Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-12
The Conscript

odCOo tloWle, which is nothing like his
real name for this is a true story
Jacob, who owned a small, stony farm
up in the Monroe County hills where
he lived with an aged sister and his
granddaughter, seldom showed himself in
society," II he had been able to make his
land produce tobacco, and he had tried,
he would have had no occasion what
ever to come down out of the hill places.
He walked into Shoemaker's general
store at the crossroads on a late after
noon in April 1898, and laid dollar on
the counter.
Just minute, Jacob" said the mer-
chant. I'VE was all out Of your brand
and l was afeard you'd be coming in,
so l asked Milo to fetch some up on to-
days stage. He's a-coming now"
The old man lounged across the counter
ana waited. Over by the stove a half
dozen young men were listening to a
travelling salesman distribute all the latest
transformation from the outside world.
When I was down at the county seat
Just now" he was saying, Il heard a lot
OF talk about conscripting troops TO fight
| Spain, and l wouldn't be surprised il It
was put through; and it'll be a mistake
a man ought to fight willingly, I say,
or not at all. And while I was waiting
to take this stage an old fellow got to
| talking with told me about a case he
| saw with his own eyes in the Civil War.
1t was n man full grown, he said, that
was drafted into his regiment and that
was that set in his ways he just wouldn't
fight at all, Said he'd be damned first
So the mans captain got mad at him
in the argument and he took and slapped
him across the face with the fiat Of his
sword. The fellow bit his lip and got
white except where the welt on his
cheek was. but he wouldn't fight. Next
day up come a battle and the captain
was leading his men through a bit of
woods when they fell into an ambush
and had to run for 1t. The captain and
the fellow that wouldn't fight and one
other man were sneaking through a
wheat field, and the fellow said to the
other soldier, You go tell that hound he
can have one shot at me with your gun,
then I'm going TO kill him. So the fel.
low stood there and let the captain shoot
at him, and he missed, and the fellow
put bullet through the Captains head,
And the old man who told me about It
said he knew 1t was true, because he was
the third party himself"
Old man Howie, with his supply OF
tobacco under his arm, waited to hear
the end of the story. Then he asked the
storekeeper for sheet Of paper and an
I'D
trived note which in due course reached
the third party" at the county seat.
1t read:
"You talk to much and you I've
anyhow / could of killed him but 1
only laffed when he mist and you kno it.
You talk to much. ~ HOWE"
Although the meadowland was calling
to him to plow it, old Jacob Howie sat
among the scrub oaks on the ridge with
his gun across his knees. For two days
he had done the same thing. His grand
daughter had been away for several days,
gone to help a woman over Shawnee way,
who kept a summer boarding house and
with whom she often worked in the sea-
son. Jacobs sister was queer and
| taciturn, and so there was no one to re-
mark upon his strange behavior
1t was now close to sunset. A light
buggy turned in from the pike and began
to climb the ridge. The driver was a
young man in the blue uniform of the
| national guardsman of the '90s. Near
ing the crest, the youth jumped out to
| lead the horse over the rough road.
Halt" roared the old man, levellng
the gun at him. Cit right out O. here!"
Some one ran lightly up the slope be-
hind Jacob He recognized his grand
daughters step and never turned his
! head. The boy stood open-mouthed.
"Conscript officer, amt YEP" demanded
the old man.
The girl stepped forward and said:
"Grandpop, it's Rob Scarlet. Him and
me kept company last summer when I
was workn' at Whiteside's."
Yes" put in the young man. land I
been workin in Easton and now I've
Joined the guard, and before I go I
want to get married, and II you got no
objections"
"Thet's what I haze got" said the
old man. I'VE don't want no man.
killers in the family. We hain't any too
good as It's. Turn yer horse round and
! git outy
Bertha" the young man called out,
do you want should marry your"
"I bin countin' on 1t, Rob-"
Come down here closer and say II
again"
Now, then, grandpop," he continued,
this girl is mine and she's goin' away
with me. It's too bad you don't believe
in man KILN, because that's the only
way you can stop us, You got one shot
in that old gun. Take a crack at us.
Jump in. Bertha"
Old jacobs face, which had gone very
white, began suddenly to take back it's
color; It broke into many new and un-
used wrinkles. He leaned upon his gun
and laughed. which was a most unusual
exercise with himi at least before his
great-grendchildren began to arrive.
..I||| \