Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-24

manned hidden to the end of all time
Pepperton replied.
We gathered close about her as she
knelt beside the box. My hand shook
as / held my candle. and I think Miss
Octavia was the only one in the room
who showed TO nervousness. Ceclha
sighed deeply several times. and Pepper
| ton mopped hts face with his handker-
chief The lid did not yield as readily
as we had expected. and it was necessary
! to resort to the Ratchet and chlsei again;
but we were careful that it should be
Miss Octavia's hand that finally raised
the lid.
| We all exclaimed in various keys as the
light fell upon the open chest. The musty
odor Of old garments greeted US at once.
The box was we'll filled and its contents
were neatly arranged. Miss Octavia hrst
lifted out the remnants of a military uni
form that lay on top.
| "It.s his ragged regimentals." cried c.
ella. as we unfolded an officers coat OF
blue and buff. sadly decrepit and faded !;
/ land he was not a British soldier at all.
but an American patriot.
| Time and service had dealt even more
harsnly with an American flag on which
the thirteen white stars f1oated dimly
on the dull blue field. 1t had been bound
tightly about a packet of papers, which
Miss Octavia asked Pepperton to eX-
anime.
"These are commissions appointing a
certain Adoniram Caldwell to various po-
| sitions in the continental army. Adonl-
ram had the right stuff in him: here he's
discharged as a private to become an en-
sign; rose from ensign to colonel. and
seems to have been i'm most of the big
doings For galantry in the recent en-
gagement at Stony Point. on recon-
mendation of Gen. Anthony Wayne'-by
Jove that does rather carry YOU back!
| Half a dozen of these documents traced
Adoniram Caldwells career to the end
Of the revolution and his retirement from
the military service with the rank of
| colonel 4 sealed letter attached to these
ends were dovetailed in the old style be-
fore the day Of envelopes, sand evidently
| care had been taken I'm folding and seal
ing it, The superscription, in a round.
bold hand. without f1onrishes, read: ITO
whom it may concern.
! II suppose it concerns us as much as
ANYBODY remarked Miss Octavia. What
do you say. gentlemen; shall VIC oper.
lit"'
We all demanded breathlessly that she
break the seal, and We were soon bend
ing over her with our lights. The ink
had blurred and in spots rust had obliter-
ated the writing:
| ~ Roger Hartley Virgins. sometime
known as Adoniram CALDWELL
Hartley Wiggins.'' we gasped. and l
felt Cecilia's hand clasp my arm.
/ Miss Octavia continued reading, and as
she was obliged to pause often and refer
.iIIegble lines to the rest Of us, ! have
copied the following from the letter it
self. with only slight changes of punctua-
ton and spelling:
r. Roger Hartley Virgins. sometime
known as Adoniram Caldwell. having
now resumed my proper name, and being
about to marry. and having begun the
construction of a habtation for myself
Wherein to end my days truthfuly set
forth these matters:
| MY father Hiram Virgins OF Rhode
Island, having supported the royal.st
cause in our late war for independence
and angered by my friendliness to the
patriots, and he with brothers ard
sister having returned to England after
the evacuation of Boston, l Joined the
continental troops under Gen. Putnam on
Long Islands in july 1778. serving in