Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-06-02

MdUdmS SdIu Mt. we
can nc spare o yet"
She flashed upon him a keen look.
1T is a young country" said she, but
1t raises statesmen. You foolish, deal
Americans! One could have loved you
ALL"
Eth, what?" said DR.. Ward, turn
ing to her. MY dear lady, two of US
are too old for that; and as for the
other"
He did not know how hard this
chance remark might smite, but as
usual Helena Won Ritz was brave and
smiling.
"You are men," she said, "such as
we do not have in u courts of Eu-
rope. Men and women-that is what
this country produces"
Madam" said Calhoun, 81 myself
am a YER o sort of man. I am
old, and l fail from month to month.
1 cannot live long, at best. What you
see in me is simply a purpose-a pur-
pose to accomplish something for my
country-a purpose which my country
itself does not desire to see fulfilled.
Republics do not reward us. What
you say shall be our chief reward. l
have asked you here also to accept
the thanks of all of us who know the
intricacies of the events which have
gone forward. Madam, we owe you
Texas! Twas not yonder lady, but
yourself, who first advised of the dan
ger that threatened us. Hers was,
after all, a simpler task than yours,
because she only matched faiths with
Van Zandt, representative of Texas,
who had faith in neither men, women
nor nations. Had all gone we'll, we
might perhaps have owed you yet
more, for Oregon"
would you like Oregon" she
asked, looking at hin with a full
glance of her dark eyes.
More than my life! More than
all my fortune!" His voice rang
clear and keen as that Of youth.
call of Oregon" she asked.
"All? We do not W all! Perhaps
we do not deserve it. Surely we could
not expect it. Why, If we got one
half of what that fellow Polk is claim
ing, we should do we'll enough-that
is more than we deserve or could ex-
pect. With our army already at war
on the southwest, England, as we all
hIO", 10 pld1lu1lS W IdhS dONdLldSS
of our helplessness in Oregon"
Without further answer, she held
out to him a document whose appear
/ nee I, at least, recognized.
81 am but a woman" she said, but
it chances that I la beer able to do
this country perhaps something Of a
| favor. Your assistant, Mr.. Trist, has
| lone me in turn a favor. This much
| l will ask permission to do for him"
Calhoun's long and trembling fin
| gers were n%ervously opening the doc
| ument. He turned to her with eyes
| blazing with eagerness. ut is Ore
gon!" He dropped back into his chair.
Yes" said Helena Won Ritz, slowly.
1T is Oregon. 1t is bought and paid
for. 1t is yours"
So now they all went over that doc
ument, signed by none less than
Pakenham himself, minister plenipo-
tertiary for Great Britain. THAI docu-
ment exists to-day somewhere in our
archives, but l do not feel empowered
to make known it's full text. l would
l had never need to set down, as l
have, the cost Of it. These others
never knew that cost, and now they
4ONO4 Soh IN III 1Oh6 SOo1S III
both Calhoun and DR.. Ward have zee
dead and gone. l turned aside as
they examined the document which
within the next few weeks was to be-
come public property, The red waters
which mended it-and which she
smilingly explained at Calhoun's de-
mand-were, as l knew, not less than
red drops of blood.
In brief, l may say hat this paper
stated that, in case the United States
felt disposed to reopen discussions
which Mr.. Polk peremptorily had
closed, Great Britain might be able to
listen to a compromise on the line Of
the forty-ninth parallel. This compro-
mise had three times been offered her
by diplomacy of United States under
earlier administrations. Great Brit
ain stated that in view of her deep
md abiding love for peace and her
deep and abiding admiration for
America, she would resign her claim
of all of Oregon down to the Column
bia; and more, she would accept the
forty-ninth parallel; provided she
might have free navigation rights
upon the Columbia. In fact, this was
precisely the memorandum of agree
ment which eventually established
| the lines of the treaty as to Oregon
| between Great Britain and the United
States.
CTO BE I'll