The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-04-26
THE BAD BOY.
From PKcKs SuN.

cervman to the bad b v. is he
came in with a tw dollar bill, and
wrapped it up in Il half sheet of
motto paper. and asked for an envel-
ope. That's son April fool
business III bet five dollars
"Ill take the bet, and when |
convince you that it is no April
fool business, we will put your hvr
dollars in with this and send it. /
am going to send that two Il liars
20 the confederate grand army fair.
ut Richmond, Va. You see there
are lots of private soldiers who
fought in the confederate army.
who are destitute. some of them ON
the verge of starvation. with tami-
lies to support, aud they have no
government to give them pensions,
and their neighbors are poor, So
their comrades are getting up a
fair to raise money to help support
them, and perhaps bull e home
for them like our soldiers home,
and the coniederates ask the north
ern people to chip in a little toward
it. | syiupathizc with the old
boys two dollars ; how much do
you sympathizel' and tie boy
loo ed at the groceryman as though
he expected II contribution
mot a darn sympathizc," 'aid
the groceryman as he picked up
the cheesc-knife and raised 1t over
his head as though he wanted to
cut a slice of cheese off q c0nteder-
ate soldier. "No, sir, | won't
give a nickel. Serves them right
il they suffer and starve. What
did they want to raise Il row forl
They were whipped, and now they
must submit to their defeat, and
live the best way they can. Catch
me giving money to rebels! No!
never. You are Il fool"
"You are a heartless old cuss,
that's What you are. You never
was a soldier, or you would have
some charity concealed about your
carcassl The union soldiers are
giving cheerfully towards helping
their old opponents, and it ome
with a bad grace for a stay-at-home
coward like you to go back on SOL
diers. Union officers shake hands
with confederate officers, and the
government gives offices to them,
and when they come up north
everybody is glad TO see them. amt
when II people 60 south in the
winter every body treats them
splendid. and they forget all about
the terrible war, but here is q
chance to do something kind for
the old crippled and sick private
soldiers of the confederate army,
who have hearts and souls and
everything but money, and you
refuse to give a nickel, eh?"
Yes, | refuse" said the gro
ceryman, ms he went off down the
counter to get away from the boy,
Il don't want nothing to do with
men who tried to break up this
anon. Condemn them, they shot
q brotherm-law Of mine III the
back, and for a year after the war
he couldn't sit down. except on his
knees. When | think OF what that
man suffered for want OF rest it
makes me wild, and when | think
of the government refusing my
brotherin-law a pension on the
AimSv ground that lie was running
away from the enemy on the field,
my blood boils. He had to get
back 10 the rear at Gettysburg, be-
cause he had lett his knapsack
with his writing materials in,
about a mile back, and he wanted
to write a letter to his parents.
BY gum, | won't give a cent
Those who were shot in the
back, and their friends, are the
most bitter on the contederates, "
said the bad boy sarcastically.
"The union soldiers who were
shot in the breast, or had an arm