The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-06-03
CHAPTER v

| that MS mother always nasleHtu -
serve the Major with her own hands
this Notwithstanding her own and Un'
Gle Silas ft-repeated asseveratior
touching the Majors unenviable pre-
eminenco as q Man OF Sin, Also, he re-
marked that the Majors manner al
such moments was a thing 10 dazzle
the eye, like the reflection OF the sum
mer sun on the surface Of FURNISHED
metal. But beneath the polished eN-
terror, the cropping perceptions OF the
boy would touch a thing repellant; a
thing to stir a slow current OF resent
ment IN his blood.
II was Thomas Jenferson's FIRST col
lision with the law OF caste; a law
Draconian in the Old South. Before
the war. when Deer Trace Manor had
been a seigniory with its six score
black thralls. there had been no visit
Ing between the great house on the
inner knoll and the overgrown log
homestead at the iron furnace. Quar-
rel there was none. nor any shadow OF
enmity; but the Dabneys were lords OF
the soil, and the Gordons were crafts
men.
Even in war the distinction was
maintained The Dabneys, father and
son, were officers having their COM
missions at the enrolment; while Ca
/ leb Gordon, whose name headed the list
Of the Paradise volunteers, began and
! ended a private in the ranks.
In the years OF heart -hardenings
| which followed, q breach was opened.
narrow at first, and never very deep,
| but wide enough to serve. Caleb Cor
don had accepted defeat openly and
| honestly, and for this the unrecon-
/ structed Major had never fully forgiv-
/ en- him. 1t was an added proof that
/ there was no redeeming drop in the
Gordon velns-and Major Caspar was
as scrupulously polite to Caleb Cor
| don't wife as he would have been, and
was, TO the helpmate OF Tike Bryerson,
mountaineer and distiller of Illicit
whisky.
Thomas Jefferson was vaguely indis-
nant when Pettigrass came to ask his
father to go forthwith to the manor
house. In the mouth of the foreman
he invitation took on something OF the
flavor of a command. None the less, he
was eager for news when his father
came back, and though he got 1t only
from overhearing the answer to his
mothers question, it was satistyingly
thrilling.
IT'S mighty near as we talked, Mar
tha. The Major Jumps the railroad In
with all the other Improvements, calls
'em Yankees, and h'ists his battle-iiag.
The engineer that smart young fellow
with the peaked whiskers and the eye
glasses, went to see him this evenin'
about the right of way down the val
ley, and got himself slung off the porch
of the great house into a posy bed
There is going to be trouble, Caleb;
now you mark my words. You mustn't
mix up in it,"
Il don't allow to, If l can hep it.
The railroads gOin' to be a mighty
good thing for us if I can get Mr..
Downing to put in a side track for the
furnace"
Following this there were other con-
ferences, the Major unbending sufti-
clently to come and sit on the Gordon
porch in the cool of the evening. The
iron master, as one still in touch with
the moving world, gave good advice
Failing to buy, the railroad company
might possibly seek to bully right Of
way through the valley. But in that
case, there would certainly be redress
in the courts for the property owners.
In the meantime, nothing would be
gained by making the contest a per-
sonal fight on individuals.
So counseled Caleb Gordon, sure, al
ways. of his own standing ground in
any conflict But from the last of the
the Major had ridden home
through the fields; and Thomas Jeffer-
son, with an alert eye for windstraws
of conduct, had seen him dismount
now and then to pull up and fling away
the locating stakes driven by the rail-
road engineers.
Giving the Major a second and a
third chance to refuse to grant an
the railroad company push
ed it's grading and track-laying around |
the mountain and up to the stone wall |
marking the Dabney boundary, quietly |
accumulated the necessary material, |
and on a summer Sunday morning
Sunday by preference because no re-
straining writ could be served for at |
least twenty-fo hours--a construc- |
tion train, black with laborersI whisked |
around the nose of the mountain and |
dropped gently down the grade to the |
end of track.
It was Thomas Jefferson who gave
the alarm. Little Zoar, unable to sup
port a settled pastor, was closed for
fbe summer, but Martha Gordon kept
the fire spiritual alight by teaching her
son at home. One of the boys Sunday
earned by a faultless reci-
fation of a prescribed number of Bible
H., r.
of the forenoon. He heard
the low rumble of the coming train,
and it was only by resolutely ignoring
The sense of hearing that he was ena-
oled to get through letter perfect.
BLESSED are We, when men shall re-
vile you and persecute you" he chant
I'd monotonously, with rowing eyes bent
IN finding his cap with the loss of the
'ewest possible seconds" and shall
,ay all manner of evil against you
alsely for my sake-and that's ALL"
And he was off like a shot.
Mind, now, Thomas jefferson; you
ire not to go near that railToad!" mis-
mother called to him as he raced down
he path to the gate.
Oh, no; he would not go near the
'ailroadl He would only run up the
bike and cut across through the Dab
ley pasture to see If the train were
'eally there.
It was there, as he could tell by the
loise of kissing steamf when the cross
.ut was reached. But the parked
vooding of the pasture still screened
t. How near could he go without be-
ng near" in the transgressing sense
# the word? There was only one way
Z finding ont-to keen on going until