The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-10-31

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Asye we're. Don't - know better
than thai, .ll ny drillin' ,ysl Get in.
70 line-9uiek Right baekvasds-
m'roht Hal. right dress! Frootv
~ o y come up, l give tho COM
ssud, Salute = an then parade rest r
An didn't he jist do il, colonel :" ssk.
cd Sam enthusiastically -"dido't he
just do it! Oh! I'm q trsinin' him up
10 the Wy 10 should go-lsastvise, -
ia' q / knows how w-.a' he's man
a. . soldier, he i. See how he start.
I'd of whom Z eave the command,
though he'd a'given anytbin' to have
stoppsd and walked With hls colonel 7"
"Theu Why not have allowed him to
stay and wslk with us7" I said.
"Disoiplin', colonel. Diseiplio' must
be kept up, an l knows vh.t's good
for him in that line. sides that, |
wanted to have = talk With you. My
home Is just hore, an l hope yell
come in" said Sam, as We arrived At .
lovroofed, small but comfortable house
"Walk right in an take . seat, sir.
'Tsia't much Of . house, but we've
both had worse quarters than this
sfore now, amt ve I" hs continued.
Chsils we're brought upon the porch
OF the little house, aud we sat long IN
conversation. The boy aud the house.
keeper had retired ; still We sat and
talked, and there, in the quiet moon.
light, the brave, simple-hesrted old
soldier told me of her who hsd rescued
him from the clutches of his besettisg
sins.
"Ys ses, colonel, after 10 v.s mus.
tered out an come up here, the lefteo.
ant bought this little house, an Ne
started 70 AZ things for the wife to
come o. a. the vay 70 worked
/ Well, there vssn's ~ old sogsr,o' bout
It, yos BET. I Kept pretty ssiddy them
times, cause I had him ior to look
after; still, / ssea to take ~ tod pref
y regular. Well, st lest everything
!ss ready, - fer ~ we could make it,
~ I eosld ~ that hs vas a.asttiu'
sieksr a. sioker every day for the sight
Of her a. baby; an At last one day,
when Tho check came for his back pay,
he jist shut right down. 'S,u',' says
he. 4 can't stand it no longer I'm of
tonight for the wife AZ little Sid
Ye see sir, shs was down to b.,
fathers, in Saint Louis, vaitin' for him
to come for ber. That night he sta,t
ed, expsetin' to get back ia bout three
weeks. Fore hs went he.g gave mo 6fty
dollars Of uine that he had he allow.
Cd to get biz check esshsd in the city.
l seed him Of, an then walked back tu
the hosse here with the fifty doll.rs ia
my pocket. II wss mighty lonesome
here, oil alone % I starts a. goe,
over there to that run-mill, for s,m'
psny. Well, 1 s'pose you can guess
the rest, colonel. In bout IN hour i
was warped the vosst - ever seed
| you kaovs what I an sioh timss-an
l kept il up. In ton days l dos't be-
lievs eat a days ration. /; jist poured
rum, ram into me al tho time, till
waso't ct for nothio' but astrait. jacket
or knoekin' IN the head. Fact! ]
was jist a oralJ Is hoss in : fire, IN
! / jist made this town howl.
1T was one night late come rollin
home from the tavern, full % . tick, q
mutterin', crazy like, an strikin' out .
things l thought Was . fellin' me, when
- l come up near the door here, l seed I
man movin' around in that sittin'-room
There VS. candle s-burnin' in that bed
room, where Forty -Eishts. a-sleepin' now
m the maa seemed to be s-tryin' to ligh
; . IRE in tho other room. vss j,st schiu
J for somebody 10 pitch into, an % didn'
expect the leftsnsat for 'bsut two week
vt, I hadn't no thought but that it va
somebody in thsrs after somsthin' wrong
I jist gave one yell, jumped into tho room
: an had him quicker nor lightnin'. II
: ugly when I'm vsrped, ~ " knows. colo
!, mel, IN It wasn't hsls . second before
!, had that man up in my hands, an was jul
:, goin' to bring him in . smash down ont
! The hearth, vhsa The door Of The bed. roo,
opened, an sAs came out-not a-ruehin' .,
j .-sor,smia', just quiet an quick, like thi'
tls-down blowsd across the door BY pu
D Of brssss. She came right up to ms-a
il white shs vas, IN her long hair I
strsanin' ever her shoulders, a. her bi
. teyss s.lsokl1' q mean che jist laid b
q hands On one Of ny arms (shs hsd to rsae
up for - d it). ~ I felt - though l.
! s,sa stsssk ~v,sA ltghtain'. jist vile
. right d>v.-ssrry, skssrsd, fssl'n' don
;, kAev Aev. / lot 20 ny held sn the na,
: I Asaz1. biz veies. ~ gave eAs lock st hin
. II - ths lslteAaat +; a. ,hea ths eryia'
!. baby sa.s .es' from the ether reen.
J., .'l'vs heard tsllevs talk 'bsut vishil
= that Tie ground could svol'sr them u
4 but I never felt ike wishia' that sane nm,
i. that time. lsssl that I'd hurt him bod
:. hs esuld only ksteh biz breath an speak
wsrd nov A. then - hs 10y On the ho'
y With her a-lsanin' ever him. hadn't
a verd TO ssy. jist turned round to 20 o.
> a. get avsy-snYwhsrss, didn't ga
\ whore. Hs must s-said something TO he
= for she came after me to tho door in b.
- bare feet, on the cruel cold floor, an sl
laid hsr little hand on mo sesiu, au' cay
~ low, ssrry.l.ks, jiss the sound Of %
! music.
n sas0>-s V.-> A.>k p>- -, l>1> .