Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-09-04
A LOVER AND A BROTHER

idiIiHouSe pdTlOI. Inc VIM udsHeu tiC
rain in clustering gusts against the win
dow panes, and the roar of the wild
waters of the Garry, in spate, clamored
insistently upon the eer.
Donald Murray turned his gaze from
the fire. ami looked sternly at the young
man who faced him from the opposite
side of the hearth
do | heav we Alright, John Stewart 2"
he cried 'tlc will 90 and enlist for a
sodger2 Man, what hev We been doing
What scrape hey We gotten yourself
into?''
John Stewart sprang to his feet, the
hot Highland blood rushing to his brow.
"Scrape2" he cried, fiercely, ''no more
than you, yourself, Bonald Murray, and
wherefore should / not enlist for sol
der? ISIS it less honorable for me to
fecht FOR my country in the ranks, than
for the marquis to lead his men into
LATHE"
'Fecht for yer country with mut-
t.rable scorn-"Mow down few help
less savages wi yer machine guns, an
grab their land! Ay, greed am grab,
greed an grab-that's the history o. our
fechts nowadays! But it's little fecht-
IN yen get, any mantle public house
and loiterings in the market place
that's the life o. sodgerp
With violent effort John Stewart
ehoked down his wrath and strove to
speak calmly.
Sin ahl countries but our own,v he
said, "effery man gives years o. his life
to the service o. his country, and is
honored in the doing of it, 1t is only
we SNUG shopkeepers wha sit cozily
at hame an hire men to fecht cor bat
ties for us--an, an count it disgrace
in them to do lit"
The door opened and Maggie Murray
came in with lamp. The ruddy light
streamed down on her red brown hair
and lit sparks in the depths of her hazel
eyes, as she set down the lamp on the
table between the two men, and looked
anxiously from one to the other. At
sight of her Donald rose from his chair.
Bringing down his great fist ON the
table with n crash, which made the
lamp totter and the flame leap up above
its chimney "And am / to give my
sister to a sodger?" he shouted. ssNefferi
The day that you enlist, John Stewart,
that day you say good bye to Maggie.
My sister shall neffer marry a wastrelt.l
For moment it seemed as if the men
would be at each others threats. but
Maggie stepped between. Laying a re
straining hand on Johns arm, she faced
Donald with look as resoute as his
own.
"And ISIS it stock or stone / am,
Donald Murray? Have | nocht to say
as to who ] am to marry? This | tell
you, it will be John Stewart or it will
be no mani"
"No man let it be then. Our father
and mother are gone; it ISIS for me to
tex their place; and | say what they
would say were they with us, Margaret
Murray shall neifer be the wife of a
sodger!"
John" she turned and looked into
the young mans adoring eyes, "go your
ways now. but be sure of this: | will
wed no man but you, and wheneffer You
come back for me, / will be ready"
She led him from the room, and at
the little garden gate, the rain dashing
in their faces, and the wild tumult of
the falls in their ears, they said fare
we'll
The next day John left the moorIand
farm ON which, till now, his days had
been spent. A week ago his elder
brother and he had laid their old father
in his grave; the brother succeeded toI
the farm, and John was going for
soldier He made his way to Perth, and
there enlisted in the Black Watch.
In the glen he had left, friends and
neighbors shook their heads gravely
over the step which John had taken
At kirk and market they surveyed
Maggie with looks of wonder and pity
she was the lass whose lad had gone
to be a sodgerl" They avoided men
tioning Johns name to the farmer
brother--it was felt on all hands to be
one of those unfortunate family occur
rences over which it is kinder TO draw
the veil of silence.
Now. for some time before this,
clouds had been gathering on the South
African horizon, but it was not until
nearly year after John joined the coli
ors that the storm broke. The ultima
tum which fred our blood made even
obstinate Donald Murray's brow grow
dark But it gradually cleared as he
argued it out with himself and with his
friend. the village postmaster. "And
wherefore not Z Hass the old man not
right to say who shall and who shall
not come into his country Hass he
not wandered far and made menny a |
home an left it again, just to find a
land where he and his countrymenI
should dwell by themselves. an max
their own laws, an live their lives as
seems good to theml And if he sees
strange troops gatherin', and aye gath |
erin ON his borders, shall he not say
thus far an no farther'ln
Up the glen was brought news of our
first fight, our victory at Glencoe. A |
certain CLEAN was to be observed in |
Donald's eye, but "0h, yes" he said, lit |
is indeed a great triumph--an army
trained to war against few farmers
When the newspaper brought him the
story of the retreat upon Ladysmith. he |
sat long gazing darby into the fire.
who can understand thae politi- |
eians?" he muttered.
Hardly to be believed at first, but car /
rying conviction as details filtered |
through, Donald read the disastrous tale
of Stormberg. With an oath he dashed |
the paper into the fire, strobe out, and
tramped round and round mis- fields uutil /