Middletown transcript., 1875-09-04
And That's the Way He Felt.

|
He had a wooden leg, three finger
were gone from the left hand, and b
had to use crutch. In the dusk 0
the evening he sat down on dry good
box on the street corner, and striking
the ground with his crutch, he ex
claimed:
We'll. old -pard, the wars over
Gimme your hand-shake hard!
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 I'VE
can lick the boots off'n any nation
under the SUM-! ato
He waited awhile and then went on |:
mo more skirmishes- no more fouts.
Uncle Roberts dead. Gen. Grant wants
peace. and they're melting up swords
and bayonets to make cotton mill ma
chinery! We're about through camp
ing out, old pard, and We hain't sorry
mot bit!
He leaned the crutch against the tox,
lifted his,Mooden leg, and said :,
Lost a good leg up at Fredericks-
burg when / was under Barksdale, and
Burnside thought be could whip Uncle
Robert and Stonewall Jsekson together |
Good Lord but wasn't il hot that day,
when the Yanks laid their pantoons and
GOT up and got for US! 4nd when Ee
got up and got for them, wasn't'itimd
hot?' vs.fa d saii.-sE Z.
He stopped to ponder for d WHILE
and his voice was softer as be said
But forgive 'em !! I took the
chances lost. I'm reaching out
now to shake hands with the Yank who
shot me, and I'll divide my tobacco
half and half with him! It was big
war. Yank and Reb stood right up
and showed pluck, but it's time to for
give and forget ''s y ~
4 tfr ~ a y
He cut ) chew Of, his plug. took of
his battered hat. and looked att. and
continued: h-rr9so 'aat saa Il
Didn't we all come Of one blood !?
Hain't we the big American nation !?
Isn't this here United States the Big
gest plantation on the river, and is
there . nation. in the world that dares
knock the chip off our shoulder? H'e
Maryland, ny Maryland, s,i..;if
Michigan, my Michigan ,a1aIs
/ He put down his leg, looked at his
crippled hand, and soliloquized: i9
'Three fingers gone hand used up,
but I'm satisfied. Folks who 60 to war
expect to feel bullets. We stood up to
the Yanks-they stood up to us-it was
a fair fought, and got licked. Two
fingers hain't as good as Eve. but they
are good enough to shake hands with !!
Come up here. you Yanks. and grip
me! We raise cotton down here-you
raise corn up there-less trade!' ,ssz :
He lifted his .crutch, stuck if down
hard, and went on: 1 3.saiou.
'Durn a family who'll fight each
other We've got the biggest and the
best country that every laid out doors,
and if any foreign despot throws 3 club
at the American eagle, we'll shoulder
arms and shoot him into the middle Of
next week '.h
BE sat and pondered while the
shadows grew deeper, and by and by he
said: a
There's lots Of graves down here
there's heaps o war orphans up North
I'm crippled up and half sick, but I'm
going to get up and hit the lonery cuss
who dares say aword agin either.
We've got through fighting we're
shaking hands now, and durn the man
who says a word to interrupt the har-
mony! It's one family-ole Uncle
Sans boys and gals and babies, and
we're going to live in the same house,
eat at the same table, and turn out
bigger crops than any other ranch on
the globe .-..,. i. ssz.s,4s, s!.g.
He rose up to 60. raped on the box
with his crutch, and continued:
'Resozved, That this glorious old
family stick right together in the old
homestead for the next million years to
come = NcEsbury Herald.
How TO BECOME HAppY.-Many
young persons are ever thinking over
some new ways of adding to their plea