The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-09-08
And That's the Way He Felt.

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were gone from the left hand, and he
had to use a crutch. In tue dusk Of
the evening he sat down On a dry
goods box on the street corner, and
striking the ground with his crutch,
he exclaimed,
"Well, old pard, the wars over?
Gimme your hand shake hardr,
He shook the crutch with hearty
good will, and continued:
"There's no more Reb-no more
Yank! We're all Americans, and
standing shoulder to shoulder-South
Carolina alongside Massachusetts
we can lick the boots off n any nation
under the sun!'
lie waited awhile and then went
on:
mo more skirmishes-no more
fouts. Uncle Robert is dead, Gene
raj Grant wants peace, and they are
melting up swords and bayonets to
make cotton mill machinery! We're
tabont through camping cut, old pard,
and we hain't sorry-not bitr'
He leaned the crntcll against the
box, lifted his wooden leg, and then
said:
'sLost q good leg up at Fredericks-
burg when / was under Barksdale,
and old Burnside thought he could
whip old uncle Robert and Stonewall
jackson together! Good Lord! but
wasn't it hot that day, when the
Yanks laid their pontoons and got up
and got for us! And when we got
up and got for them, wasn't it just
red hot?"
/ He stopped to ponder for a little
while, and his, voice was softer when
he said:
'sBut | forgive 'cm! I took the
chances-and lost. Tn reaching out
now to shake hands with the Yank
) who shot me, and I'll divide my to-
| bacco half and half with him! It
was big war. Yanks and Rebs
stood right up and showed pluck,
but it is time to forgive and tc
forget
He chevy off his plug, took of
his battered hat and looked at it, and
continued:
Didn't we all come Of blood!
Hain't we the big American nationi
Isn't this here United States the
biggest plantation on the river, and
4 lis there o nation in the world that
!, dares to knock the chip off oul
. shoulder?
Maryland, my Maryland,
Michigan, my Michigan"
He put down his leg, looked at his
hand and soliloquized!
"Three fingers gone-hand usee
! up, but I'm satisfied. Folks who q
: 10 war expect to feel bullets. w
stood up to the Yanks--they stood
up to us-it was fair fout, and w
: got licked: Two fingers hain't a
good as FIVE, but they are gQol
: enough to shake hands with Com
up here you Yanks and grip me! w
: raise cotton down here-you rails
corn up there lets trade!'
He lifted his crutch, struck it dow
; hard, and went on:
3 'Durn family who'll fight eacl
. other! We've got the biggest an
~ 4
best country that ever laid out door
and if any foreign despot throws
s.Iclub at the American eagle, wei
shoulder arms and shoot him int
the middle of next week"
He sat and pondered while tn
: shadows grew deeper, and by and b.
> he said:
\ "There's lots Of graves down her
there's heaps Of war orphans Vi
, North; I'm crippled up and half sicl
but I'm going to get up and hit tn
: emery cuss who dares say wore
! !, ag'in either. We've got thro' fight
ing = we are shaking hands, nov
? and durn the man who says
! word to interrupt the harmony! IT.
one family-old Uncle Sans boy
and girls and babies and we're goins
to live in the same house, eat at til,
, same table, and turn out bigger crop
, than any other ranch on the globe
! He rose up to go, raped on TIN
box with his crutch, and continued
"Resolred, That this glorious oil
family stick right together in the oil
/ homestead for the next million year
!, to COME Vicksburg Herald.
? AN old lady, on hearing that