Year: 1864

rael was in the yard grooming father
old war horse, which he had been com,
PEELED to go with father through all bis
campaigns to take charge of; for the
frey, and proud old fellow would never
let anybody but his master, the Colonel,
and his son Israel, mount or come near
him, though he had now got so much
tanned down by old age that he would be-
have quite decently with me or anybody.
I was in the house with my mother, who
happened to be unusually downcast that
!. day, and was brooding over our family
i, embarassments, and hadjust been saying
"No, no, Seth, can never pay, nor,
with our means, hardly hegin to pay,
this dreadful morgtage. And as [ hear
it is about to be foreclosed, we must now
soon be driven from our pleasant home,
where we have lived SO long, and, until
your fathers death, SO happily. My
husband, the Colonel, fought as well as
the bravest of them, and did all he could
and more than his part, for the good
cause, they all are willing to allow; and
I know very well that he wore himself
out in the service, and was thus brought
to premature grave. And yet here is
his family almost on the verge of beg
gary


''Tears here started in mothers eyes,
which so touched Inc that [ rose and
went and looked out Of the window,
when, to my surprise, I saw entering the
yard two well mounted stranger gentle
men, whom, from something about their
general appearance, [ took to be old
military officers of pretty high rank-or
at least, one Of them, who was large and
had very commanding look. Having
Significantly beckoned mother to my side,
she eagerly gazed out at the new conner
moment in silence, when she suddenly
gave start, and, with an excited air,
exclaimed


"Seth just take notice Of that noble
looking one ! Why he looks ever so
much like the picture I once saw Of
But no that surely can't be !"


"Well, at any rate, mother, he must
be man of some consequence; for see.
brother Israel, who acts as if he knew
him, is swinging his hat from his head
away at arms length, and bowing lower
than he would to king Israel is quite
too stiff necked to do that for any COM
mon man. But they are beginning to
talk. [ will just open the door, a little
mite, and perhaps we can hear what
they are saying"


[ did so and the first words [ distin-
guished were those Of the person who
had so attracted our attention, and who,
addressing my brother, and pointing to
the horse, by the side Of which he was
standing, asked:


''Is not that the horse Col. Warner
used to ride in the war;"


It is, Your Excellency," replied my
brother Israel, again bowling low and
very respectfully.


"Ab, yes, I thought SO, resumed the
former, turning to his companion, or at
tache, and pointing to the old war steed
with that interest with which he was
known ever to regard fine horse. 81
thought it could be no other. Just
glance at his leading points shapely
head, arched neck, deep chest, launches
and limbs. I have seen Col. Warner
riding him on parade, when [ noted him
as rare animal, and thought that the
horse and the rider, taken together-for
Warner was a model Of a figure, and sew
eral inches taller than [ am-made a
military appearance second to none in the
Continental army. But my business is
with your mother, my young friend, and
I will now, if you will take charge ofmy
horse few minutes, go in at once to see
her"


Hearing this announcement, mother
and | hastily retreated to our former
seats, and, with the curiosity and excite
ment Of what we had witnessed natural
ly raised in US, silently awaited the entry
Of the expected visitor. We had been
thus seated but two or three minutes,
before he came in, and, bowling gracious
ly to my mother, said:


Il take this to be Mrs. Warner, the
widow of my much esteemed friend, the
late Col. Warner, of the Continental
army


at is sir" she replied tremulously.


"Will you permit me to introduce my
self to you, madam ~ he resumed with,
that winning sort of dignity | had noticed
from the first Il am Gen. Washington.
And after I arrived in this section of the
country, few days ago, [ made and
[ hope you will pardon me the liberty |
took with your private afairs-I made
some inquiries about you and the situa-
ton of your family: when learning, to
my deep regret, that your late husband,
in consequence of his long continued alb
sence from his home and business, while
in the service of his country, and his
subsequent shattered health, resulting
from the hardships Of war, left you la
boring under pecuniary embarrassments,
| was prompted to come and see you
81 had little dreamed Of such an hon