Both Sides 
of 
The Shield 
By Major 
ARCHIBALD W. BUTT, 
One of the Heroes of the 
Titanic and President 
Taft's Military Aid. 
Copyright, 1905, by J. B. Lippincott 
company. All rights reserved. 
SYNOPSIS 
“Palmer, a Boston newspaper man, is 
gent to Georgia to report social and indus- 
trial conditions in a series of letters to his 
paper. Colgiel Turpin, a southerner, 
thinks Palmer is a lawyer and has come 
co foreclose the Turpin plantation’s mort- 
gage. 
[CONTINUED.] 
“Are all the plantations about here 
mortgaged?” I asked. 
“Mostly,” he said. “I know my plan- 
tation is, and heavily, too, but most of 
the planters don’t like to acknowledge 
it. Old Bill Hollins vowed his wasn’t 
for ten years, and then one day a fel- 
low looking about like you came up 
and closed him out. He was so asham- 
ed at being caught in a lie that he 
moved out of the county and has never 
been back since.” 
“IT sincerely hope, sir, that your 
frankness in the matter may be fe- 
warded by an indefinite delay in the 
foreclosure proceedings,’ I said, deep- 
ly touched at the honest avowal of the 
old gentleman, who, I saw, felt much 
deeper on the subject than he would 
have liked me to think. 
“TI don’t know,” he said; “I can’t 
tell. Up to this time Bud has been 
able to meet the interest regularly, 
and as long as he does that I suppose 
we have little to fear.’’ 
P at Oglethorpe. 
“Mighty poor, mighty poor, 
sir—that is, if you stay in the town. 
But if you are going to be long in the 
vicinity you might get board in one of 
the farmhouses outside of the town.” 
I thanked him and then explained 
that I was a writer and that I wags 
collecting material for a story. 
“A book?” he said, showing great in- 
terest at onve and carefully scanning 
my face through his spectacles. 
“Yes,” I answered, which was the 
CHAPTER I}. 
A Guest at the Pines. 
RESHNTLY 
commodations were to be had 
- 
I asked what ac-: 
ST 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
SIf | know’d yer had gists i’d sure have 
brought the coach.” 
truth at least, for I had suddenly con- 
ceived the idea of collecting data for 
a novel. For where else, I thought, 
could there be better characters and 
scenery than right here? My aged 
companion looked thoughtful for a mo- 
ment and then said: 
“May I ask if you have any refer- 
ences or if you know anybody in these 
parts?” 
I mentioned several persons within 
the state whom my father had known, 
and these seemed to satisfy him, for 
he continued: 
“Tf you are of a mind to accept my 
hospitality we will be glad to put you 
up and to share what we have with 
you. I guess Bud would enjoy your 
company, and Ellen and Mary—Mary’s 
my wife, you know—would make you 
welcome.”’ 
“Tt would be a great convenience to 
me,” I said and thanked him, “for I 
know nothing of this country, and you 
seem to be very well acquainted.” 
“T ought to be,’ he said, “for my 
family has been in these parts since 
General Oglethorpe, that great philan- 
thropist and friend of the poor, first 
came to Georgia. The last time he 
came to this country he made my great- 
grandfather’s house his headquarters 
when on his way from Fort Augusta 
to Savannah, Just before the Revolu- 
tion he sent my grandfather a portrait 
of himself in token of the esteem in 
which he held his father. He lived to 
see the colony he had planted become 
an independent state, you know, sir, 
nn 
and he seemed mighty proud of the 
record old Georgia made during the 
war of the Revolution. The Pines, as 
we call our home, was built just after 
his death, and his picture has the place 
of honor in it now. It is a sorry place 
since the Yankees came through here 
and used it as a stable, but we keep it 
with the hope that some day the for- 
tunes of the family may go out of their 
eclipse and that some worthy son will 
arise to restore it to its former posi- 
tion of importance in the common- 
wealth. But what there is left you 
will be welcomed to, my lad.” 
Before I could properly thank him 
the whistle blew and our train pulled 
mito Ugiethorpe. The colonel advanc- 
ed and, calling out to an old negro, 
whom he addressed as Jefferson, or- 
dered him to bring the wagon nearer, 
as there was a trunk to get. 
“If I know’d yer had gists, Mars 
Ge’oge, I'd sure have brought the 
eoach,” said the old darky, looking 
apologetically at the wagon he was on. 
The colonel told him that I was going 
to stay some time and that he “reckon- 
ed” I would know all they had soon 
and so he would not begin by offering 
excuses, 
“By the way, sir,” he said as we 
stepped off the platform, “I have not 
the pleasure of knowing your name, 
though you have heard mine often 
enough this morning.” I hud, indeed, 
overlooked that detail! or ese felt in- 
different to it, but I hanced him my 
ecard, which he read carefully and then 
asked: 
“T reckon you ain't any relation to 
the Palmers of Kentucky. I roomed 
with two men from that state of your 
name years ago when I was at Prince- 
ton.” 
I told the colonel that I was not 
from Kentucky, but thought there was 
some kinship. I had intended telling 
him that the families had never met 
and that in all probability the Ken- 
tucky Palmers would not know of me, 
but I did not finish my explanation, for 
as soon as I mentioned kinship he 
grasped my hand warmly and said: 
“Then, sir, you can make yourself 
at home in my house as long as you 
care to, for there were never two finer 
fellows than those Palmer boys, even 
{ff they did join the Yankee army dur- 
ing the war. I tell you, sir, I am 
proud and happy to entertain one of 
their blood at the Pines. And now, 
Jefferson, drive fast, for we must let 
Miss Hllen know we have a guest.” 
The Pines was a distance of some 
five miles from the town limits. It 
was appropriately named, for after we 
entered the grounds we passed into a 
primeval forest of tall and stately 
Pine trees. The long needles waved in 
the wind, and there was a mournful 
cadence in the branches, different from 
the song we hear in the northern for- 
ests. The ground was covered with 
pine straw, and it might have been 
falling there and ungathered for gen- 
OL A RA A I EE SE NRE ea a NE RT OS Ee 
