The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-03-22

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bit OF land for cotton. tidy corn patcl..
q drove OF hogs ind a few nieoers. ws
managed to get al6pe. pretty well. All
my relations had passed in their cliecke
long ago. except Sal aud guess O pref
tier, smarter orsmdFe. ETY. lisb gal wssn' t
to be found In the State OF sFloridy."
r..HaFe LATE seemed to suffer from a
eight huskiness; but imbibing large
dfaught OF Santa Cruz, went on, visibIy
refreshed: iH
"Wal, poor Sal. was run after pretty
much by the boys. but kept sharp
eye on 'em, I did. for though not very
rich, we wac high-toned. no high.toneder
family lived in them parts, and my sister
was all In all to me. more nor nobody
will ever be agin. Then coma the war.
and you gentlemen know what that mis-.
understandin' brought about. We
Southerners rose like ono man, and mo
and Bill weren't behind hand, you bet.
Many hard days march and hard days
fghtin' we had together, and nary
shoe to our feet, and nothin' but pock.
et-ful ct parohed corn to live on for DAYS
and days together. At last, came the
bad days OF Gettysburg, aud me and Bill
we're in the thick Of it. -Four times we
charged up to the muzzles OF their ever
lastin' guns, and four times We got druv
back. You see we had to oross kinder
open space right under their fire, and
were 40 eternally whipped before We
reached the tarnetion skupks, that our
regiments shrivelcd up to mere skeletons
afore we got within arms length. Wal,
we come on agin and agin, yellin' like
devils, but it wasn't no good; they druv
rs back, and at lust I missed Bill.
'Wal, ain't the man to brag O. that,
but / went into the hottest fire I ever
seen. and brought in Bill. hit pretty
hard. We had bad time that day, bnt
brought off Bill, nnd somewhnt pulled
through. and was sent home down
South. To make a long story short, I
went through the whole war, and when
our side burst up, went down home with
u sore heart, rugged suit, and burned
empty pocket.
Through all the cussed affair, I had
looked forward to seein' sister Sal. and
Hefty Bill with the kinder feelin' l
dessay yon can understand, but when I
got one evening to Augustine, found
the old shanty shct up. and wonderin'
what was the matter, made tracks for
the corner grocery. There found the
folks glad enough to see me. but scemin'
to look queer mud act silent and dummy,
ns if they was to funeral So T saws
right ont-'what in thunder's the matter
with you all, and what's come O. Sal. 2
Wal, yer see the whole thing come out
at last. Bill Slocum had come home in
vslided and dead broke, and Sal, of
course, took him in and nussed him as
IT he'd been her brother, and, after the
manner of wimmen folks, fell in love
with her patient. Sul., guess, warns
tho first fool Of her sex, and won't be the
last. by long shot.
Nov comus the worst part of the
story. One mornin' they was both
missed, and there was no doubt but that
scoundrel Bill had run off with her to
one of the cities North, without leavir:'
lettcr Or line to track 'em by. NV mind
was soon made up. sold the old place
and what little stuff there was on it for
what could get, and made tracks for
the North to find Sal, and nayhap get
square with Bill.
II went through the North. city by
city, In my weary search, and ut last
found my poor little sister; but, gentle
men, l would rather have found her
headstone in the cemetery than have
found her as found her. I took good
care If the poor girl, but it was no nse;
she pined away, and buried her in Chi
cago, aud then looked around for the
trail of Hefty Bill.
Mary soul could tell word about
him, and poor Sal, God bless her, never
would. She was true to him, bad as he
had used her. Wal, could not find
Bill anywheres, and as had to do some
thing to live, came down hore huntin'
around little aud drinkin' good deal,
when one day, at Tim. Mullignn'a y bar,
who should see but Hefty Bill Slocum
himself. Gentlemen, I have been all
through the big war, and in many q
dashiDg charge, but never felt as did
at that moment. My head swan round
like young gals in her fust waltz, IL fog
came over my eyes. my hand was on my
Deringer, when saw flash across NV
eyes, felt warm splash, heard shot,
aud oil was dark. They told mo after
wnrd that Bill fred littlo too quick for
me, and TINT the shot brought on quito
q pretty free fight. They were rough
ish set around Muiligan's, and they
weren't tho boys to let muss go by
without taking hand SO Bill scored
tho first trick in our small game, but I'd
not RI rob c,u,ro o,,.1 t-..1