The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-07-18
Puddle,

sitting IN the &. \. X. room Of liitlt
New Hampshire town, surrounded by
The debris Of the previous nights oyster
supper, discussing the thaw aud listening
20 anecdotes Of warlike adventure.
So nay city friend, remarked the com.
mander you think the mud at the bridge
yesterday was pretty deep, and that GO
ing the Grand Rounds after rain-storm
al 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 pud-
dies, orrather ponds, along the roads.
Let lie tell You a story of one Of these
ponds. knew that | was to be posted
by one OF them at night, and told the iel-
lows, when | saw the colonel ride through
I il in the day time that he'd have to take a
bath that night. So when | was an pick
ct, heard some one who | knew pretty
well was the colonel going the grand
rounds, ride up to the picket on the other
side Of the pond, dismomt, give the
countersgn, and then mount again. Or
ders Were, that any one approaching on
horseback must dismount before he adj
yanced to give the countersign. heard
the horses legs splashing in 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. Dsmouut, or I'll
put piece of lead into YOU. The colonel
who was fat man pumped right down
into the water, above his waist, when he
heard my lock click, waded through the
mud and water, holding his horse by the
bride, and gave the countersign. AS he
stood on the brink, shivering from head
to foot, for ii was a cold November night,
he burst out with, How dare you do this 7
4 I've a mind to put you in the guardhouse !
! Well, colonel, said /, if hadn't done SO,
4 you surely would have put me there. At
this he pulled out his capteen, took an
awful swig, and offered it TO me, with
the remark 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 l do. When he
was just riding off, he reined up and
called back to me. If any one tries to
ride through again tonight, souse him all
over
had one queer experience with Que
of those puddles, began another. I----
Hold Oh minute, crIvu UlIIIa, ss..~I,
tell about the game they tried of Jack
Robert. Jack, you see, was city fellow
and the boys wanted to try whether he
was plucky or not. So they determined
to creep up on him when he was on
guard. II was mean game, and very
dangerous one, for the lock might have
struck fire anyway, and then where
would they have been? When he was
posted, the sergeant of the guard manag-
cd to take the caps off every nipple on
his revolver, while the lieutenent was
talking with him. The pickets there
were armed with revolvers and sabres,
and sometimes also carbne; but Jack
had only his revolver and sabre.
Cad, how dangerousf lie might have
capped his pistol before they came. lie
That's so, reioined the narrator, But
pretty soon Jack heard noise, and could
see some men creeping up toward him
throught the darkness. They did not halt
at his halt, so he snapped his pistol twice
at them without effect. Then quick as
though he pulled a cap from his boot leg,
capped one nipple and fired, putting
bullet through the shoulder Of his broth
er, who was in the party. Then he went
for the crowd with his sabre, Just as they
began to laugh out Of the wrong side Of
their mouthes, and were crying for quar-
ter Jacks pluck was never questioned
again; but this experiment cost his broth
er some weeks in the hospital,
had somewhat similar experience
with our quartermaster, said another.
He was a mighty mean man, and was al
ways skulking around trying to spy out
what the soldiers were doing. was on
picket one night, when the orders were
to fire on anything that came from the
front, and TO keep u sharp lookout in the
rear. Well, the quartermaster was officer
Of the day About midnight heard a rust
ling in the bushes near by. As there was
no answer to my challenge, was about
to fire, when-what do you think? 2 at
the click Of my lock, up sprang the quar-
tcrmaster from the bush, crying, For
Gods sake, don't fire! It's /. never
saw man look more sheepish. That's
my story. Now for your puddle Dan
Wen, said Dan, / was posted on the
edge Of one Of such puddles as Freeman
described, being the only sentry between
that aud the guard-housc. heard some
one advancing on horseback through the
pond gave the customary challenge,
ana then The order to dismount. The
rider requested to be allowed to ride up
to me, but said that be must dismouut.
Why, sentry, said he, It's pretty hard TO
baye to get into this Maud aud water. II
sou will allow me to ride up / can give
F the c0uuiersigu. But little click made
him disnOuni and advance on foot.
When DE yaulted into the saddle, be ask
ca where the ggard-hOuse wac, aud
told him. A. the guard was turned out
when be got there, knew / had dis
mounted some officer.
4 The next morning came an order from
~ to 20 to the c0IoneFs tent