The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1880-09-17
Vidette Shoots Again.
CUTrosT, S. c., Sept. 4, 1880

lssdid not sec you there. But then, as
Z said before, 1 was not watching you
but listening to your racket. 1t may
be that you were not sthere1before
was, Notwithstanding you say that
: you were certainly there before you
Yer heard shot from my rifle. 1t
possible that the crack of my rifle
"a not become so familiar from con-
5z9nual random shooting us TO. be
readily recognized by you and tell
ing shots may have left The barrel Of
my old Enfield, and been attributed
by you to others. BE that as it may,
) did not thrust myself "into posi-
t1on which Picket had chosen" nor,
"fire few shots with his (my) eyes
b shut" II the first place Picket had
no right to choose place. lie should
have remained where lie c.was stationed
by his superiors. Vidette notices,
too, that Picket had cntrenched linn
SELF before he began all that random
z,,shooting. Or course lie had right
20 do that, but may not that fact &C
EArount for my not discovering YOU:
aproNimity sooncr? though. you
.swerc some distance in the rear, your
lspille sounded SO dead. Fidettc under
Hstands noau that it was because YOU
were SO well onder yround Did YOU
know that you we're 50 near to
Vidette? If so, then Vldette will
have to try again. Did yoa have q
src'nl reason for ent'enchiny your
8 }elf behind or near nc and then make
severy effort you could to attract the
Jattention of the enemy to that parLic-
Y'nlar locality? I must confess thu,
this entrenching confession has fear
fully shaken my previous convictions
that You wanted to win promotion by
ssA 'Nnut conduct. That you wished
promotion, am still satisfied, but
3lhink now that ''Piolset's pet idea" is
s3the old proterb that 'everything is
fair in love and war" Vidcttc does
not yet change his views so far as TO
conclude that the furlough business
was in Picke,'S mind, but his igno.
rance of The plan for obtaining fur
sugh, and his giving me credit for
9originating the idea, confirms previ-
Sous ''diagnosis" OF VideL;e's- :,
Picket is Teeruit. No sold
3Smpaigner" would ever say that THAI
sfdea was new. +. .,
= How do you reason, Picket? vi
D dette admits the allegation that he
desires popularity, but it must be a
strange compound Of which the peo-
pie of "onr county" are made, if no
ohe desires to be popular, ,rexcept for,
the very selfish purpose of being
made an officer. II one prefers not to
be an officer must lie snub the people,
be cross and overbearing, selfish and
dictatorial-in short, make himself as
dlsagreeablc as possible-to prevent
being made one nOltns volenS? Have
We at last come to ssihis com.
plexion," that we have no higher
llEaac,, nobler motives for desiring
- be popular han that OF fill
ing some office? Vidette's ambition
~ directed to higher and uobler OBJ
at than that Of office, yet he wants
p be popular, and when his friends
they are mistaken in his motive,
rs Ticket seems TO think they will
he,) seek to put him in Office they
Will be undcceived by the very de-
clded, "thank you gentlemen all the
same, but No." so / cannot take
sSyour advice on this point, Picket,
though you give it freely.
Vidette is not alarmed at the pros.
pect Of keing left alone on sour ont
post In fact if that "entrenched
position" Of yours is of such vital i'm
portance as soon as you get your
shoulder-straps you will order some
one else to get into it and l will still
ncighhor. VIII you lie kind