The evening world., 1916-01-10

Such a sight as that would have
struck my good old father speechless
with wrath as well as surprise. for
he was SO stricken with the fear Of
offending the Creator that he was
chary Of contradicting Nature. and
always held the new thing to be near
ly akin to the blasphemous. As long
as God made the horse, and a man
down Birmingham way the engine,
my good old dad would have stuck
by the saddle and the spurs.
But he would have been still more
surprised II he had seen the peace and
kindliness which reigns now In the
hearts OF men, and the talk In tho
papers and at the meetings that there
Is to be no more war-save, OF course,
with blacks and such like. For when
he died we had been lighting with
scarce a break, save for two short
years, for very nearly a quarter OF a
century. Think OF 1t, you who live 20
quietly and peacefully now. Babies
who were born In the war grew to
be bearded men with babies OF their
own, and still the wlr continued.
Those who had served and fought
IN their stalwart prime grew stiff and
Dent, and yet the ships and the
armies we're struggling. II was no
wonder that folk came at last to look
upon IL as the natural state, and
thought how queer II must seem to be
at peace.
During that long time we fought
the Dutch. we fought the Danes, we
aought the Spanish, we fought the
turks, we fought the Americans. We
fought the Montevideans. until N
seemed that In this universal struppI,
no race was too near OF kin or too
tar away to be drawn into the
quarrel.
BUT most OF all II was the French
"nonn We fought, and the man whom
OF all others we loathed and feared
ana admired was the great captain.
Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruleI them
~ was very well to draw pictures
OF MIN. and sing songs about him,
ana make as though he were an i'm
postor, but l can tell you that the
.r OF tnat man hung like a black
SHADOW over all Europe, and that
there was a time when the CLINT of n
nre AT night upon the coast would
set every woman upon her knees and
every man gripping for his muslxet,
ne nad always won. That was the
terror or It. The fates seemed 10 be
behind him. ~ W
And now We know that he lay upon
lne northern coast with a hundred
ana nfty thousand veterans and the
ooats Tor their passage. But IL is an
oIu story how n third OF the grown
toik OF our country took up arms and
how our little one-eyed, one-armed
man, Nelson, crushed their feet.
Lnere was sun 70 be a land OF free
thinking and free speaking in Europe,
There was great beacon ready ON
the hill by Tweedmouth, built up OF
logs and tar barrels, and / can we'll
remember how night after night /
strained my eyes TO see II It were
aoiase. / was only eight at the time.
out II La an age when one takes a
GRIEF to heart. and I felt as though
the fate OF the country hung in some
fashion upon me and my vigilance.
And then one night as looked l sud
denly saw n little flicker on the bea-
con hill-a single red tongue Of flame
In the darkness.
i remember how I rubbed nv eyes
and pinched myself and raped INV
knuckies against the stone window
Sill 10 make sure that was indeed
awake. And then the flame shot
higher and higher, and I saw the red
quivering line upon the water be-
yond. and I dashed into the kitchen.
screening to my father that the
French had crossed and the Tweed
mouth light was afiame.
He had boon talking to Mr.. Mitchell.
the law-student from Edinburgh, and
can soc him now as he knocked his
pipe out at the side Of the fire, and
looked at me from over the top of his
horn spectacles.
Are you sure. Jock2" says he.
Sure as DEATH" i gasped.
he reached out his hand for the
Bible upon the table, and opened II
upon his knee as though he meant to
read TO us, but no shut II again In
silence and hurried out. We went too
the law-student and !. and followed
him down TO the gate which opens I
out upon the highway. From there we
could see the rod light of the big ,
beacon. and the glimmer OF small
or one to the north Of US, at Ayton.
My mother came down with two
plaids to keep the chill from US, and
we all stood there until morning,
speaking little to each other. and that ,
little In a whisper. The road had
more folk on 1t than ever passed
along 1t at night before, for many OF !
the yeomen up our way had enrolled ,
themselves In the Berwick Volunteer
regiments. and were riding now as fast
as hoof could carry them for the mus
Ter. Some had a stirrup cup or two
before parting, AID l cannot forget !,
one who tore past on a huge white
horse, brandishlng a great rusty sword
In the moonlight.
They shouted TO us, as they passed,
that the North Berwick Law-fire was !
blazing, and that H. was thought that
the alarm had come from Edinburgh
Castle. There were a few who gal !
loped the other way, couriers for Ed !
and the laird's son, and Mas I
ter Clayton, the deputy sheriff. and !
such like. |
And among others there was one, a =
line heavy man on a roam horse, !
who pulled up at our gate and asked :
some questions about tho road. He I
ook of his hat to ease himself. and
saw that he had a kindly, long l
irawn face, and a great high brow 7
hat shot away up into tufts OF sandy I
lair. Z
IL doubt it's false alarm" says he. r
Maybe I'd ha' done we'll TO bide t
where l was, but now I've come so O
ar III break my fast with the regi-
neut" He clapped spurs to his Q