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About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1895)
V 4 RIVATE BY CAFT. CRAWFORD. (CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.) CIIAl-ViK HI. A few'days niter their first meeting, while the soldier artist was near the same spot making a . sketch of Mount Soledad. a prominent peak of the San Andreas range, Aliee came upon him again, Long before she reached the spot where he sat she had seen him bending over his work. With girlish impulsiveness she determined to en deavor to learn something of him, and rode directly up to him. "If I disturb yon, you must frankly tell me so and I will go away," she said. "I sketch a great deal myself, and naturally take a deep interest in an art I love so well." "You do not disturb me in the least, Miss Sanford, he replied. "As but a private soldier I deem it an honor that ' the daughter of my commander should take an interest in my poor efforts. And you, also, are of artistic tastes? Bo you not find rare subject matter for your pencil in this wildly beautiful country?" "O, yes. indeed I do. I have many sketches I have "made about the fort. " and many more from rarely beautiful spots in the mountain ranges here abouts. You are sketching Soledad, I see. May I look at it?" "It is scarcely started yet," he re plied, "but as you are an artist I need ' . not point out to you what it lacks to . complete it." Sh crnzerl nnnn tho nw'tiiro with great interest, fJr every bold stroke of the pencil and every delicate shade " proclaimed a master's hand. For some moments she stood in rapt admiration, her lips parted and her bright expres sive eyes drinking in every detail of the young artist's .work. "Your work is that of the finished artist," she said. "Where di'd you learn this?" "At my home in a far eastern state. I developed a taste for drawing when but a child, and every facility for ad vancement in the art was placed at my disposal. In both drawing and paint ing I had the best instructors to be found, in the country." "And now you are "Sow I am Private Brown, an en listed man of D troop. Sixth cavalry," he replied, with a sad smile. She looked into his eyes with a puz zled expression, followed by a shadow SHE GAZED rPOX THE PICTCBK WITH GBEAT JSTEKEST. of pain, as her father's words were re called, the romance of crime. "Mr. Brown, I cannot understand. I I hope" He divined her thoughts in an in stant and quickly responded: "Xo, Miss Sanford, not that. I know what you would say. It is too true " there are many soldiers in the army who enlisted to escape punishment for crime, but I can truthfully assure you that I never committed a crime in my life. I confess that the position in life in which I am placed is not of my own choosing, that my servile lot is dis tasteful to me, yet with uplifted hand I gave myself to my country for five 'yeare. and I will faithfully fulfill that obligation no matter how sorely the . . task may conflict with my own person al inclinations. In the ranks of life you occupy a sphere far above my pres ent one, Miss Sanford, yet you need not fear being tainted by holding con verse with Private Brown." "I do sincerely crave .your forgive ness," she warmly exclaimed. "It was but a passing thought, and even before yon interrupted me your eyes told me the suspicion wronged you. But it surely could have been no ordinary cause that induced you to enter the army?" "It was a result of youthful folly, Miss. Sanford. I owe my present con ' dition in life entirely to my own youth ful folly." "You excite my curiosity, Mr. Brown, and a woman's curiosity, when not gratified, is like a rankling thorn in her side, you know. Will you not trust me with your story? Perhaps I may be able to assist you. My father is the commanding officer, you know, and will grant any reasonable request I may ask of him. I might be able to se cure your discharge from the service and enable you to return to a life for which you are better fitted than you are to 'perform the duties of a private soldier." "In seeking to learn my history I am sure you are actuated only by pure womanly sympathy. I thank you for this, thank you most sincerely, but I cannot consent to you making an ef- . fort to secure my discharge. I have ac .cepted the condition in which I am - placed as a deserved punishment for p BROWN wrong doing ajut as a severe school to n-ach mc the right, and under no cir otunstanccs would I have my term of enlistment shortened one single day." Alice looked into his eyes for a mo ment, and then began a new scrutiny of the sketch. Iter thoughts were not i;;iu the pieture, however. She was .''.e bating in her own mind the pro priety of pushing her inquiries further. She was burning with curiosity not un mixed with sympathy to learn why a man of his acq,uhcnientsaml unmistak able relinemeiit should be found in such humble position. After a few mo rifcnt.s' rolled ion. daring which he watched her face with growing intcr rt. she sprang from her saddle to the proncd. and requested him to tighten the girth. While he was doing s6 she said: It may be presumptuous for mo to do ( so. Mr. lirown. but I must ask you a question even at the risk of being thought impertineut. When I tell you I am greatly astonished to find one of your qualifications among men so far, beneath you in intellect and refined tastes, I feel that you will see in my interest some palliation for my action. May I venture to ask if there is a secret connected with the cause of your thus banishing yourself from the ranks of life in which you are fitted to move?" "I fully appreciate the spirit of curi osity which prompts the question. Miss Sanford, and I really regret that my reply mav deface any romantic mental mctnre vou mav have drawn of me. I have, nothing to conceal from the world." "Then will you not tell me some thing of yourself, if your story lie one you can properly intrust with a stranger? I ask for no confidence. Mr. Hrown, and 'assure you that curiosity alone feeds my nature with, perhaps, a feeling of friendly sympathy for a fellow artist." ) He reflected a moment with down- j east eyes, then looking in her face re- j plied: i "I will tell you my story, though it j may lessen me in your esteem, and un-' dermine any good opinion yo-.i may ' hr.ve formed of me. It can be told in a ; very few words. In the first place, my ; name is not lirowu.' ,' "I was very sure of that." she saiil , with a suuny smile. "Brown is too ; common a name for such an uncommon ' man." ' "And yet illustrious men have borne ', it. I recall one long since dead whose tireless soul with knapsack strapped ! upon its back is yet r.-p-:rie.l 1 on an extended march. My true name is Edward Thornton. 1 assumed the ! name I now bear when I enlisted. ! "My mother died when I was but a ' year old and a few mmt'.is later myj father followed her. leaving me in the care of a very wealthy aunt in the city ' of Brooklyn. X. Y. She was my! father's only sister, and took me to her j own luxurious home and reared me as . her own child, lavishing upon me her j deepest love. I was all she had to love, j and from childhood the dear, good j woman fairly idolized me and gratineu mv every wish. When I reached a proper age competent teachers wer-s i secured for me. and. developing a love for study, I progressed so rapidly that ' at the early age of seventeen I was the ' possessor of a liberal education and j fitted to fill a responsible position in the business world. As I lx-'ore told 1 you, I acquired a deep love for drawing ', and painting, for which I am now truly 1 thankful, for the or.ly real pleasure I ; now derive from life I find amid these i westera solitudes with my sketch book J and pencils. s "When my education was completed ' my good aunt supplied me liberally with money, and in her solicitui.e lor my j pleasure and enjoyment paid little at-; tention to my moral training. I was! of a lively, fun-loving disposition, and in choosing my companions I selected kindred spirits who. would join me in any-wild lark that premised sport. One night at a banquet given in hon or of the birthday of a young lady friend of my aunt I listened to the smiling entreaties of the fair hostess to drink her health, and accepted from her hand my first glass of wine. Ah! Miss San ford, the first downward step toward tb depths of drunken dejrrndution is i taken at the invitation of a often thoug-htless fair woman with a plass of j sparkling- wine in her jeweled hand, j when she little dreams that what she re- ; i i.... -. .i : n ... . . i, t l ; t 1 is the seal of doom upon a life that mipht otherwise be bright ami useful..' The wine seemed to flood my soul with its rosv warmth and to quicken my senses. and other draughtsof the ruby liquid fol- j lowed until I was taken home m a car riage supported in my aunt's arms, in a state of stnpid intoxication. 'When I came down from my cham ber the next morning' feeling as puilty as a feloa approaching' the bar of jus tice, my aunt met me with a smile, playfully eluded me for having taken just a drop too much, and cautioned me to be careful and not in future overesti mate my bibulous powers. That same night 1 again sought the false cheer of the wine cup. "Lower and lower I went in my downward course, the demon of drink sinking its poisonous talons deeper and deeper into my soul. No word of re buke ever fell from my aunt's lips. She continued to keep my purse well filled, the good creature believing my crop of wild oats would soon be sown and I would then settle down into respect able, sober manhood. "Two years ago this very daji the date is a notable one to me, for it is the second anniversary of my enlist mentI went on a carouse with a couple of my boon companions. In a saloon in Xew York we met a sergeant of artillery, then attached to a recruit ing ollice in that city, lie was a hand-, some, dashing young fellow and I at once took a great fancy to him and nsked him to join us in our revels, lie tiring to a private room in the rear of the saloon I ordered wine, and we were soon deeply under the inlluejice of the seductive liquor. Our potations grew deeper and deeper until my two com panions fell into a drunken sleep in their chairs. . "The sergeant then suggested a walk, but I told him that gentlemen of our standing should ride, and I ordered a carriage and we drove away.' We stopped at various drinking places about the city, and I became wild with my frequent potations and ready to second any proposition that the ser geant might make. " 'Come and enlist with me. old fel low,' he said, "You will have, nothing to do but wear a uniform and hang around with me looking for recruits, and we will have a glorious time in this guy city.' "In my irresponsible state I agreed to his proposition and ordered the driv er to take us to the street and the num ber he named. I have a dim. indistinct recollection of ascending a stairway supported by the sergeant, of him' tell ing me to give the name of Richard lirown, of replying to some questions propounded by an officer, and then of raising my hand and taking an oath. A few moments later, with u lot of men, I was taken to a boat and helped on board, and there I fell into a drunken sleep. CHAPTER IV. "I awoke the next morning in a long room filled with men. and in answer to j rough sl,liers will lie a cheering re my queries was told that I was on flection as I plod or in submission to Governor's island and was an enlisted man in the United States army. You can imagine my amazement at this startling revelation. I walked about the room in a half dazed condition, my l,''r yet prostrate from the ca rouse of the previous day. During the forenoon I was supplied wit li the uni form and necessary outfit of the private soldier, and was notified that I had been assigned to II troop. Sixth caval--ry. and would start for the far western frontier on the following morning, f "After donning my uniform I walked 1 down to the water's edge an I sat down on a dismantled cannon to reflect on ' my mad action. My brain .veined to ! have shaken off the grip of the liquor ! which had lieen the cause of placing me j in such a distressing position, and I than!; lifxl that I was able to bike a philosophic view of the matter. Kre I left the spot I Ivgan to look upon my enlistnicn as a blessing. I reasnm-d that had I continued to pursue the downward course into which I had fallen I would sink lower and lower and one day fill a drunkard's grave In the United States service I would be under restraint an l 1c far re moved from lae temptations of a great city and from the compa;;ii.::s who were fast leading me toward utter ruin. In the service 1 could teform. and by contact with hardships and pri- r A r J ;f i't .( U'h ' "Sr" -y 'M6?2fTirr"-- I SAT DOWN OS A ll"dAXTLED CAXSO.V. rations fit myself to cope with the roupher aspects of life hhouUl fortune ever desert me. Then and there I , firmly resolved to serve faithfullv for the term of my enlistment. "I did aior. Miss Sanford. I swore in the presence of Almiirhty God and of the spirit of my angel mother m Heaven that as long as I should live not mother tlrop of intoxicating liquor should ever pass my lips." The impulsive girl reached forward and grasped his hand, the tears stream- J ing down her cheeks. She essayed to speak but could not. and dashing the tears from his own eves he continued: "With these resolutions firmly im planted in my mind 1 returned to the i barracks with a lighter heart, and :.wrote a lonir letter to my aunt in which i called into requisition all mv powers of vlonticnce to convince her that it was all for the K-st. and that my moral salvation was the stake for which I was playing. 1 consoled the dear old woman as K-st I could, and promised her thut if tJod spared our lives I would return to her at the ex- nlmfi.in f mr t.irm nf .n!kliitint !W H man of whom she could lie proud. I did not tell her of my assumed name nor of my destination, for I well knew she would spend her entire fortune, if necessary, to secure my release. "I was sent to the west with other nn.l t he cvnfrienif s of mv two vocik i.rvia linrM )"ufn litis t Vl cimt n th.!e of other cavalrv soldiers at a! frontier post. I have tried to faithful ly perform every duty assigned me, and from the fact that I have never re ceived a reprimand from those in authority I am led to believe 1 huvc been a good soldier. 'That is my story. Miss Sanford. You may now understand my motive when I repeat to you that under no circumstances would I have you make an effort to secure my discharge." Alice had listened to his recital with the deepest interest, and at its conclu sion she again extended her hand and said: "Mr. Thornton, I respect and honor you. Your determination to do your duty faithfully and to bury your in clination to lead a dissolute life in the hardships and rigors of service in the army is a noble one. I pray God that your futnre may shine out all the more resplendent from such a dark back ground. There is. I hope, no shadow of deceit in my nature, and I frankly tell you that I believe you to be a true, honest and upright man whose heart is swayed by the most noble impulses, even though you may wear the garb of a private soldier. I mil glad I met you, and I shall highly prize .your friend ship and will do all I can to lighten the dark hours of your service. You must call upon me at my home and "Pardon the interruption, Miss San ford, but you have forgotten my station in life in your sympathy for the unfor tunate man. In your kindness of heart you lose sight of the fact that Col. San ford would never permit a private sol dier to enter his house, unless in the j line of military duty." j A shadow flitted over her bright j young face, and in a tender tone of i voice she replied: . i "Yes. 1 had forgotten. In contcmplat- ! ing the man my eyes were closed to his j station in life. What you say is but too true, l'npa is unflinchingly firm in his ideas of the impregnability of the so cial barrier which separates the men in the ranks from those in official life. Yet I hope to see you frequently when J you are out sketching. 1 feel a very i deep interest in yon, Mr. Thornton, and I do trust unclouded happiness 1 may dawn upon you and ever remain with you at the close of your army life." j "liod bless you for your cheering j words," he warmly responded. "They j touch my heart with thrilling tender- ! ness. and the knowledge that I possess j one friend above the ranks of the I my self-imposed penance. I shall look up to your sympathy as a bright star J illumining the dreary days ot my term I of service, and the knowledge that you , are watching me with friendly interest j will lighten cveryuneongenial duty im- posed upon mc." "Your term of service will soon pass. : and it must lie a cheering reflection to : you that you will then return to the enjoyments of civil life and to the so- ; oiety for which you are so well fitted, f I feel that a bright future lies liefore . you. Mr. Thornton, and ou will appro- ciave the blessings of life all the more : with this experience to look back upon. ; But 1 must go now. Papa will become i uneasy at my long absence. Will you ; kindly assist me to mount my pony?" With his aid she sprang lightly into the saddle, ami once more extending ' her hand said: j t;ood-hy. I thank you for the pleas ure your sketch afforded me. You must let me see it when it is com-' pleted." ' I "l would be only too happy if you would accept it as a gift. ood-by, and may the Master above bless you for the light you have brought into my , distasteful life." With a smile and a farewell wave of , the hand she was off at a brisk gallop, ; but soon drew in h-r pony and permit- ' ted him to walk leisurely toward the i fort. Private Brown had strangely im pressed her. and as she rode along vshe endeavored to analyze her feelings toward him nt:d determine what it ws Unit caUM.il her t- feel such a deep interest in the handsome young soldier. In her garrison life she had met but few .young men. and these were mxtly nilieorsof "he army. Tni.v I licv wero r!tshed irentlemen i :.... i .. .1 ; . . ; !..; .. .1.... . ami inii i it ,,:- , j.., its ,iicm ... ... r toward lu-r. yet in the actions of arh she ronld iiscrve an air of disci- plined itigniiv that sccnied to cast a chill ovi-r his social qualities. ' and -ven impart an icv ring to his langh- er when calk d upon to do honor to a refined joke or sally of wit- In lri ; vate Brown she read a noble nature. unselfish and devoid of nr.ght but man ' ly pride, a nature luminous with the gold of se'.f-saerilieing heroism in his battle with life. She saw in him a ' gentleman of culture a man as great ly out of place in his present position as a diamond in the filth of the gutter. She recognised 'n his every action a courtly mien which could not be hid- J den beneath the blue blouse of the j ; lower ranks. She found herself draw- j ; ing comparisons between this man of the ranks and the gaudily uniformed 1 officers whora her father had taught her were true gentlemen, and rrivate lirown did not suffer in the least by i the comparison. Uy the time she had reached her home the fact had fixed itself in her mind that she -had, never J before met a man who had so favorably impressed her as this private in the ranks. She dismounted from her ponv and entered the house breathing the fervent wish that military rank were blown awav by the winds, so. she could j meet her new friend on terms of i equality. . ; As for lirown. his heart went away j J with the fair equestrienne. He thought j her the most winsome crcatur.i he bad j ever met. and as he gathered up his j i sketching material and started toward ; i his cheerless quarters the bonds of j ' nrmt u.nfitmU nnt . . t ititvir inli, lti j : soul. COXTIXfED NEXT WEEK. WITH THE WIND. ' 1 Mexican Miners Separated the Gold from j I ho Sand. . Riding near the little plaeer mining settlement Dolores, in .New Mexico, said a returned tourist, according to the New York Sun. I saw two Mexi cans dry washing for gold, and their proceeding struck me as novel and in teresting. They were at work in a dry gulch, without a sign of water in sight, and had brought the auriferous sand in baskets to the mouth of the ravine, where the wind blew strongly down the valley. Their washing ap paratus consisted of a heavy army blanket, in the center of which they placed about a peck of the sand: then, each Mexican taking hold of the blanket by the corners, they tossed the sand high aloft again and again. The wind blew away the line sand, while the heavier particles with the gold fell straight back into the blanket. When at last they paused there re mained in the blanket a double hand ful of gravel and heavy sand, in which glittered a few yellow specks of gold. As we rode on my Mexican driver told me that the two men were probaruy ,.,t,;r- II...... r.- f...... ,l,,ll, n during the' time they .worked, but Hint as soon as tuej' nail maue tneir "clean up'' they would go into Santa l'"e or t'errillos, sell their gold dust and squander the last nickel they had in whisky and monte before they would go back to the gulch to work. What is Castoria Is Dr. Samuel Pitcher's prescription for Infants and Children. 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