Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1922-10-12

The following is from Mrs. ]. /.
had adorned the form of her grand
mother when in the village of Wash
ington she waltzed with Lafayette.
During a lull In the music-measured
capering tall, handsome young man,
garbed in the fashion of the day,
passed with long and careless strides
from one end of the saloon and out
toward the, upper deck,
!. Admiring eyes were bent upon him;
and one lady turned to her partner
ard said:
"Oh. please, Colonel tell me who he
is"
The Colonel placed his right hand
on the bogam Of his ruffIcd shirt and
bowed Miss Lucy" he said, 'it would
be one of the satisfactions Of my life
to crafty your more than natural
curiosity, but that pleasure is denied
me. I emit tell you who he is.''
And then--because the Colonel had
sighed his own sentimental distress in
the presence of Miss Lucy and because
her curiosity concerning the young
stranger stirred a jealous qualm-he
added: "He looks like a Yankee to
me-"
4 The young man was Yankee. And
because he was journeying to the
: South upon grim and terrible mis-
sion, the gayeties Of the ballroom had
! grated upon him and he had sought
the solitude Of the upper deck. Yet
1t was this moment that Fate chose
to bring him face to face with one
+ who was to change the whole course
of his life.
For as he turned into long pas
sageway, afiame with light but de-
serted. there, suddenly entered at the
4 far end a girl thrilling In litheness and
almost barbarie. In dress. In swift uH-
conscie ieGsfiess Of him she approached,
"A great handful Of roses Ia red glare
hiding her features. She lowered her
! hand ne caught fullsiew Ok her face
and II seemed to him that his heart
ceased to beat, like D pendulum caught
and halted, then thrown again into
\ motion. She did not look at him as
he slowly passed her. He gased into
!, her eyes as she bent them upon the
roses held out In front Of her; and
then he wheeled about to follow her.
4. She turned into a cross-passage, was
gone; he ran to the entrance, but she
4 had vanished.
4 In the young mans heart was a
struggle to call her. but there was no
appropriate word; and then sobered,
the Yankee smiled at himself But the
smile did not balm his delicious
Z wounds, and he continued his search
! into the ballroom. There were many
\ handsome women, bellies Of proud viii
lagos, but to none did he give sec
ond glance. Again he passed out to-
ward the upper deck.
For a time he stood gazing down
upon the never-soIved mystery of night
on the Mississippi. The fiddles were
going again, and, he heard slippered
feet whispering over the floor, but II
seemed to him that this scene of gay
ETY. was forced, like melancholy
laugh; 1t reminded him Of book of
poems in tatters, of love-letter in
faded ink.
Built about one of the smokestacks
was a shanty of boards called the
"dog house" Turning corner of the
shanty, the young man stumbled
against some one; man growled in
resentment.
II beg your pardoni"
\ II should say you dor A young
8 fellow OF unusual height and Of hui
morous sliimness came forth out Of the
shadow. The boat was landing, and
a turpentine-torch on the shore re-
vealed him, pale and long Of face,
with collar cut low and chin standing
high.
eyes. sir,' he added, "and although
. 1t may not be necessary on this occa-
sion, vet II you knew who am, you
would apologize some more"
{ "Ah, you don't sayl'' replied the
! Yankee, smiling. "And as you seem
to be fond Of the music Of apology,
will you please tell me who You are X
II can do that easy enough, but !
don't wish to frighten you"
'sYou are considerate. But the fact
is I rather enjoy the sensation Of
fright
"Then tremble; am Liberty Shot
I. tie"
''WAat, you don't mean that you are
! really Liberty Shottlei"
''I swear I'LL
'sWeIl, welll And now will you
please eniiGhten me as to who Liberty
Shottle isa And why do you suppose
that people who have heard Of you,
J tremble In your presence2 What have
] you done?g
aSir, modesty puts q clamp on me.
And now would you mind tell
! ing me your nameY
s'Not at all NY name IL Virgil
! Drace.n
'sYou don't say? Wen. we'll But !
never heard of you. ether New they
I laughed, the Joyous and unsuspicious
rnlrth of youth They stood looking
ff5anfinund