Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-11-01

You declare yourself to be the only
man on the commission who is ac-
quainted with the facts you are pleased
to style traitorous?'
1.-THE generals lips curled. Have /
not said 2 he asked.
Something in this stern honesty
seemed to affect the father. His face
turned away, and it was the others
voice which was next heard. A change
had taken place in 1t, and 1t sounded
almost mellow as 1t gave form to these
words:
Alpheus, we have been friends.
You shall have two weeks in which to
think over my demand and decide. If
at the end Of that time you have not
returned to domestic life, you may ex-
pect another visit from. me which can.
not fail Of consequences. You know
my temper when reused. Do not force
me into position which will cause us
both endless regret
Perhaps the father answered; per.
baps he did not. The children heard
nothing further, but they witnessed the
gloom with which lie rode away to
the White House the next day. Re.
membering the generals threat, they
imagined in their childish hearts that
their father had gone to give up his
post and newly acquired honors. But
he returned ut night without having
done SO and from that day on carried
his head higher and showed himself
more and more the master both al
home and abroad.
"But he was restless, very restless
and, possibly to allay great mental
uneasiness, he began having some
changes made In the house, changes
which occupied much of his time and
with which he never seemed satisfied
Men working one day were dismissed
the next and others called in until this
work and everything else was inter
rupted by the return of his late un
welcome guest, who kept his appoint
ment to day,
"At this point in her narrative Mis-
tress Callista's voice fell and the fame
which had thrown partial light OF
her countenance, died down until
could but family discern the secretly
| inquiring look with which she watched
me us she went on to say:
| Reuben and I-Reuben was hel
brother-'were posted in the dark cor
ner under the stairs when my father
met the general at the door. We had
expected to hear high words or some
| explosion of bitter feeling between
them, and hardly knew whether to be
glad or sorry when our father vel
coined his guest with the same elabo
rate Low we once saw him make to the
| president in the grounds Of the White
House. Nor could we understand wha
followed. We were summoned in tt
1 supper, Our mother was there, grea-
event in those days. and toasts were
drunk, and our father proposed one tt
the generals health. This ReuDer
thought was an open signal of peace
and turned upon me his great rounG
| eyes In surprise, but I, who was ole
enough to notice that this toast was
not responded to and that the genera
did not even touch his lips to the glas.
\ he had lifted in compliment to oul
mother, who had lifted hers, felt tha
there was something terrifying rather
| than reassuring in this attempt Al
good fellowship. Though unable tt
reason over 1t at the time, l have Otter
done SO since, and my fathers attitud,
and look as he faced this strange CUES
has dwelt SO persistently in my mem
DRY that scarcely year passes with
out the scene coming up in my dreams