The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1871-05-16
PuddIes.
From The Boston Traveler.l


ed by the debris Of the previous nights
oyster supper, discussing the thaw and
listening to anecdotes of warlike adj
venture.
80 my city friend" remarked the
commander, "you think the mud at
the bridge yesterday was pretty deep,
and that going the Grand Rounds af-
ser rain storm at Fort Warren was
rather dirty work. You ought to have
been with us down South, where every
rain gave us mud ankle or knee deep,
and made great puddles, or rather
ponds, along the roads. Let me tell
you story Of one of these ponds. |
knew that | was to be posted by one
of them at night, and told the fellows
when saw the Colonel ride through
il in the daytime, that he'd have to
take a bath that night. so when l
was OH picket, | heard some one who |
knew pretty well was the Colonel, GO
! the grand rounds, ride up to the picket
on the other side of the pond, dis
mount, give the countersign, and then
mount again. Orders were that any
one approaching on horseback must
dismount before before he advanced to
! give the counterslgn, | heard the
horses logs splashing iu the water, and
waited till he had got some way into
the pond before challenged. "Halt !"
The horse stopped. "Who goes there ?"
"a friend" "Dismount. The horse
and rider began to approach. dis
mount, or I"ll put II piece of lead into
you" The Colonel, who was a fat man,
pumped right down into the water,
above his waist, when he heard my
lock, waded through the mud and wa
ter, holding his horse by the bride,
and gave the cOuntersign. AS he
stood on the brink, shiyering from head
to foot, for it was a cold November
night, he burst out with, "How dare
you do this? I've mind to put you in
the guard-house !" "Well, Colonel" +"
said |, "if / hadn't done so, you surely
would have put me there" AT this lie
pulled out his canleeD, took an awful
swIg, and offered it to me, with the re-
mark that he guessed | was right.
"Well," said |, Colonel, don't often
drink, but seeing it's you, and there's
no one to look at us, don't care if
do" When he was just riding off, he
reined up and called back to me, "It
any one tries to ride through again TO-.
night, souse him all over"
81 had one queer experience with
one of those puddles," began another.
Il -"
"Hold on a minute" cried third,
"until | tell about that game they
tried on Jack Racket Jack, you see,
was city fellow, and the boys wanted
to try whether he was plucky or not.
So they determined to creep mp on him
when he was on guard. 1t was mean
game, and a very dangerous one, for
the lock might have struck fire any
way, and then where would they have
been? When he was posted, the ser
geant Of the guard managed to take
the caps off every uipple on his revol-
yer, while the lieutenant was talking
with him. The pickets there were
armed with revolvers and sabres, and
sometimes also carbine but Jack
had only his revolver and sabre"
Cad, how dangerous He might
have capped his pistol before they
came. He"
That's So" rejoined the narrator.
"But pretty soon Jack heard a noise,
and could see some men creeping up
toward him through the darkness
They did not stop ut his halt so he
snapped his pistol twice at them
without effect. Then quick as thought
he pulled cap from his boot leg, cap
ped one nipple and fired, putting a
bullet through the shoulder Of his
brother, who was in the party. Then
he went for the crowd with his sabre,
just as they began 10 laugh out of the
wrong side of their mouths, and were
crying for quarter. Jacks pluck was
never questioned again; but this ex-
pertinent cost his brother some weeks
in the hospital"
IL had, somewhat similar expert
ence with our qartermaster, said an
other. "He was mighty mean man,
and was always skuiking round, trying
TO spy out what the soldiers were doing
was on picket one night,when the or
der was to fire on anything that came
from the front, and to keep sharp
lookout in the rear. Well, the quar-
termaster was officer of the day.
About midnight / heard rustling IN
the bushes near by. As there was no
answer to my challenge, | was about
to fire, when-what do you think ?-at
the clink of my lock, up sprang the
quartermaster from the hush crying
'For Gods sake, don't fire It's l. |
never saw man look more sheepish.
That's my story, Now for your pud
die, Dan"
"Well," said Dan, 81 was posted on
the edge of one of one such puddles
as Freeman described, being the only
sentry between that and lhe guard
house. heard some one advancing
on horseback through the pond. 1
gave the customary challenge, and
then the order to dismount. The rider
requested the privilege Of riding
up to me, but l said that he must dis
mount. "Why, sentry" said he, "its
/ % fnt f1tf=