The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1869-02-13
selrttt0 1fltsceIIanp.
A cur OF COLD WATER.
By GRACE eREESwooD.

BY GRACE GREENWOOD.
SHORTLY after the close Of the war,
travelled on the railway for some hours,of
a bright, June day, seated beside a young
soldier, caYalryman, from Wisconsin,
who was on his way home, with an honor,
able discharge, after service Of four
years. NY tellOW.tFaYeler proved to be
quite intelligent and sooiablyinclined, and
beguiled the way by relating many in
oidents Of the battlefeld aud Of camp
aud hospital life. One Of the simplest Of
his stories, told with an appearance Of the
utmost good faith, | have never forgotten
remembering distinctly every detail,
while some Of bis more marvellous aud
tragical variations have quite faded from
my mind.
"0ur regiment" he said, twas under
Banks, in the spring Of 1852, when he
made such good time in getting down the
Shenandoah Valley. Il was an awful,
driving, confused, exhausting, hurry
skurry change Of base, but it's curious
that | chiefly remember Il by little in
cident, which perhaps you viii think was
hardly worth laying up, and Is hardly
worth telling of
signi6ed my desire to hear his little
story and he went on
81 was one morning dispatched, in hot
haste, to the extreme rear, with very
important order. As illuck would have
it, had to ridea strange horse, as my own
bad fallen lame. The one provided for
me proved just the most ill-nAtured,
vicious brute | ever mounted. / had hard
work to mount him at all, for his furious
rearing and plnnging; and when, at last,
reached the saddle, he was SO enraged,
there was no getting him on for at least
five minutes With his ugly head down,
and his ears back he would whirl round
and round, piYoting on his fore-feet, and
lashing out with his hind legs, till fancy
they must have looked like the spokes ol
big wheel When he found that 1 was
master of the situation, that my hand was
firm and my spurs were sharp, he gave In
till the next time; but | knew that he
was continually watching for chance to
fling me over his head aud tTample the
mastership out Of me.
"Irode hard that day, both because ol
my orders, and for the purpose of putting
that devil Of a horse through /; but there
were many obstructions in the road
marching columns, artillery army wagons
and, above all, hosts Of contrsbands, who
were always scrambling TO get out Of YOU
way, just into your way SO it was moor
beforeI had made half Of my distance. L
was hot, sultFy, and dusty day. l had
exhausted my canteen, and was painting
almost lolling, like a dog. Just as ms
thirst was becoming quite unbearable,
came upon group Of soldiers, lounginE
by a Wayside spring, drinking and filling
theircanteens AT first thought / woulC
dismount, as my horse seemed pretty vel
subdued and bl0toed; but no sooner did HI
guess my intention, than he began agaiI
his diabolical friskings and plungings, a
which the stragglers abont the spring SCI
up a provoking laugh, which brought nj
already hot blood up 20 the boiling poinl
Still, didn't burst out at once, i swunl
off my eanteen, and said to one Of th
men, the only fellow that hadn't laughed
at my bout with tho horse Here, com
rade, j1st you gil this for me
Gle was q tall, dark, heavy-brOwed
surly-looking chap, but for all that, didn'
look for such an answer as he growle
out. yg8gArF3 ~ Fv'8
"'Flll your own dahteen, and b ~
to you
dItell you Twas mad The other fellow
laughed again, and thel | was maddei
and ] Just says to him You mean devil
/ Ihopeto God shall yet hear you beggin
for drink Of Waterl II. eVerI az. 7 r e
you die, and 90 where you beloAs hsloT
IN give it ITO you.
aThen gailoped on, though some
tho men called TO me 60 come back, SAL
ing they'd Gil my canteen. Ididn't sto
TIL I reached house, mile or tw
farther On, where q little black Do
Watered both me and my horse, and file
my canteen, with a smile that the haDdh
Of new pennies gave him conldn't bhgi
to pay for. When 1 compared the'lc0I
duct of This poor little chip Of ebony, WI
said he never had no father nor InOthe
nor no name bat Pete. with tho tFca
ment / had received from White fellow
soldier, / found that that drink Of col
water hadn't cooled down my angl
much. And for months and montl
after, whenever / thought 81 that a
fair, the Old, mad feeling would con
boiling up. The ielloW's face alwa.
came ont as clear before me aa my on
brothers, only It seemed TO be more shar
ly cut into my memory. I don't kno
why resented this offence 50 bitterly.
have let bigger things 0f the sort pass 81
soon forgotten them but tkts stuck by u
/ am not q reYeDgefil fellow natural
but never gave up the hope Of seeiI
that manaqaiu, aud somehow paying ii
back for bis brutal insolence. The
wasn't camp 0r review was il for Y
next two years but 1 looked ior HIM fie
and laft / never went over d field, nft
battle, bat | searched foF him amol
the dying God forgive me At iast, 2
opportunity came.
had been wounded and Was Ia d
OF The Washington hosp almost we
yetstill not quito it fol- duty IN tho sadd
/ hate, shove all ihinfa to BE- hllef 30
begged f0r light employmentas as q h0Bpil
nurse, and they gave y 70 ne, and sid
did my duty well.
81 never felt fol onr poor, brave ieliol
as did there I had nean very lortuua
ard until that summer had neysr been
hospilal- Now 1 saw such saiterlng 81
such heroism as had never seen on !
baifie- dold. G0mpaniouship helped
ksep up Ike spirits of those Ea could !
aave 70 tho last Then Il seemed IA
that ZACH brave b0y lnuei make hls mar
dowr the DARK valley alone But they
went of eallantiy I would retheE nq
pelloped lorsaFd on foflorp chafga
day. TRAN have followed any enc q ~
Ovef 70 dc Soldiers Rest, Trough y
apregbg nlaes ID camp down Y, ip Il
inv ho6gi tfaw 0 scft bore, AG UnrlsA
ized, M MaTo that I forgot " iQoS
my ga cheUiy; laf So, you SEE, stiil
eardod Che sarlg agg|sr vito refused
water at the aai9e efins
"Aftef the bastle 3 th Nildernea'
great mutlada 81 hs Nosnded NJ
81nrei TT a0on ng; ail our Nafaa VI
"a ..s,si ~ ~ 4 siieais aea