Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1910-09-08

Il could Talk forever ana not get
round to tellin' you all the DARN
things that Teller took part In. He
was one o. the sixty men that STAN
peded a whole brigade o. Confederate
cavalry by putin on Confederate uni
forms and fallin' In with the head o
their column one dark night and then
turnin' on them and firin' In their
faces and ridin' slap dash through
their ranks.
But he come through the war
without a scratch and he might have
been alive today II he hadn't Joined
an expedition to Mexico instead O.
comm home when the war was over.
/ never understood the rights of 1t.
but 1t was some crazy scheme to butt
into the troubles they was jest then
havin' down there.
And Carvajal, the leader O. the lib
eral party, overpersuaded Major Har-
ry Young, the chief O. the scouts, into
raisin' party o. picked men to act as
his body-guard. They went, but not
one o. them ever came back. So far
as is known, they didn't even get into
Mexico, for a lot of Mexican ranch
eros, ex-Confederate mercenaries and
bandits, headed 'em of jest as they
was goin' to cross the river.
Nobody knows exactly what hap
pened. Some say one thing and some
another Some say that bein' on
American soil the scouts didn't re-
turn them fellers' fire and were all
shot and killed while they were at
temptin' to escape across the river.
/ don't know don't know only
know not one o. them came back to
tell the tale"
The old man fell into reverie and
did not speak again until Ellen said
coaxingly:
And now tell me about the little
girl, grandfather"
Yes, dearie," Captain Brown said,
rousing himself with an effort. ''The
little girl was most grown up by that
time. I'd been to see her and her
mother after the war was over to tell
em what knew about Jim, and after
few years she promised to marry
me.
But neither her nor her mother
would ever give up that Jim Strobe
was dead, and when i wanted 'em to
pull up stakes and go west with me
to settle on what was the frontier In
them days, they wouldn't hear O. such
thing, for they said they didn't want
Jim to come back and find them gone
Then tried to get Ellen to go with
me alone, but she wouldn't leave her
mother. l was jealous and high-spir
tied and the end O. it all was that we
quarreled and parted. Don't you ever
have hard words with anyone you
love, Ellen" the old man admonished
sadly.
Your grandmother was a good
woman, and / amt seen Mary Strobe
for more than forty years, but / shan't
! never forget the look In them brown
eyes o. hers that day / left her-But
| jest look at all them comrades" he
broke off to say excitedly, as the train
slowed up at station. Every one OF
them bound for Freedom. We're
goin' to have a great meetin', ain't
we, deary?"'
An hour later Ellen, seated by hel
grandfather's side at a long table
loaded with great platters of fried
chicken, boiled ham and tongue
dishes of salad, bread, biscuits
surveyed the prospect before her with
shining eyes.
But, oh, grandfather, / never
never can choose the three kinds OF
cake" she sighed. i've counted most
forty 'leven. Just look at that lovely
pink one and the cocoanut and choc'lit
and the one with nuts, and the one
with little red candies on it! Which
would you choose If you was me
grandfather"
But the old man was gazing in
tently at some small, golden brown
objects half hidden behind a huge par
of pork and beans.
Il swan to man, Ellen!" he cried
'if there amt some chess-cakes!
amt seen any for more'n forty year
They told us to do our own stretchin'
so guess I'll make sure of 'em RICH
now"
He passed one to the child anC
fastened to bite into another himself
"They taste jest the same" he an
nounced with solemn satisfaction
MARY Strobe used to make em, blu
1--WE never come across anybody els,
that had ever heard Of EN-"
"Oh, grandfather" shrieked Eller
ecstatically, as her little white teetl
met in the puffy pastry. 1T tastes
just like that stuff that Alice-Alic,
in Wonderland, you know, drank on
of bottle. The stuff that tasted Xix,
cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roas
turkey, toffy and hot buttered toast
don't you remember? It's perfect.
de-licious!"
ut most seems as II Mary Strod,
herself must have made EN- Captain
Brown said. glancing wistfully abou
the great hall, which was crowde,
with people, and with many othe
tables as bounteously plenished as hi
own. But of course faint believabl
she's here"
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