Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-12-12
ssAsihtke'G u0n,ents
BY c. M. MORRISON

got crouch 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 40
years he had been pointed out as a
sort of a neighborhood curiosity, "the
man who wouldn't apply for
pension" He would froth at the mouth
every time he saw tax collector,
and it grew to be one battle to get
dime out of him for the uses and
purposes of the state"
He stood off every driver" that
came along during the late unpleas-
antness. and they finally let him alone.
He stayed holed up right along. He
actually didn't know when the war
began or when 1t ended. He used to
come out of that tangle 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
gruits.
Nobody. knows how he first. learned
chat one Of his sisters boys had been
over there and had come back with
medal or two, one from the war de-
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 so
many Americans lost their lives.
And nobody knows when old Billy
Gilligan got hold of that lad and car
ried him off to the old rattletrap Of
house back Of the apple trees and the
brush and sat there all night by the
old fireplace learning that there had
boon about the biggest war that the
Gt5rs ever looked down on.
1t was long about Christmas when
old Billy rounded Up the lad, seeming
ly He kept him up there for a day
or so. iust naturally soaking in every
,h:Sg that the 10y told him. 1t must
have been an awful jolt to get tho full
story and the full horror and the I'M
Outstanding of all those anxious days
that the rest of the world had been
trying to stand up under day at q
time for the full four years.
tisa fair guess that the danger that
the one lad had gone through, the
horror of the U-boats, the landing in q
strange country. the desperate pushes
against desperate and strange en-
envy who fought with fire and poison,
must have stirred the cid 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 a man without country
all these years. And while he had been
up there the nation, the same nation
for which he had fought a full half
century ago, had been going ahead and
growing and extending its power and
its principles.
He must have done lot Of mighty
solemnly serious thinking for a 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 strange turn.
It happened to be Christmas Eve when
he came into town. That was not a
habit of his. 1t is doubtful II the old
est inhabitant recalled seeing old Billy
on the streets at that particular time.
He came like man in hurry and
with his mind made up, and came up
to the post office steps. There was
big crowd there, and he hesitated
minute and crossed over to the bank.
"Have you got any blanks for me to
take out Liberty B6nds?" he said when
he had reached the window. The as
sistant cashier rubbed his eyes and
stared. "Why no, Mr.. Gilligan," he
stammered, "the loans are all over
long time ago. Didn't you know
that?"
INOO, idltCiCQ thC Oio AissH wv 49,
window. II didn't. You see-well, l
have been fool. / didn't understand
about. this war and wouldn't let any
body tell me.i Now, II 1t amt too late
| want your help. You see, ] heard a
lot Of things recently.
That boy, George, he is back and he
has been telling me about this whole
thing. / simply didn't know, that was
oil. And now the old government has
made man and soldier and a better
American than I am out of him. And
1t put medal on him, medal that
he deserves.
II tell you, sir, that it is a square
government and the best that there
is on this earth. 1t came in and 1t
stopped the Kaiser, and-pow men can
go on living and having chance at
happiness. fought against slavery
- a. \.