Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-02-09

time the ponyd look back he'd stop, and
when he'd start agin he Civ such a jerk that
my contents were in danger. My holt broke
on one okkashun, goin down hill full of
gullies. I rolld some twenty feet into the
edge of the woods, and cotch up agin an old
pine stump that was full of yaller jakets-
Three Of the dingd things stung me before l
could rise, but got through the cut off and
fell in with some empty wagins that was
stampedin my way.
'sGittin on to Atlanty, q fool Irishman
stopd me right at the edge Of the town and
demanded my papers dident hay no papers
Nobody had ever axd me for papers, but he
wouldent hear an argument. AS Quarles
would say, he wouldent .jine isshste. but
marched me to an offs, and [ dident stay
there ten minets. [ wer sent off to De-
katur with some fifty conskripts who wer
all in mournin, exsepin their clothes. I
never seed SIGH pitiful set i'll my Life
I talkd with EN- al, and thar was ma
ry one but what had the dyspepsy or the
swinny or the rumatics or the blind staggers
or the heaves or the humps or sumthin.-
Well, there want none of us discharged, for
there was bran new orders calm for every
body for thirty days to 60 to the ditches.-
As [ couldent walk that fur, [ was ordered
to Andersonville to guard the prisoners
At Makon [ met an old akwaintance, who
was powerful big officer, and he had me
transferred to his department and put me in
charge Of his ordnance There's where I
handled guns, Bill, and slep on my arms
Whole boxes Of muskets was around me, and
[ dident no more mind taken a snooze on
gun-box than if it had been couch of feth-
cry down Its all in gittin used to it, Bill
all in the use"
'sJest So sed I, s'thats the way I see it
-exaktly SO, my friend, Proseed.
cts blam'd lucky, Bill, that / dident 60
to Andersonyille. They would have had
me alongside Of Wirz, either as principal or
witness or sumthin, and some lyin Yank
would hav had a swear or two at me about
shootin him on the dead line Before this
nv carcass would have been eat up by worms
or cut up by Doktors, and my pikter spred
all over a whole side of Haaper's Weekly as
monster of death.
'sWell, KEEP handlin guns and baynets
and dangerous weepins, ontill one day | got
furlo to 60 to Rome Sherman was playin
base around about Atlanta, and SO [ had to
sapference around by the way of Selma,
and tic very day I got there, everlastin blast
EN-, the Wilson raiders got there too. |
wasent no more lookin for them Yankees in
Selma than / were for old Beelzebub and
both Of EN- was all the same to me- Bland
if they wasent sErootin at me before [ knowd
they was in the State. How in the dickens
they missed me don't know, for their min
ny balls surg yanky doodle all around me
and under me and betwixt me.
Il tell you, Bill, 1 run like mud turke1,
lookin ahead Of me at every step to find an
easy place to fall when [ was plugged An
old woman overlook me, and axd her to
take my watch and money. She took EN- in
hurry and put EN- in her boozum Well I
found gully at last, and rolld in kersploush,
for it was about two feet deep in mud and
water. The Intervals found me there Jest at
night, and got me out at the pint Of the bay
onet. They marched me to the wolf pen
and there stayd till the fuss. was over.
"Right here, Bill, | want to make an OBJ
servation. There was Teller with me when
[ was cotch'd, and [ seed him make sorter
Of a sign to the captain, and they turned him
loose in two minets, and he jest welt about
anywhere as material as king, while had a
crossey'd dutchman standing over me
with bayonet GRIMM from mornin till night.
There was some Free Masonry about that,
Bill, and if another one Of these fool wars
comes along, I'll jine EN-, if they'll let me-
'But I'm at home now for good. I'm
gwine to stay here like sine die. I'm agin
all wars and fghtins I'm opposed to all
rows and rumpusses and riots I don't keer
nigh as much about dog fight as l used to.
Now, If one could always see the eend Of a
thing in advance, and tile eend eras all 2iight,
[ wouldent mind a big fuss, but then you
know mans foresights amt as good as his
hindsights. If they was, this war wouldent
have broke out, aud I wouldent hav lost my
steer, nor my watch [ never seed that wo-
man before nor since, and [ wouldent know
her from any other woman that walks the
yearth-blamd if I'm certain whether she
were white or black, Bill, how is your off
spring p
Hungry as usual, I thank you my friend, "
sedI.
"How's Mrs. Arp?'
"Rebellious, John, very; but think shell
be harmonized- aHcrrhale -aHermhlze."
Mr.. Editur, [ will not relate further of
these trying adventures at this time. Big
John are now entirely harmonious, and /
suppose his future career will be all screen.
Yours as ever, Bill AEP
?. S:-Mrs. Arp wants you to git back
the letters [ writ her when she wore sweet
sixteen. Them of6sers have got EN- and /
suppose have laughd all the funny part away
by this time. They contained some fool
things that boys will write when they fall in
love, and my wife sometimes used EN- upon
ne as reminders Of broken promises.
She says if they'll send EN-, shell try and
forgive em-otteruhHe.
Don't trouble yourself much. Mr.. Editur,
and it will be all the same to me. B. A.
THE PATH TO KINDNESS. William Writ
letter to his daughter on the small sweet
courtesles of life contains a passage from
which deal Of happiness might be learned :
j" The way to make Yourself pleasinp to 9TH