-the
showplace of so many interesting me-
mentos Of despair
Why was the sword there? 1t meant
honor impawned and unredeemed. The
temptation to buy it was on me, who
had no need for a sword nor even a
thought of using it for decoration, for
how shall man JOY in a sword not his
own nor inherited from some sword
bearing ancestor?
My temptation was akin to the desire
one feels to carry away into privacy
some old, erect, haggard, soldierly man,
piteous between sandwich boards on a
S crowded street.
l had no money to spare for the lux
ury Of giving decent privacy to the old
sword, yet curiosity concerning 1t SO
+
on my way to Boston one morning ten
minutes earlier than usual solely that
1 might have time to look more par
ticularly at the weapon.
Then as I stopped saw that the
blade bore O faint inscription. so / put
on my spectacles. But the letters,
which occupied a space between the
hilt and the beginning of the edge
trenches, were turned with their backs
! to me The inscription must be inter-
esting: my curiosity became ifnpera-
tive; ] opened the pawnshop door and
confronted Amminadab, the owner Of
the sword.
Amminadab merely raised his eyes
from tray OF rings at which he had
I been peering, looked eXpectant and re-
marked, "Vell?''
You have sword in your window"
said I. Il should like to look at it,"
gu Tandt to buy dot sword 2"
Possibly. What's the price,"
.Brice? Veil, don't make no brice
for dot sword yet. Vat you give for
him, heys''
sword ?" His reluctant manner an
Il don't care about sell dot sword
4 he said.
Let nra see the sword and I'll tell
YOU.
You was in the big WARP Veil, dots
good. Maybe you know the cabtain in
the army"
ybe-or in this army and I dis
played the badge of my Grand Army
post.
Veil. dots sc, but maybe you always
L live In Boston? No? Veil. / don't sup
pose you got agyainted vid the cabtain
in any other places. TOO bad; too bad.
Z tell you I give $50 myself II somebody
dot used to know de cabtain vas here"
here did he live?
In California after the war. Blagg
sCity.''
Il never heard OF Blagg city,
No: dots just 1t. If there was any
BEagg City now. could find some
53body dot used to know the cabtain.
But it's gone up twenty-five years ago;
all off the face Of the earth. It vas
svun Of dose gold mine places
Where did he live after that?''
Well, plenty places, i guess, but ]
don't know none except Boston, and ]
can't find anybody in Boston dot know
ed him before
That's queer. Why do you want te
ind some one that knew him before r.
Wen, s'elp me Moses. IL you coul6
4 see: the cnbtain's daughter you'd want
-Amminadab spoke with such emotion
THAT felt my sympathies quite drawn
ITO him.
Does she live here ~ NJ,
.Live2 Well. you might call 1t living
She seHs, poor child-ach, It's the pit.
of the world she works in a sveatshop
Come, you vas soldier In dot big wa,
and de cabtain vas soldier. I'll shoy
@ you dot sword, and I'LL tell you all /
know about it. Who can tell? Mayb
you II help her out Of dot sveatshop?
Gone all ! can. Maybe you think tn
profit is big In my pisness? Veil, there
no profit-not to speak OF. Anyways
she Won't be helped by me. Here. rea
what dot sword says. =
He had stopped through the frowz
silks that hid the windw and now hel
the blade cautiously In his two hand,
took the beautiful sword, In whic
the inscription lay almost as indtstinct
lyAas watermark lies in writing pa
Der:
Il sssS ss independence Day, 1867. sS
This sword OF honor Is presented to
Captain Horatio Polk Blagg
10 replace his veteran sword destroyed |
and In token Of their admiration for
II glorious record Of valor in
nara as entienaa nsse and i9 RS
services on the late Vigilance
" Commit toe.
* The army of Nirgtns all said
ss5V lly, he was a confederate ~
.Confede rate! said Amminada
who had in1nigr ted long after the w,
ss closed. hats Confederate RE
s "a southern car plain. : S
sThe en- ain vas on. the confedera
20 81 lie q, az ~ 3;F s5
ss es, certainly General Lees arm
II Wgs called the army Of Virginia. %
army against him was called the arm
OF The Rotonlac RI III !5S
ell ,sI spend lnors as 80 cents
postabe to the war department. and II
pension agents trying to get o pensi
for dot dead. The government do
u re pensions 10 the children OF Hu
Not yen But the captain w i n
and gone relat fves Of his Iii the SOL
i.
III Rachel al he called loudly, and 4
led me a,E HAND some, fat young WON
through the door from the beck sh
sFaclIeL you wait here. lie you plea
3f va RS to tell tiais gent ernan about
Id til III. NJ ay he he can md OUT now
he is dot eli he vas q sol deg hirns
Bat hold on YOU as on the ot
.ss sid 8
mats d Els lit.iS T s. rsorsh !