The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-01-12

.''lN 0Fi'lttl lNNNE l1Nts iit 'b'fNT tl
lie bright sunshine. inhales Gods
free air, walks upc'gbt towads
town. and Just as lis old wounds
begin to ache, he secs Il beer sign.
and instead of he words man that
is bora of woman is of few day s..
and full Of Woe coming 10 his
mind. he drinks of the words Of the
constitution, AL mon arc boin free
and equal, endowed with cer,ain
iualienable rirh;S. among which q e
life, Liberty and the pu,>uit Of bar
piaess,' and he goes in and orde 5
a schooner IF beer. Ike Il white
man. The saloon is the only place
on Gods green earth. where old
wounded veteran is free and equal,
ana he makes the most oft. When
he gets full he is the prey Of the
foolish BOYS, like fire bugs, who
have tun ieeIing him, and they
SNOWFALL him. and say, look al
the old drunkaId.' It he lays down
on the railroad track and is killed
by he cars, you read in the papers
OF 'ano.per vc,eran killed. Your
only anAie,y is as 20 wheincr lie is
the sane you TASTED for the
tobacco last SKINNER, and the sol
der is bp.ied without a tear. Now.
| have hid it drove INFO me by thc
conversation OF people older than
me, by newspapers, and by reso!u-
tio IS that have been passed before
| was bo,u. that Il soldier is one of
the salt Of the eItdh. You may
say that the idea is outlawed, ans
dat when you have got through
having use Tor a soldier that he be-
comes thing unworthy 90 be rec
o2nizcd, bot as long as live man
who fought to save my country can
have a snare OF what | have got,
aud | will help him home when he
Is fell Of ber.iue. aud whip any boy
that 'hrows snowballs at him, or
calls him names, il YOU and pa and
'he whole garg goes back on me.
and don't you lol get it. The faded
blue overcoat of thc veteran looks
better to me, if am bad. than the
swallow-tlIl coat OF the dude, the
diamonds Of the millionaire. or the
sneoIs Of the darn tools who have
no seals. You can all class me
WI;h barn burners. and caucl sons
Of rich people who have no hearts,
bat Ike smile of pleasure on the
face Of an old veteran when | speak
kindly to him. and the tear OF Joy
that comes from the broken heart
and ploWs is way down the fur
rows ofhis cheek. as he searches in
his pocket for a red bandana hand
kerchet. makes mo feel as though |
owned a brewery. 81
"Stv. hold on, lIennery," said
the grocery nan, us his eyes O.
cane DIM. ''vou 90 ont and tell
that soldier back and tell him he is
Il friend OF mine. BY gum, never
felt 50 mach Ike a private in my
Pfc, You me li?nt, Inc o!d sol,
dierS are not to blame for taking a
!itt!2 too much behAnc once IN a
while. Itwv were all Guugcd up.
and had no homes Of our own, and
were looked upon by a good many
people a. though it was time we
dfed aud were got out OF Che way,
We would get billing drunk and
pa'nt the town red. Mhy' when
'i'eae same soldiers enlisted. and
were quai'ered in town, or We're
"asSlng jb'onSh on their way to
the fion,, we used to think it was
d"rned sma"t when they got ON a
tear and made things howl and we
would have l'nched a Policeman
that taied to arrest the boys.
bad forgot that these wers the same
boys, these old fellows that go