, 1842-11-19

towards the lines, as thoucb he in.
tended to return. In COMING in he
unfortunately encountered Arthur
Stuart.
who goes there? SAYS the senti.
mel.
General Putnam was the renIv.
we know no General Putnam
here says the sentinel.
"But ! am General Putnam, bv
tins time growing some what earnest.
Tive me the c~ountersicn,' saws
Stuart.
1t so happened that the officers Of
the army had only a dav or two pre-.
v'"us, adopted a new countersien,
and the General had somehow unac-
countably forgotten what it vas. or
at least could not in this moment of
his extremity call it to mind:-sI have
forgotten it, was the reply.
This is a pretty story from the
lips of General Putnam. You are a
British officer sem over here as a
spy returned Stuart, well knowing
who he was, for the moon was shin.
ing in her full strength, and revealed
TO him the w%eII-known features of
General Putnam; but he held the staff
IN his hand, and he meant for once /,
use it.
4 warrant you thar | am not said
the General, and he made a motion as
though he would pass on.
pass that line, sir. and o are a
dead man. uttered Stuart. at the
same tnm" cooking his gun. The
General continued to pass on. Stop
"her" YOU are. or | will make YOU
stop said the sentinel. The General
dIsregarded him as befare.
Hastily drawing mp his cun. and
taking a somewhat Deliberate ann. he
snapp"d; but the gun. from som. un.
accountable reason or other, refused
TO discharge us contents.
Hold, ho,dr said 'he General.
Il do hold saws Stuart. The unn
L"lds its charge better than meant,
10 have IT, Immediately pruning his
gun for another reacontra.
You are not priming that gun for
me- said tn" General.
That depends entirely on circum-
stances.
warn you once not to pass
the Ines
Bat am your General said Put
NAM.
.ldenv it, said the young man. 'un-
less you give me the counrersign.'
Here the General was blulked.-
He strove with all his might TO recall
the word, but in vain.
sB " said he. do you not know
me! | am General Putnam
A British officer, more like: If YOU
are General Putnam as you say, why
don't you give me the countersisn!
So sure as-l'm my mothers son, if YOU
attempt to pass The lines without CIV
my me the c%ountersign, I'll make cold
meat OF you. | am a sentinel; | know
my duty though there be /, people
in the worM marueH0usIy inclined 10
question it,
At this the General. finding further
useless, desisied, and the boy,
very deliberately shnuldering his gun.
with a creat deal of assumed
hau-htineSs, to pace the ground as
before. Here was the redoubtahle
Gen. Putnam. the hero of IA hundred
BATTLES, kept at bay BY 4 stripping of
seventeen.-This, if we mistake not,
would have formed a good subject for
painters pencil.
Putnam finding that the boy was
IN earnest (for he had just had an a.
arming proof Of it) burst not for his
lfe proceed Il step further. He wait
I'd until Stuart was relieved from his
post by n new sentinel, who finding
hat he was in truth Genera! Putnam,
allowed him 10 pass without the coun-
But the Generals feelings
terribly excited; He knew in
lis Utmost soul that the boy had done
nothing but his duty; still he felt he
lad been most egregiously insulted.
Had Stuart permitted him to pass
without the countersign, and he had
proved to be a British officer, the
10Y, according to the rules of war
would have been shot for his pains.
This was the manner in which Put
lam's intellect reasoned. but his feel
ngs by no means.conincided with his
'eason.
It's n terrible warfare when a mans
ceilings thus come to an open rupture
with his sound judgment, and such
are by no means rare.
Putnam threatened, on returning
o his quarters, to severely punish the
NV. hut after n nIpht'S rest oyar tho