The Ozark spectator., 1917-01-10

around one another's shoulders, laugh ing at some nonsensical ballad about smoking that MT. Freneau had writ ten"
 "Freneau is our greatest poet" said Harrison. "Surely his beautiful lines on The Indian Burying Ground his exquisite ode to The Wild Honey suckle,' and that matchless dirge for the dead who fell at Eutaw Springs will live forever"
 And in his deep and resonant voice, his face shrouded in the shadows of the veranda, he began to recite that splendid elegy. For while no one spoke. Each was thinking of the shadow of war with England that seemed deepening with the days; of the closer, more terrible shadow of the Indian.
 Someone began to speak of Presi- dent Madison's policy of diplomatic correspondence with England, and his attempts to settle the maritime dis putes peaceably.
 Spier Spencer, the hot-headed-Da- vids host at the tavern-was about to reply that it was more intolerable to endure the insults of Britain than to plunge the country into honorable war, when his young wife and a bevy of radiant women made a sudden rush from within and the gentlemen were led captive to the great silver punch bowl where officiated a grinning, ducking, beruffled darky.
 David was swept into the midst of q group of young people; but the chat ter in his ears ceased, as far as he was concerned, when he saw Toinette radiant among the rest Ike Black ford joined them, and when she had heard what the men had been discuss ing the girl demanded why the two had not yet joined Spencer's company of militia.
 "So you want us to get shot, do you?" leased Blackford. "I know that we're worthless pair, but l didn't think we were that bad"
 "Stop being funny, MT. Blackford; should think you two great, strong men would be eager to enlist and help drive out these terrible Indians for good"
 "Well, I'm as ready as the next man to have the Indians leave us in peace," declared David slowly, but I've never been a soldier and I don't believe that I'd make very good one"
 "Pshawv cried Toinette indignant ly, you're just as able to be sol Cier as anyone in the territory. You are. you know you are"
 Measure US for our collins, David" laughed Blackford, i've may just as well give in to her first as last"
 David laughed too. But he was si- lent, thinking more of Toinette's words than of Blackford's. Ike con- tihued his chaffing:
 "No. we're neither of us soldiers. David's fast becoming the merchant Croesus of the West, and I'm a law yer, though I'd hate to have the late lamented Blackstone hear me say that. He'd roll over. I've spent the best years of my young life cooped up in Judge Fords office in Morris town, wrestling with McNally's | I have been shedding a luster over the social life of New Jersey, and I don't feel as If it would be right for me to throw away all this mighty erudi- tion just to give some red-skinned gentleman the pleasure of wearing the scalp of a future chief justice at his belt. or even the pleasure of my acquaintance. I expect to have very few clients among our red brethren, very few. Somehow, they seem to prefer retaining hatchet, rather than q hatchet-faced attorney. Though, for the matter of that, I don't believe can blame them. Judge Hurst tells me that in spite of all of Governor Harrison's efforts to put the little unpleasantries of the frontier to decision by the courts there hasn't been one white man hanged for the murder of an Indian since the terri tory was begun. and that there never will be.
 "But seriously. Miss O'Bannon"- Blackford went on-"there can't be so great a necessity for drilling around with a lot of militiamen just now, can there? They make me think of Falstaff's opinion of his ragged re- cruits: I'll not march through Gov entry with them. that's flat"
 "NScessity!" cried Toinette. -Oh, you haven't been here long enough to hear the rep9rts of all their crueltiesl Haven't you talked with any of these backwoodsmen whose families have been cut down and massacred and tortured? But I don't care-go on and practice your old law! There'll be plenty of other lawyers to shOul- der gun. If they get killed there'n be just that much more chance for you to succeed"
 Blackford winced. Toinette was so dangerously near angry tears that he was sorry he had tested as he had.