Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-02-09
Bill ArIA Returns TO the Eternal City ana
Meets his Friend Big John.

Uiic Nlttiie isily remarks Ill puUtlh di'one sio
trials and calculations, the losses and crosses,
the buzzards and dead bosses seen on our
journey home to the eternal city. | shall
not allood to It now, only to remark that our
comm back were not SO hasty as our leavln.
It was in the dead of winter, through snow
and throughfect, over creeks without bridges
and bridges without floors, through a desert
ed and desGate land where no rooster was
left to crow, no pig to squeal, no dog to bark;
where the ruins ofhappy homes adorned the
way and ghosty chilnneys stood up Ike Sher-
mans sentinels a guardin the ruins he had
made A little one hos consern contained
the highth efny worldly possessions, con-
sistin of my numerous and lovely wife and
children, and 4 shuck basket full of some
second class ylttels. Countin our offspring
there was about ten Of US in and about and
around that wagin, thus illustratin what the
poet has sed, @+One glorious hour Of crowded
life is worth an age without a name" though
the glory wereha to purseeye on SIGH ok
kashuns. Mrs. Arp are Of the opinyoun
that her postcrity were never as hungry be-
fore in their life as on that distressin journey,
and she once remarked that there want nary
rod of the road that dident hear some Of EN-
a hollerin for tittels. Ny wife's husband is
troobled bekaus they amt broke oft yit, and
it do seem that the poorer | git the more de-
vourin they bekum, all of which will eend in
sumthin or other if sumthin don't happen.
We finally arrived within the presinkts Of
our lovely home. The doors creaked welcome
on their hinges, the hoppin-bug cherrupd on
the hearth. and the whistlin wind was singin
the same old tune around the bedroom cor
ner. We were about as happy as we had
been miserable, and when / remarked that
General Vindiyer, who okkupied our house,
must be gentleman for not burnin it, Mrs.
Arp replied
Il wonder what he done with my SONG
masheen."
"He didcnt cut down our shade trees"
sed /.
"My buroes and carpets and crockery are
all gone" sed She
1T may be posibul," sed I, that the
Genrul L."
''And my barrel of SOAP" sed she.
lit may be possibul," sed I, "that the
Genrul moved off our things to take keer Of
EN- for US. reckon wei git EN- all back
after while"
litter aohi1e," said Mrs Arp like an Elk
ko, and ever since then when [ allood to our
Northern brethren she only replies, latter
while"
BY and by the skatterd wanderers begun
to drop in under the welcum shades Of our
sorrowful cisy. IA wer delightful enjoy
ment to greet EN- home, and listen to the his
tory Of their sulfrings and misfortunes. Mis-
cry loves company, and after the misery is
past there's a power Of comfort in talkin it
over and fxin up as big tale as any body
| wer standin one day upon the banks of the
injun river, a wonderin in my mind who
would come next to gladden. our hearts, when
I saw the shadder of an objek darknin the
sun-lit bank. It wer not load Of hay nor
an elefant, but shore enuf it wer my friend
Big John, a moyin slowly, but surely, to the
dug out landing on the opposite side His
big round face assoomd more latitood when he
saw me, and without waitin for remarks he
sung out in a voice some two slaves deeper
than the Southern Harmony
'There came to the beech a poor exile of Erin"
"Make him fat" said [, .'and you'll Eli
the BILL Prouder to see him than monkey
show, I padded the dug out over in double
quick and bid him welcum in the name of the
eternal City and ne humble inhabitants
soon got him ahoat in the little canoo, and
before | was aware of it the water was slosh-
ing over the gunnels at every wabble. clay
down, my friend, sed I, and he laid, which
was all that saved us from wartry grave,
and the naboorin farms from inundation, -
When safely landed [ found him wedged in
SO tight that he couldent rise, SO I relieved
him by a prize with the eend of the paddle.
AS his foot touched the sakred soil he gently
separated his countenance and sung with
feelin melody,
CLONE again-home agan-from Turin shore,
The Ianks may cum and the devil too but I'll
not run any more"
Recollektin some skraps Of blank verse
myself, said with much absent, "Tell me
thou swift Of foot-thou modern Asahel-
Oh tell me where is thy chariot and steer
Where didst thou go when [ did see thee
driving like Jehu as we did fee for life"
9Th tell you all' sed he, Il want my
trends to know it. Pm now man of war,
Bill, and I'm glad of it. I've done the state
some servis and she knows it. I've handled
guns-yes, guns-weepins Of deth. I've
slept on my arms since [ seed you-night
after night hav I slept on my arms, with
hundreds Of deadly weepins all around me.
All Bill, Patriotism is big thing. When
you once breake the ice, great sluices of glo-
ry as big as your arm will jest spring up like
mush rooms in your buzzum and make you
feel like THROWN yourself clean away for your
country. Let me set down and Ill tell YOU
all l know, Bill, but as the TELLER said in the
theater, when you in your letters these un-
lucky deeds relate, speak Of me as | am
nothing expatlate nor set down hot in NAL
ice"
"Jest So sed I, '*cxsakly -exsaktly So
Proseed, my hero"
sWell you see night after you passed me,
my steer got away. Hang the des.evin
beast l hunted smartly for him the next
mornin, but hunted more forreras than
backwards Leayin my wagin with widder
woman, | took it afoot across the country by
settlement road they called the cut off
no,,;I &c . o,,+ Of II w,c ~ mo r b.ol,o