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Article THE MARQUIS AND THE MASON'S WIDOW. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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The Marquis And The Mason's Widow.
" Your good word—nothing else—your good word—that will be all-sufficient . I ' m a widow , left with four sons ; the eldest is an idiot , the two youngest can ' t earn their own bread ; but the second , as steady and good a lad as ever lived , who has kept a home over our heads , and wrought day and niht for usis drawn for a soldier—for a soldier—and his
g , leaving us will be our ruin . " " I cannot help you , " was the Earl's rejoinder ; " if your son has been regularly balloted for and drawn in the militia , he must serve . " The poor mother listened eagerly to the noble ' s answer , and wrung her hands piteously at its close .
" One word , " said she , hoarsely ; " one word from a great man like you would get him off . He ' s not fit for a soldier . He'd work and toil for ever for his poor mother , but as for soldiering—"
" Whether fitted or unfitted for military life , if regularly drawn , he must serve , ' said his Lordship decisively . " Serve ! " exclaimed the poor woman bitterly and vehemently , as if her grief was getting the better of both reason and prudence . "Yes , that ' s the word—' serve . ' My three brothers did so , and fell on the field of battle . My father did
so , and his bones lie in the sands of Egypt . My husband did so , and fell in action at Corunna . Woe ! woe ! that a soldier ' s orphan and a soldier ' s widow , can ' t get a living soul to help her in her deep distress . " " A soldier ' s widow , eh ? " said his Lordship , musingly . " What was your husband ' s name ?"
" Isaac Wardroper . " " Did he ever serve in the 63 rd ?" " He did , and volunteered out of it for foreign service . " " The 63 rd ! I should know something about that regiment ! " returned his Lordship quickly . " I had a company in it ! " Then in more measured tones— " I think I
recollect your husband— -what was his rank ?" " Pay-corporal , " was the reply . " Right , " said his Lordship , " I remember him , a steady , well-conducted man . " Then turning to a party who sat near him , a pinched , screwy-looking body , with not an atom of feeling in his harshwiry countenance ( the veriest tyro in
, physiognomy would have pronounced him a full-blown attorney ) , said in a low tone , " What would a substitute cost 1 Ten , fifteen , or twenty pounds ?" Old Capias vouchsafed no reply , but motioned with em-VOL . in . y
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Marquis And The Mason's Widow.
" Your good word—nothing else—your good word—that will be all-sufficient . I ' m a widow , left with four sons ; the eldest is an idiot , the two youngest can ' t earn their own bread ; but the second , as steady and good a lad as ever lived , who has kept a home over our heads , and wrought day and niht for usis drawn for a soldier—for a soldier—and his
g , leaving us will be our ruin . " " I cannot help you , " was the Earl's rejoinder ; " if your son has been regularly balloted for and drawn in the militia , he must serve . " The poor mother listened eagerly to the noble ' s answer , and wrung her hands piteously at its close .
" One word , " said she , hoarsely ; " one word from a great man like you would get him off . He ' s not fit for a soldier . He'd work and toil for ever for his poor mother , but as for soldiering—"
" Whether fitted or unfitted for military life , if regularly drawn , he must serve , ' said his Lordship decisively . " Serve ! " exclaimed the poor woman bitterly and vehemently , as if her grief was getting the better of both reason and prudence . "Yes , that ' s the word—' serve . ' My three brothers did so , and fell on the field of battle . My father did
so , and his bones lie in the sands of Egypt . My husband did so , and fell in action at Corunna . Woe ! woe ! that a soldier ' s orphan and a soldier ' s widow , can ' t get a living soul to help her in her deep distress . " " A soldier ' s widow , eh ? " said his Lordship , musingly . " What was your husband ' s name ?"
" Isaac Wardroper . " " Did he ever serve in the 63 rd ?" " He did , and volunteered out of it for foreign service . " " The 63 rd ! I should know something about that regiment ! " returned his Lordship quickly . " I had a company in it ! " Then in more measured tones— " I think I
recollect your husband— -what was his rank ?" " Pay-corporal , " was the reply . " Right , " said his Lordship , " I remember him , a steady , well-conducted man . " Then turning to a party who sat near him , a pinched , screwy-looking body , with not an atom of feeling in his harshwiry countenance ( the veriest tyro in
, physiognomy would have pronounced him a full-blown attorney ) , said in a low tone , " What would a substitute cost 1 Ten , fifteen , or twenty pounds ?" Old Capias vouchsafed no reply , but motioned with em-VOL . in . y