The Cecil Whig., 1881-11-26
SAM SPER9Y'S PENSION.
!t""a Nu,per'S -i:onth =.


joke of Bloomington centre--tlat bright
hope that idle dream, that fond delusive
fancy. known as Sam Sperrys pen
SION
The wits who conurcGated in the bar
room and groc ry Of the Bloomington
Centre poStoilica sometimes had only Il
efforts; the column of faceti;p in the local
newspaper frequently palled on the
senses; but Sam Sperry's lank and stoop
ing figure as he descended faithfully.
twice every week. from his lone home on
the distant mountain, to LEARN the news
from Washington" bore with it an arc
ma Of failing interest and diver
sion.
Any fetal dokermcnts arrived for
me- sam was accustomed to inquire, on
entering the post office. with an air OF i'll
concealed consequence: and on being an
swered III the negative. the look Of sud
den surprise anu incredulity which over
spread his features was always as fresh
and real as il had been during the first
six months he had undergone the blow
taneous. hen seated on the counter with
the "boys." he der;d"d the very exist
ence OF his proud nations capital in
terms of the most reckless sarcasm, or
i'll softer mood, induced by certain
grateful potatinns paliated the weakness
of official judges with tolbearance
which his listeners found even more IL
reSistibly entertaining.
They thinl; they're comm it over
me. down there to Washington" sam
observed on one occasion. rolling his eyes
upon his near neiglih"r on the counter
with a look which WAS dark without
menace and n the same time fol chilly in
Producing the sharp point ot' his elhn"
TO that gentleman rii'S--" they think
they re comm it over me. down there H.
Washington. And all tbn time they II
hangin's off about my pension. what
accumulatin'?' Here Sam $ crmpanior
was actually Obliged to move an inch "i
two away i'll order 10 escape the toe
severe emphasis of that emaciated elbow
Back pay" chuckled sam; "that'>
what's acculnulatin back pay. Let en'
,old off ten az a dozen Years longer, and
III he swimmin' in back pay--Tll be fair.
y walern' in it.
With which the deeply confidential as
pect of Sam face changed II q triumph
ant simper. and. turning t" nudge annth
n companion Gas he supp"scd) on hi
right. lie inadvertently thrust his elbow
through the wrarNage of large rarce'
If sugar. the contents of which Wee
scattered over the grocery floor.
Sans expression Of dismay was pitt
ful.
"Have it CHARGED to yonr back pay
Sam cried an uproarious though cheei-
full voice.
Sam took I'D the enc. and ever after
that his dissent from the West Mountain
which had been significant of a small in
voice of skunks' fur. blueberrieS and the
like, at the Bloomington grocery, missed
the hampering weight of those hardly
acquired products. and Sans business
transactions al the counter--the under
standing being good between the grocer
and those jolly Bloomington boys-wer"
rounded by vegally careless. "Chargt
it to pension. Ned-regl lar pension o'
back pay, don t care which"
Rarely, very rarely, sam really did find
u document waiting for him at the post
office, marked with the mysterious sea!
Of the Department of the Interior, ana
opened it with fingers of trembling cx
pectation. only to find a printed sheet %
painfully worled statistics. to the effect
hat 8 besides the two hundred and nine
~ thousand filed claims. others were
constantly being entered but that in du'
time each would receive careful consider
ttion, etc. His first heat of desperate
Indignation yielded later to tears of un-
'Ifected sentiment, as he murmured.
Pension. | guess So, hoys.-the grass
II be growing over my grave, before |
see any pension. and later still to smiles
md hope again.
The gnnshot wound in his right band
upon which Sam had based his claim on
l..
with the harm which he had
S Uttered. both in body and in soul. from
the soldiers camp life, the Southern
M ,rchcs-ahove all. the Southern prisons
81 don know what Sam might a beer
II what he might not Il been. salt
Judge Hocnrsh. Il prosperous citizen "
ri1h sam at Andrrsonvi!lr. Pom ny
,nnnr. boys he began uncnnm"n hri ght
hough lie want never What lc'd ca
p.rtick H." touch or Ion sind Bn5
All tell We one thing, after sam Sfrrr'
rt mt never the same thing after he GENE
III. o that prison.
Even after this asseveraii"n | d" MOI
show that any OF the freqnenterS of thr
Bloomington haZar remarked that th'
~, i>h head on Sans bent Shnuidrr>.
With it's rings of CLOSE curling hair, wa>
ii :, Byrouic cast. or that his eyes wtet
.nt iilmy from the effects OF agne ar rum.
we're of Sucii 4 perfect ami heavenly blue
t. is seldom seen III the um'limmed orl,>
Il children. sam was their Punch. thei'
,y-wnrd. their theatre co,niqnc: the,
.srdIy though prudent negotiations al
the counter rather than miss the Zest at
nrtled by his semi weekly appearance.
With Il tonch OF real pity too. perhaps,
or their old comradc, they cajoled with
him in his forlorn hope, encouraged in
lim at all times the freest expression "t
his sentiments tlattered him. and RECALLED
tim. And often, alas. the feet which
had come shutliing down the mountain
enough, retraced their steps
in a still more desnltory and uncertain
manner, aud chance passers-by have told
how sam, pausing at length by some way
side fence, frequently nudged the post
with his elbow. as thought having just
committed to it some gravely confidential
or facetiouS remark.
There was one person whom Sans
weaknesses and derelictions failed to i'll
spire with apprcciative mirth. In the
neighborhood of Sans house on the
mountain were two other homes. One
was possessed by Isaac TrayerS with his