The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-11-29

crawling was like the approach of a /
snail, and for minute after minute his |
enemy of the battle hour watched this I
slow approach with an anxiety that |
was almost wildness. At last they met. |
and the almost exhausted soldier, with |
his good arm, held his canteen to the |
feverish lips of the other, knowing that |
he had fired the shot that had so Sc
verely wounded him.
Baywoodass heart swelled.s He re-
membered once, when boy, that he
awoke from a long illness too weaksto
move hand or foot, and when he saw
the great kindness Of those about him
he cried tenderly, silently, in his help
lessness,. thankfulsthat human nature
was good and thankful that to the help
less God made all men kind. He
moaned, thinking not of the torn and
ghastly forms about him, ..0h that
some one would roll this body off
cant somebody turn me over22''
A large man in gray who had been
struck in ithe shoulder and head, and
who had been lying silent and sullen
with his back to haywood, but still
near him, worked toward him on one
side, whilez a little fellow in blue,
wounded id the legs, dragged himself
nearer from gthel other 0nH worked
with his legs and the other with his
hands, until the heavy body that had
| fallen tfcfoss haywood S limbs was rolled
of, land with the new eoursing of blood
hefelt strange elasticity of spirits
The man in blue called him Little
| Pawpaw,f IN a CHEEKY woman's petting
/ n fl,a
abruptly: ssAndwhy Pawpas PIP Then
came the story Of the paWpaw adVen-
! ture years before, and the Confederate,
stunning aBsweIl as he could the youth
ful face Of haywood, said: "By hokeyt
Iexpect that | am the fellow that bit
you that time, and here we are quiet
and passionless as babies.'3 @
No help came to these poor unfortu-
mates from the hostile afnaies, hoNHn
and growing and snarlingz at each
other through the long night in can
Mons s roar and rifle crack, and so they
crawled tpgethers tlreses ten men. some
in gray and some in blue, and so they
were found sleeping in the sunlight of
the next morning by flag of truce
partya a s9H&E HEF IL TT
L Frank commenced that stNew Year
a patient man, and with respect rather
than d contempt for enemies III war.
His army name still haas gs TO him, al
though the glad children of his neigbor-
hood. with lisping freedom, modified 1T
| to little papa, and it gained new sig,
nificance in later years when he went
trembling and nervous to- a room where
lay a pale little woman smiling her
first mother S smile over a newborn
babe, and who. as. his squiyering lips
touched hers, said softly and sweetlY:
Little papa. slA III IS
PETE, THE WHISTLER.
. There was heavy pontoon bridge at
Bridgeport. Heavy wagons moved
across it; long lines of artillery thun-
dered over it and still it stood firm.
One morning TIE long lihes Of Confed-
crate prisoners. captured on Lookout
!. Mountain and Mission Ridge were to
cross tl1eIriyer, and march tossome point
where they were to take the cars. At
last. the column was ready. to smoEe -
rebels Ii four ranks, and line of men
in blue on each side. For. some reason
all were in fine spirits, and the crowd
moved hilariensly on the bridge, step
ping to some tantalizing tune whistled
by . stalWart Indianian inAthe center.
In the midst of the gaYetY, and while
an officer on shore was shousibgs hisn-
self hoarse in a vain endeavor to have
the men understand that they must
,, drop the step, the bridge parted in the
middle, the ends foated down stream
and the center of the line. with the gay
whistler. went pell mdl into the swift
current
There was, of course confusion.
Those Who could swim struck out for
shore Boats were procured and the
work of rescue commenced. Pete, the
whistler, could swim, but was not skill
hsfaI eiioteh to make much progress tn-
der the circumstances particularly as
he would not give up his gun. A boat
put toward him, when he. called the at
tention of those inside to a poor fellow
in gray clinging to o little. log of wood
that could not bear him up. Then,
after picking up this unfortunate, as
they turned again toward Pete, he
shouted: '.Save him first, can stand il
little longer showing the way to a
feeble white faced man who was giving
up in despair. The boatman turned tic
the rebel and turned again to Pete.
They saw hime suspend, efforts, turn
over heavily, and before they could
reach him lie sank.
There Was much mourning among
. X anks and rebs oyer comrades lost, but
at the loss of Pete, who had been so uri-
/ selfish, both parties grieved sincerely.
The rebels went on their way north
J ward, and the telegraph flashed the
news all over the country, and Pete yves
named atnong the lost. "A week later
however, Pete came wfistling into
hcamp TO telIsa story Of escape thai
seemed almost incredible. When be
went down he thought he would soon
come up again, but5was carried in an
undercurrent far down stream. He
, must have come up near a piece OF tim
ber, for when. he realized anything he
was floating on a log, with arms locked
tight abou6it, He had no strength te
! help himself and no inclination, so he
} fioated on and on. He was finally
picked up BY a negro, and, as he ex-
! pressed it, was tllawed outbefore big