Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1869-03-13
A CUP OF GUILD WATER
NJ oaAco onsnHw ooD.


bright Jsas dey, ssated beside . yeus
soldier, . cavslsymsa. ffsm Wisconsin
Who was on his way homo. with ~ honor
able discharge, alter service Of feus years
NJ fellow traveller proved 10 bs Quits in
telligens and sesiably inclined. and osguilst
The wsv BY relating many incidents VI The
hattie field. add 81 camp and hospi,a! life
One Of the simplest Of bic stories, told with
On appearance 81 the utmost good faith,
have never forgotten dis>
nnctly every detail. while some Of his more
marvellous and tragical variations have
quite faded from my mind.
''Our regiment he said. WAS under
Banks. in the spring OF 1862. when he
made such COED sine in getting down the
Shenandoah Valley. Il WAS an awful, dri-
wing, confused, sxhausting. hurry-skurry
change 81 oase, bot It's curious that |
chiefly remember Il by . little incidsn,
which perhaps you will think Was hardly
worth laying up, aud is hardly worth tell
ing o."
l SIGHTED my desire to hear his little
story and no vent on :
II was enc merning dispatched, In hol
haste, to the extreme rear, with very i'm.
portant order. AZ ill.luck would have IL,
I had 10 ride strange horss, - my own
had fallen lame. The one provided for ma
proved just the most III. natursd, vicious
brute I ever mounted. had hard work "a
mount him IT oil, for his furious rearing
aud plunsipg and whom. ~ last, I reach
I'd the saddle. he Vas % snvagsd. there vas
With his ugly head down, and his ara
AA ~
p,vssisg - his fore fss.. and lsahing out
Nth bic hind legs. till fancy they musi
hsve locked like the spokes Of big wheel.
When he found that wss master Of the
situation. that my hand vas firm and my
spurs were sharp, he gave in-tili tho ne Z,
time but knew that no ~as continually
Watching for chance to ding me over his
head and trampls the mAstcrship out Of
me.
rode hard that day, both because Of
my orders and Tor the purpose OF putting
that devil Of . horse through; but there
were many obstructions IN the road--
marching columns. artillery, army wagons,
aud, above all, hosts Of contrAbAnds, who
wsro ALWAYS scranbling to get out Of your
way, just into your way, 50 it was noon
heior. had made half Of my distance. II
vas hot, sultry and dusty day. had
exhausted my cantssn, and was painting,
simost loIling. like . dog. just - my
thirst vas becoming quite nnbsasabls,
came upon group Of soldiers. louusiog BY
. waysids spring. drisking and filing
their canssens. A. 0rss I thought would
d,swount - ny horse seemed pretty we'll
s0bdusd and bowed but ne sooner did he
gu-ss my intsnsioa. than be began bic dia-
bo'ic Il fr.ski"es and plungings. u which
the s,rasx,ers abe Il the svsine =. I'd .
prsvok,n. laugh, which brsu ht ny already
hot bIosd up - shs boiling point. Still, I
didn's burst cut 1t ones. swung 81 my
vAatssn and said 70 oes Of the ,nso, the
snly fellow that hsdn's laughed ss my beus
With the horse: Here, eomrads, just you
I'll this fvs mo.'
He ~ss tall. dark, heavy -brsvd, curly
locking shap. but Ser oil Of that, l dida't
lssk fes such - aasVes - be essulsd cut !:
Fill year oWa caassss, snd 10 - 70
year.
~ cell yea wss uad; the ether fslsws
laaghsd q .is. end s,sa sss asddsr, and
Ij0ss says g him, Yea mean devil! l
hope . Old I shall pet heas VOC beeeiae
Tor drink Of wafer Il ever Do, III zee
you die. and g where yea belong. before
III g:vs it 70 you"
Thea I gallspsd On. Though SEINE Of the
men called ne - eoos bask, saying they d
al ny caatsss. dida's step till | reach.
I'd house, nile o. I've iurhsr %, whore
littls black 10y vaesssd bssA - asd my
hssss. aad allied ~ caaeeen, with smile
that the haudfal Il nsw psnoiss gave him
eouldo's begin 70 pay for. When Gen.
pared the eoalsss q tAis pscr little chip Of
soeay, Who said be never had ue father.
nor metAss, usr no name bus Pete" with
the treatoent had received frem I white
Ssllsw seldier. found that that drink Of
eeld watss hada's cooled down ~ anger
0ueh.
''And fss months and msaths after.
Whenever I thought 81 that affair, the old
oad feeling would Come boiling up. The
fsllew's lee always zane cut - clear be-
fsrs Ne - my eva brsthsr's, only il
seemsd 70 - mere sharply oat int nv
memory. I don't know Why I resented
sAis edssss - oistssly. I have lss bigger
eh'ngs ef the cert pass, and seen forget
them; but tAis stuck BY ne. am not .
ssvsogstal islle~, naturally, but l never
gave up the hope Of seeing that nan
eSsses ana semeeew paying him beck for
be bratal incidence. There wssn't = eamp
o. review was in for tAs next I've yeers.
bat locked Ter him right and IeN.
aesse vent ever 6sla, aftss Q baasIe. hue
thas I esaseAed Tor him ameae The dyins-
0sd feegivs mel Al lass ~ opportunity
oAOo.
III I'D bssa weuadsd. and vss in one q
The Woahisgtea Aeooilsls = aimset veil.
yss ssill sss Qsies a fer duty 10 the saddls..
| haas, sbsve ~ shlags, - b idle; = /
bscgs1 Sse light sooleyneat - hsspissl
naESs; 81 they eass q - ~, asd aid !
did ~ dssy veil.
49, sever isls Ter eur peer. bravs fellows
@ did thses he'd bssa very fortunate,
end uatti that summer had never been in
. hoopisal. New I sa1 such suffering, and
sach here;sa, - had never seen on the
bAtels nsld. Coopsslsnship helped .
kssp up the spirits sf thess. ~ could net
osvo 20 ~ last Thss it seemed hard that
esoA brave must make biz march down the
desp valley aloae. Dus they ell vest ID
gallantly. I vould have rather gallspsd
sssw ri - . fsssera shasgs any DAY, thsa
hoso lsltessa aay So q shsm svee . ~
"a ~ - -