Omaha daily bee., 1877-01-16
CUSTER'S MARK.

I CUSTER'S MARK.
A Little story that the Man with
ed the Hat.
New York Sun.
1t was a hor.ib scar. Com.
mencing at the roots OF the hair,
just over the let tempe, it ran down
across the face to the right hand cor.
ner of the mouth. The flesh had
| closed together in a great ridge, and
the nose seemed to have been short
ened half an inch by the process of
healing. The mn with the scar
sang two or three songs, and then
passed his cap around for pennies.
"Did q blow of an Ipjun's toma-
hawk do that 2" he repeated. $40,
| sir; l got that cut down in Old Vir.
| ginia during the war, bout the time
it looked as If jeff Davis was the
biggest patriot in the county,
"You were In the cavalry ?"
"You bet / wesl 1 smashed up
30 many horses that I vas owing
the Confederate government over
S400, COO when she collapsed. If she
hadn't collapsed I'd been forced
into bankruptcy"
He chuckled, ami raised bis hat
so as to reveal the scar in all its hid
eousness, and continued:
II don't believe a tomahawk
could leave a seal like this. 1t takes
a good sharp sabre to spoil a mans
face so that he daren't look in the
glass or have his photograph taken.
A Yank slashed me, of course, but
who do you suppose it was? You
couldn't guess to save your neck,
and so I'll tell--it was Custer, that
long-haifed dare devil Yankee Gen.
erai who used t o ride around with
blood in his eyes and an extra sabre
in his teeth. He thought he'd
done for me when he gave me this
lick, but ne didn't know our FAM
ily."
"How was it?"
at was down at Travillian Sta
ton. He was raiding around with
a lot of cavalry, and VI folks got
him in a box. Somehow we got
around him on all sides, and we had
cavalry Infantry and artillery. We
were two to one, had him fairly
coopered, and by all decent rules OF
warfare he outght to have hung out
the white flag, handed over his sabre,
aud said: Boys, you've got the
grapevine twist on me, and 1 cave
We expected it; but blast him! he
didn't do any such thing. No, sir.
He massed his troopers, gave 'em to
understand that it was fheli or
home,' and the whole cabOodle of
them come fol us on the gallop.
bands playing, flags flying, and
trospors yelling like wild Iniuns
Our batteries played on 'em from a
dozen hills; our infantry fusiladed
'em good and strong, and our troop
ers got the word to charge.
"Durn my buttons, but wasn't it
a hot fight! We were all mixed up,
bullets flying, sabres hacking, men
yelling, horses neighing, everybody
| shouting, and it was a deyil's dance
| all around! I heard a Yank shout
|! ing orders, as If he was some big
gun or other, and / worked up to
+. him through the smoke. 1t was
! Custer. ] had seen him before, and
| I knew what a fighter he was. I
! pushed right up to him, gave my
| sabre q twist and a cut, and of went
| his head"
! He looked up with q wicked twin
kIe in his eye and added:
.In a horn ! / rose in my stirrups
and struck at him with force enough
| to cut clean down to the saddle, but
| he parted the blow, leaned over, !
saw q flash, and the next thing /
knew I had been in the hospital
| for two weeks, and the surgeons
were trying 10 look into my boots
| through this sabre cut across my
face. I was a whole year getting
over it, aud then / looked SO hand
some that 1 was turned to tie Home
Guards for the rest of the War.
| Sometimes I feel like suicide, and
| agin 1 don't care. / didn't bear no
grudge agin Custer for the slash, but
he might just as we'll have put his
cheese knife through me as to have
gwen me this * his mark, to lug
around. and that's what siIs this
old reb, and that's how I feel"
The Waggish Mule and the Coyote.
New York World.
"Pray, sir" said two Wolves, who
were prospecting for Gold on the
Sierra Nevada, to a Waegish Mule
whom they CHANGED to Encounter,
shave you found tIolor?" "Of a
Truth" replied the Mule, "there are
Indications of a Bonanza in my
left Hind Leg, and the Hoof in par
ticular is said on Assay to have
proved unusually rich in Metallifer-
u Deposits. Perhaps you would
like to look for yourselves"
"Nay, nay" courteously re-
piled the elder Coyote, "your
Word is sufficient" "Gold in a
Mules Hind Legw exclaimed bis
younger companion, in surprise.
''Shakspeare," said his Senior, edg-
ing away as the Mule backed con-
fidinsly toward them, "records the
Existence of diamordiferous De-
posts in the Head of the Toad
The youthful Wolf remained to
Prospect, and when he came down
from the 1000 foot Level, he, wear
ing the left Corner of ms mouth
over his right Ear, sought out the
Wise Coyote and asked bim why
he had not tarried to investigate.
"During q long Residence on the
Pacific Coast" replied the Coyote,
81 have learned to abstain frem
Argument. with anybody who was
Well HeeNd."
Norai-Simple Faith is some
TIM q More than Norman Blood,