The Brinkley argus., 1919-12-11
"Agin the Guuynenf' ''
By C. M. MORRISON.

Somehow or other old Billy Gi1ligan got grouch against these United States back about the time of the panic of 1873. He got the idea that the old U. S. A. had cold-decked him somehow or other, so he sort of be- gan to live by himself over on his old place, that was mostly grown up with briars and unpruned apple trees.
 He had fought in an Illinois regi- ment in the Civil War. But for 70 years he had been pointed out as a sort of neaghborhood curiosity. "the man who wouldn't apply for . pension" He would froth at the mouth every time he saw a tax collector, and 1t grew to b. ono battle to get . dime out of him for the ''usss and purposes of the state'
 He stood on every " driver" that came along during tho late unpleas- antness, and they finally let him alone. He stayed holed' up right Along. He actually didn't know whom the war began or when it ended. He used to come out of that tangie of an old place that he called home and go back in without saying dozen words to any body and what he did say WAS mostly grunts.
 Nobody knows how he first learned that one of his sisters boys had been over there and had come back with . medal or two. orn from the war 6e- partment of the United States and another one that the French general pinned on him one frosty morning over in the Meuse-Argonne sector. where 90 many Americans lost their lives
 And nobody knows when old Billy Gilligan got hold of that 1ad and ear- r1ed him of to the old raktletrapdOf . house back of tho apple trees and t1e brush and sat there all night M thu old fireplace learning that there haA been about the biggest war that the stars ever looked down on.
 <. It was long about Christmas whom old Billy rounded up the lad. seeming ly. He kept him up thers for : day or 50, just naturally soaking in every thing that the boy told him. It must have been m awful jolt to ct the full story and the full horror and the un- derstanding of all those anxious days that the rest of the world had been trying to stand up under . day at a time for the full four years.
 It is fair guess that the danger that the one lad had gone through, the horror of the U-boats, the landing in a strange country. the desperate pushes against desperate and strange en- emy who fought with fire and poison. must have stirred the old man out of his calloused shell that the years had built around him.
 Seemingly it stirred something in his old heart and brain that had been slowly dying since the days of 1865. He had been man without a country all these years. And while he had been up there the nation. the same nation for which he had fought full half century ago. had been going ahead and growing and extending It's power and it's principles.
 = solemnly serious thinking for day or so. The boy had gone back to his mothers home and old Billy had been left alone to sit before the ancient fireplace and mediate on what had come to pass.
 His thinking took a strange turn It happened to be Christmas Eve when he came into town. That was not 8 habit of his. It is doubtful if the old est inhabitant recalled seeing old Billy on the streets at that particular time He came like a man in 8 hurry and with his mind made up. and came ur to the post office steps. There was big crowd there, and he hesitated a minute and crossed over to the bank Have you got any blanks for me tc take out Liberty Bonds" he said when he had reached the window. The as sistant cashier rubbed his eyes and stared. "Why no, MT Gilligan," he stammered, "the loans are all over . long time ago Didn't you know that"
 "Noo." faltered the old man at the window. T didn't. You see--wcll, have been a fool. didn't understand about this war and wouldn't let any body tell me. Now, if 1t ain't too lats I want your help. You see. l heard { lot of things recently.
 That boy. George, he is back and he has been telling me about this whole thing. l simply didn't know. that wal all. And now the old government has made man and soldier and . bette, American than am out of him. And it put a medal on him, medal thai he deserves.
 T tell you, sir, that it is a square government and the best that there is on this earth. It came in and il stopped the Kaiser. and now men car 60 on living and having chance al happiness. I fought against slavery that boy and other boys have beer | fighting against the same thing. The government hadn't changed. It was mo And n0w sir fan't therA some