Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-05-26

There was, once upon time, Q very
nice young Hessisn sergeant who, while il
command of picket dowp in Shenandoah
Valley, gradually became aware that there
vas very pretty girl in the habit Of pase
ing quite promiscuous' while he was on
past.
Very pretty girls. indeed, were all three
Of the Miss Jeffs. Dark of hair, bright OIL
eye, and keen of wit, they knew the rulet
Of coquetry from Alpha to Omega, better
than they did their prayers, and took in
terest in observing their practical effects.
The family lived just inside our lines
and were neutral-thst is to say, they bad
two brothers with Ashby. and used to sell
meals, etc., (etc., in Virginia, generally
means whiskey, to our officers and soldiers,
at about ten times their real value, all the
while wishing this horrid war would
cease
Our young sergeant's natural modes.
ty having been overcome with great
difficulty, he speedily became quite init.
mate, not to say gallant, with the young
lady and her sisters.
Why, shouldn't he, pray He had not
seen white female iD three months who
had not scOwled or spat at him but once,
and she threw q brick--a sort of thing
which though amusing at first, grows tire:
some BY repetition; so that when he met
two gOOd-looking feminiEes, who did Meth.
er, he was fascinated.
Though he took his meals at their house
lat so cents each, and made himself gen.
orally agreeable, to the best of his ability,
our sergeant never forgot that he had com.
mQnn nC a. lIwy ln.na -
out purposely to give timely warning of an
expected raid on the station, and never
LETT the road without posting force too
strong 70 be cut OF by a cavalry dash be-
fore 81 alarm could be given, and would
not leave his men after dusk for oil the
beauty of Virginia.
After declining several invitations to
spend the evening, q few days before the
time of his return, he received most pres.
sing invitation to bring his men to partake
of dinner prepared by the Miss Jeffs.-
They had behaved SO gentlemanly, so un>
like the usual coarse mercenaries, that re-.
ally they must accept of our hospitality
And you will come, know
Who could resist such speech, accom-.
panied as it was with a blush and look
which would have brought Gen. Wool him
self on his marrow bones?
But can't leave the road unguarded.
My orders are"
oh never mind that. Isn't the road in
sight from here9 Why can't Won leave
enc man, and bring the rest mp? There
is no danger in the middle of the dsy, to
be so much afraid of. This is Northern
courage. is it p with q snuff highly derog-
etOry to the aforesaid Northern produce
ton.
OF course, it was the old story over Sam.
son and Delilah; and this speech, with q
little mere wheedling, produced an accep-
lance of the Invitation and the sergeant,
after taking short leave Of the family in
general in the parlor, and long and affec-
tiOnate one Of Miss JEFF in particular, on
the stairs, effected retreat.
'Flattering, isn't it, that she should take
such great interest in me- he soliloouiz-
ed. But then to ask the men! am
blessed if can see through il, anyhow
And be fell into brown study, from which
he was startled by whisper.
'Massa-Massa Sergeantv
E The sergeant started. looked around
aud half drew bis revolver, but seeing moth
ing but juvenile darkey enconsed in m
angle Of the worm fence, he thrust it back
again.
Halo, Nick, you imp of darkness !! he
cried, recognizing one of the house.ser-
wants of the Jefs, upon whom he had be-
slowed several small favors.
Step here, Massa Sergeant. Don't let
no one see you, and I'll tell you somefn.'
a long and anxious confab ensued, in.
terspersed with considerable cursing on the
part of the military gentleman, at the
end of which the sergeant took his way to
camp instead of the post, in a etudv far
browner than that from which he had so
recently emerged.
At precisely noon of the next dav. a
look into the dining room of the Jeffs
would have disclosed the sergean. and,
with one exception, the entire picket un.
der his command, sitting at the table. their
arms stacked IN the hall, making an on.
Get before which the dinner vanished like
chat before the wind.
One hour passed.
Suddenly steps were heard on the piez-
"a.
Don't disturb yourselves said one of
the ladies, going to the window. Its only
some Of the niggers.'
I won't,' replied the Sergeant, with o
tender glance.
The steps came on the stairs-up them ::
the Young ladies glanced uneasily around,
but the Sergeant never stirred. There
was a stir in the hall, followed BY q sud-
den rush, and about twenty five of Ashby's
cavalry made their entree, with an utter
disregard to the proprieties of life and the
presence of ladies.
You may IS we'll give yourselves up
quietly smiled the Surgeant's (i) con-
quest to her adorer and his followers, who
were consulting in the corner to which
they had retreated. MY brothers always
treat their prisoners well, and we have
your guns
well. darned if ever I saw such peri.
dy ? cried the Sergeant, throwing his hat
from the window 10 q rage.
Give me Eve minutes to collect myself,
Lieutenant turning to the commander Of
the troops-'and I'll tell you what I'll
do
All right, my boy-take SIX returned
the young lady's brother, in the most good.
natured manner, sitting down and pitch
ing into the dinner like q half-starved
dragon as he wss--an unceremonious ex-
ample, which was initiated by his follow.
ers.
Five minutes passed. A tramping was
heard outside.
Darn those horses exclaimed Lieuten-
ant JEFF, with his mouth full Of corn bread
and broiled chicken. There's no guard
there. Tom, 60 down and see if they're
getting uuhitched'
Tom filled his mouth full Of the same
article, picked up his carbine, and started.
Keep me some fodder, Lieutenant.
am -. What the deuce is -
Bang!
Blue wreaths of smoke circle into the
room ard sluggishly roll upward, and Tom
pitches heavily forward, with a bullet
through his brain, never more to rise,
while several 6lss of the 29Sth Reg't em.
erged from the smoke and marched over
him, their muskets at charge and at the
same time each of the nick ats ~ the okhar