Gunnison news-champion., 1912-08-09


psal ssA I vsstss~d te NJ the la,cA.
ss1 tshe oaustoss Glance tAro~gh a.
saaGAt eesnaaG
4 Wss . biaoksnisA shoe q sssr
sise. sully equipped WITH eli shs soo,s
u ths trade. The nAa wss ssct.G ne,
but With eyes closed. aad uplsftsa. e
HE hps poured forth the ssrvsnt vorss
"a prayer. l wss not q rsliGious nsa
IN these days. yet the faith q ny
mother was not foreotten. end there
was something Of sincerity about that
solitary kReeiins hgups ! could not hus
respect. The words uttered. the aeep
Resonant voice. and above all. the ex
pressson of that upsurned face, held
me silent. metiealess. ne vas . man
Of short. sturdy limb. but great bulk.
massive chest. and immense shoulders
evidencing remarkable strength. What
vas this man. this praying blacs-
smith? A patriot surely, from his
words Of petition; one who had suf
fered much. but was willing to suffer
more. The strength chiseiied In that
upturned face. those deeply marked
features, revealed no common ment al
equipment. Here Was Q real man.
with convictions. one who would die
for an IDEAL without doubt q radical
ready to go to any extreme where con.
science blazed the way.
As he hnally paused, his head bowed
low. | stepped forward into the light
confident Of welcome. utterly forgetful
Of the uniform ! wore. At the frst
faint sound Of my approach on the
hoor he wss upon his feet fronting
me. the shortness Of his Iimbs yield.
ing him Q certain grotesque appear.
ance. his deep-set eyes regarding me
suspiciously. Before I could realize
the man's intent he sprang hstween
me and the outer door. his hand grin.
ping an iron bar.
"A son OF Baal," came the roar from
his lips. How came you here In that
uniform? Are you alone?"
"Alone, yes" and I hurled the scar.
let jacket into the dirt with q gesture
Of disgust. Il had even forgotten I
wore It Wait q moment. I heard
your prayer, and know you must be
with No. an Major LAwrsncs of tie
Maryland Lins."
He stared st me Dsttsnless.
Then how come - here?"
Il was sent into Philadelphia -
Washington himself. but my identity
WAS discovered and there Was no way
to escape except across the Delaware.
I reached here during the night, and
crept into your shop to hide. The
sound of your voice awoke me from
sleep. and l knew from your words
that 1t was safe for me to come forth"
you may know 1t. young man. but
I don't" he replied gruffy. We're
bit suspicious of strangers here In the
Jerseys these days The ninions of
Satan encompass us about. What
have ye to show to prove your story"
] shook my head. extending my
hands
only my word u honor. I had .
pass from Hamilton. but destroyed
that before entering the British hDes.
II ] tell the whole story. perhaps YOU
viii understand It's truth"
The expression Of his face aid not
change. yet l thought the deep-set
eyes were not altogether unkind.
"You are hungry. no doubtr'
being human. yes"
Then we'll eat and talk at the same
time. You're only one man. an I'm
not afraid Of you, an II ys are q Brit
lsher I wouldn't starve you to death.
There's little enough. the good Lord
knows. but you're welcome to the half
of it. Make yourself comfortable
there on the bench"
He threw open q cupboard in one
corner. and brought forth q variety Of
food. placing this upon q wide shelf
near at hand. Occasionally our eyes
met. and ] knew he was slowly max
ing up his mind regarding me. This
silent scrutiny could not have been al
together unsatisfactory. for. when he
finally drew up an empty box and sat
down. he was prepared to talk.
Help yourself" he began gravely.
1T is rough camp fare, but doubtless
YOU are used to that. Do you know
me?"
! scanned his face again intently.
surprised by the question, yet recog-
nized no familiar features.
No." ] replied. with some hesita-
ton. Have we ever met before"
Not to my remembrance" and the
mans language and accent evidenced
education above his apparent station
But ! have won some repute in this
part Of the Jerseys, an thought my
name might be known to you. You
would recognize the signature OF
George Washington"
Il have seen 1t often"
He drew a fat leather case from a
pocket inside his shirt. extracting
therefrom a folded paper. which he
opened. and extended to me across the
table. With a glance ! mastered the
few lines written thereon. recognizing
its senuineness.
Hamilton penned that" I said In
quick surprise. 'and II is signed by