Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-23
From the Metropolitan Record.
,,r7~~ B IL l. A Rp7 ~ Sr
Returns to the Eternal City and meets his
Old Friend, Big John.

anu ueuu uotScS seen on our JouTuey W tut etefuu
City. shall not allood to it now, only to remark
that our comm back were not sol hasty ms our
leayin. It was in the dead of winter, through
snow, and through sleet, over creeks without
bridges and bridges without floors, through n de-
serted and desoiate land where no foosterwas left
to crow, no pg,to squeal, no dog 70 bark, where
the ruins of happy homes adorned The way, and
ghosay chimpeys stood up like Shermaps seutine!s
guardin the ruins he had made A litte one hos
consern containeitte iaighth Of my worldly posses
sons, consistin OF numerous and lovely wife and
children, and sbuck basket full Of some second
class vittes, Countin our offspring there was
about ten ofus 10, and about and arouhdthe wagin,
thus illusratin what the pr1fet has sed: "One glo
rous hour of crowded life is. worth an age,
without nane," though the glory was hard to
perseeve on such ockashuns,- Mrs,yArp are Of the
opiny oun 4hathcr pcstefty yNwsreliever an hungry
before in their life on that ,dsiyeSsin Journey
and she oneerenMtked that there want nArytrpdof
the road that didn't hear some OF them a hol-
lern for vittes. My wife husband is troobled be-
kause they aint broke Of it yit and it do seem
thst the poorer 4 gitthe more dc vburin pthey boz
KUN, all Of which,wIl esnd in spmthn or other if
sumthin don't happen.
We finally arrived within the presinlsts OF our
lovely home. The ,loop ereaked welcome on
their hinges, the hoppin:bhg cherrrped on the
hearth, and the whstlin wind was sngn the same
about as happy as we were miserable, and when l
remarked tina, General Vandiver, who okkupied
our house, must be a gentleman for not burnin it,
Mrs. Arp replied i--!t i-- -tat
Il wonder what he done with my soing ma
sheen 2,-e.T p 2 ,rTr.cJ ONN - =
lHe didos cot dowa osr shade tree, said, X i
y4My buroes and carpets and crockery are all
gone" said she. .t.
at may be poosibu" sed I, "that the Gen.
rul -" hn2 .EqsN Tsa
"And my barrel of soap;i sed sh@ g0if
at may lbe possihulnased I,g'yhat the Genrul
moved of ourthings TO take keerofi EN- for us -
l recon we'll git eni all back after while" ,,
"After while,p said Mrs. Arp, like an ekko, and
ever since alien when aood to our Northern
brethren she only replies latter WHILE -----
By and BY the skas,ersd ws dsEeu.begsn to drop
in under, the welcum shades d 'our ~sorrowfll
City. 1t wer delightful enj ,yment to greet EN-
home, and listen othe history Of their suferings
and misfortunes. Misery loves company, and after
takn it over and hxin up as big a tale rs anybody.
wer standin one day upon the banks of the injun
river, wonderin in my mind who would come
next TO gladden. our hearts, when | saw the shad-
| der Of an ohjek darknin the sun lit bank. Itwer
not load of hay nor an elefant but shore enuf it
were my friend Big s%ohD a moyp slowly but
surely, to the dug es6t Landing on thcoppdste side
His big round face assomed more lattitood when be
saw me, and without waitin for remarks he sung
out in a voice sonie two slaves deeper than the
Southern HARMONY
"There came to the. beecha poor teriie of Erin. u
snake him .fot" said ], 'iand you'll illihe bill.
Prouder TO see him than a monkey show, ] padded
the dug out over in. double quick ,spd bid him
welcome in the name OF the eternal City and its
humble iuhabitants I soon gothim afloat ID the
little canco, and before was aware of II the water
was sloshing over the gannels at every wabble. -
"Lay downsmy friend" scd T., and oiaid, which
was all that saved us from a watry grave, and the
naboorin farms from inutd hiop!r 1Nhen safely
landed, / found him wedged 10 50 tight that he
couldent rise, so relieved him by q prize witS tie
end Of the paddle. AS his foot touehed the sacred
soil he gently separated his countenance and sung
with feeling melody, ,fyy
Home again--homel again-from furriu shore
The Ya"ks may cnm and the devil too but I'll moi
run any more!I IN diGi1iaH
Reeolektin some skraps Of blank verse myself
I said with much aksept, Tel me thou swift Of
foot-thou modern Asahel-0h tell me where !:
thy chariot and s,eer1 Where didst thou go when
] did see thee driving like Jehu as we did fee for
lifeT -fl - fiftc 'f- 3 il1t.if.-npn {. faafl
an tell you all,p said -he ~ wan, my friend.
to know il! I'm row a man Of whr, sB and I n
glad Of it. I've done the state some servs and she
knows IT. I've handled guns--yes guns s-Aweepin:
1 OF death. I've slept on my arms since seed you
night after night have slept on my arms, with
hundreds of deadly weepins all round me. All
Bill, patriotism is a big thing. When you once
brake the ice great sluccs Of glory MS big as your
arm win iIst spring up like mushrooms in yoii
bnzzum; and make yoh feel like THROWN yoursel
clean away for your country. Let me set down
and I'll tell you all know, Bill but as the feiiei
said in the theater 'when you IN your letters thes,
unlucky deeds relate, speak Of me rs am--noih
ing expatiate nor set Down not in malice.?hsri1 9
"Jest So" sed |, 'sIaaktly-exaaktly 50, Fro
sed, my hero" -y.r.# q. VI s7.-.,g
.awelL you see night after YOU. passed me, my
steer got away. Hang the deceevin beast Y
hunted snarty fos him the next mornin. hut
hunted more forred than BACKWARDS Leavin my
wagin with wilder woman, took il afoot across
the country by q settlement road they called th'
i "cut off," Devil of cut Off to me. brokC
down in sight Of log cabin and never moved I
foot further TINT day. The old man had chunl
OF nag that Worked in slide perswaacd hin
TO haul me to the eend Of the cnt Off and know
he done 1t for fear Id eat up his smokehouse,-
Every now and then he'd look at the old oman
and she'd look at the smoke-house and then lool
at me. But that slidin bisness were the mos
orfullest trnvellin that ever bay had Every tfn'
they pony'd look back he'd stop, and when. hc't
start ngin be give such d Jerk that my contents
were in danger. Ny hoI, broke on one okkashun
a goin down a hill full Of gnes. ] rolled som,
Twenty feet into the edge Of the woods and colcl
up sgin an old pine stump that was full OF yhlic
jackets. Three of the dinged things stung ne be
fore cond RISE but got through, the cut of ant
ieu in with some empty Waslns that was s'amped'r
my way. I tf-gr ~
"Gitiin to Atlspty, fool rrishmas stopd M
rightht the edge Of the town and demanded ",
papers. ddent have no papers. Nobody hs'
ever axd me for papers but he woadent hear sI
argument AS Quarles would say be woplden
5ule ,shse but marched me TO an offs, and Idden
stay there ten minutes wer sent Oh to Dekatu
with some fifty konskripts, who we're all In mourn
IN excepin their clothes ] never seed such pitt
ifll set in all my life. talked with EN- All, am
thar was nary one but what had the dyspepsy o
the swinny, or the 'rumatics or the blind stagers
ior the heaves, or the bumps, or sumthin. Well
, There want none of us discharged, for liere wa
/ bran new orders calling for everybody 20 so TO ih
bitches. As ] couldent walk that fur ] Wa
ordered to Andersouville N guard tie prisoners.
At hiakoo met an old akwaintancs, who was
powerful othrcr aN1 he had me Transferred 10 bi