The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-08-10

into the troubles they was jest ther
havin' down there.
"And Carvajal, the leader O. the lib
eral party, overpersuaded Major Har
ry Young, the chief o. the scouts, into
raisin' a party O. picked men to act al
his body-guard They went, but not
one o. them ever came back. So fal
as Is known, they didn't even get into
Mexico, for a lot of Mexican ranch
eros, ex-Confederate mercenaries an6
bandits, headed 'em off 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' or
American soil the scouts didn't re
turn them fellers' fire and were al
shot and killed while they were at
temptin' to escape across the river
l don't know don't know only
know not one O. them came back tt
tell the tale"
The old man fell into a 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 1.-The
little girl was most grown up by that
time. I'd been TO see her and hel
mother after the war was over to tel
'em what knew about Jim, and after
a few years she promised to marry
me.
But neither her nor her mother
would ever give up that Jim Strobe
was dead, and when l 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
a 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 hel
mother l was jealous and high-spir
tied and the end o. 1t 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 I left her-But
jest look at all them comrades" he
broke off to say excitedly, as the train
slowed up at station. Every one oil
them bound for Freedom We're
goin' to have a great meetin', ain't
we, deary?"
grandfathers side at long table
loaded with great platters of fried
chicken, boiled ham and tongue
dishes of salad, bread, biscuits
cheese, pickles and above all cake
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 huge par
of pork and beans.
II swan to man, Elem" 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 right
now"
He passed one to the child and
fastened to bite into another himself
They taste jest the same" he an
nounced with solemn satisfaction
Mary Strobe used to make 'em, but
I've never come across anybody else
that had ever heard of EN-"
"Oh, grandfather" shrieked Ellen
ecstatically, as her little white teeth
met in the puffy pastry. ut tastes
just like that stuff that Alice-Alice
in Wonderland, you know, drank out
of bottle. The stuff that tasted like
cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roas,
turkey, toffy and hot buttered toast
don't you remember? It's perfectly
de-licious,
at most seems as II Mary Strobe
herself must have made EN-" Captain
Brown said, glancing wistfully about
the great hall, which was crowded
with people, ano with many other
tables as bounteously plenished as his
own "But Of course 'taint believable
she's here"
After eating the "chess cake to the
last crumb, Ellen demanded another
and yet another. She could hardly be
persuaded to taste Of the more sub
stantial viands and she rejected even
the pink cake, begging to be allowed
Just one more
They're more like darling little
pies than they are like cakes, grand
father" she urged, land mother didn't
say l couldn't have but three pies
"She never thought of such a thing
as your eatfn' three pies" her grand
father admonished, but l wouldn't
want to give folks no occasion fol-
talkin' about that greedy little Bailey
girl, II l was you, Ellen
In spite OF his assertion that there
WAS no possibility Of meeting his old
sweetheart In this place Captain
Brown again glanced wistfully about
him as they adjourned to the open at
to listen to the speeches and to tn
war songs. whose stirring measure
still had the power to straighten tn,