The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-01-31
CHAPTER I.
The NIoht OF the Beacons.

NHN FNNANA " w otaCOnas
IL II TRANCE TO me. Jack Calder OF
West Inch. TO feel that though now.
in the very centre OF the nineteenth
century. I am but hve-and-hfty year
OF age. and though II Is only once in a
week. perhaps. that my wife can pluck
out a little gray bristle from over my
ear. yet | have lived in a time when
the thoughts and the ways OF men
were a different as though Il were
another plan from this.
For when I walk in my fields | can
zee. down Berwick way. the little huns
OF white smoke which tell me OF his
strange. new. hundred-legged beast
with Goals for food and a thousand
men in its belly. forever crawling I'VE
the border. On a shiny day I can see
the CLINT OF the brasswork as II takes
the curve near Corriemuir. And then.
as | look out 20 sea. there Is the same
beast again. or a dozen OF them. may
be. leaving a trail Of black in the air
and OF white in the water. and win
ming in the face OF the wind as easily
as a salmon up the Tweed.
Such a sight as hat would have
struck my rood old father speeches.
with wrath as well as surprise. for
he was so stricken with the fear OF
offending the Creator that he a
chary OF contradicting Nature. and al
ways held the new thing TO be nearly
akin 10 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 he sad
dle and the spurs.
But he would have been still more
surprised II ne had seen the peace and
kindliness which reigns now in the
49,. " - - ~. HaHa Hn HhA
papers and al the meetings that there
ia 10 he no more war-save. Of course,
with black and such like. For when
he died we had beer fighting with
scarce a break. Ia for two hor
years. for very nearly "a quarter OF a
century. Think Of IL. you who live so
quietly and peacefully now. Babies
who were born IN the war grew 20
be bearded men with babies OF their
own. and still the war continued.
Those who had served and fought
in their stalwart prime grew stiff and
bent. and yet the ships and the
armies were struggling. 10 was no
wonder that folk came az last 10 look
upon 10 "a thd natural state. and
thought o. queer 10 must seem 10 be
al peace.
During that long time We fought
lNf AANfAa We lNAAAA NAf ANaNfNa ~
fought the Spanish. we fought the
Turks. We fought the Americans. We
fought the Monteyideans until IL
seemed that In this universal struggle
no race was too near Of kin or too
far away 10 be drawn into the quar-
rel.
But most OF all q was the French
whom we fought. and the man whom
OF all others We loathed and feared
and admired was the great captain,
Napoleon B~onaparte. who ruled them.
l. was very well 10 draw pictures
OF him. and sing about him.
and make as though he were an an
postor. but I can tell YOU that the
fear OF that man hung like a black
shadow over all Europe. and that
there was a time when the CLINT OF a
fire at night upon b coast would
set every woman upon her knees and
every man gripping for his musket.
He had always won That was the
terror OF d. The fates seemed 20 be
behind him.
And now We know that ne lay upon
the northern coast with a hundred
and fifty thousand veterans and the
boats FOR their passage. But 10 is an
old story how a third Of the grown
folk OF our country took up arms and
how our lttle one--yed. onearmed
man. Nelson. crushed their fleet
There va- -fI 'o b- "a land ~ t-r.
thinking and free speaking 30 Europe
There was a great beacon ready on
che hin by Twseduouth. built up Of
logs and tar barrels. and : can we'll
remember how ulEhf after rigrf
strained my eyes f0 SEQ % lf were
atlaze was only eight az the -ue
but lt iz an age when one takes "a
grlef -0 heart. and D felt an frouer
the fate ~ -le country hung .r -ou.
fashion upon ue and uy vigilance.
And then one night e- D looked D SUD
denly -aw a Iit,le flicker rr fta rsa.
con hll slrl.e r-i for-ua of flame
iu -he darkness
remember how = rubbed my eyes
and r.rrhei myself and raped my
frurkl-s asa.rst 'ha stone window
500 POI maize sure chat wac indeed
awake And then tho flame -lo.
hiEler and higher and D cav fre rer
Q~uIvfring lire upon frs water Hf
vYrd and q dashed .r'1 -rs kitchen.
arreert..s f. my father that mo
French .s. srr. sf arH -rr Tweed.
mouth ...f Wa. aFara
Ue bad boon talking f. rr Mitchell.
fha Law -tlfsrf from f.. rtIrr- ono
7 can goo -.. now ae BID. knocked .
r.r. .Hf rf f.H ...r r. f.. fire. and
looked a. ~. from over rho -np Of H.
Dorm srs...r.fa
tr- sal r-a r..s .ays rs
rs fra.. rrf
POO reached ..t ...I f.- ..
Bible a.nH 'fe table, and opened .
ur.r t. knee -r1r.r ra Ha.-. .
read fool Ia. fI' f. a|.f f .er H
.# M.