The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-12-31
Boston Beans in Camp.

In the winter of 1868, we were at
Brandy Station, writes Boston cor
respondent of the Philadelphia Press.
Our cook was FrankD. Hewas tip
top fellow, passably honest las cooks
go), and being Boston boy, was fond
of BEANS.
One night 1 was sergeant Of the
guard, and a short time after taps,
happened to be near oar company
street, and saw Frank and his assist
ant quietly remove the embers from
the hole finder the fireplace, and then
put in small sized camp kettle,
which l knew from experience to con.
tain beans. Iwent back to the guard
house; / said nothing about my dis
covery till near morning. but did a
heap of thinking.
At about 8 q. M, another fellow
and went and took the kettle out OF
the hole more quietly than Frank had
put it there; we carried it to the guard
house, and, after pledging theguard to
secrecy, divided the beans among them.
The morning was cold and the beans
were hot; they were the product Of a
violation of the eighth commandment
but they tasted as good as though we
had paid for them. besides, Frank
himself had stolen them from the
company in the first place, and when
l was q boy we had a saying to the
effect that the last thief had the best
title to the article purloined. At any
rate, we ate the beans.
After the last one had disappeared,
some one proposed that we put the
empty kettle back where we found it,
as if it had never been disturbed.
Quietly, but rapidly weshovcd it back
into the hole, and, replacing the cover
rsked the Goals around and on top OF
it, and then retired to await develop
ments. We had not long to wait.
just before daylight the cooks turn
ed out and went to take out the beans.
They had to be removed before the
men saw them or there would be
row. Their looks of mingled satisfac-
ton and expectation would do you
good to look at. Carefully they drew
the kettle from it's packing of cinders,
and then--ah, them noticing it's low
specific gravity they set it on the
ground, removed the cover and looked
within. Now both these young men
were of good family. In youth their
home influence had been Of the best,
ana one of them, when at home, had
been Sunday school teacher, but the
language they uttered on that morn
ing at Brandy station would never do
for publication in the columns OF a
Sunday school paper. Twas present
when Mai. III. discovered that some
evil disposed person had shaver the
tail of his charger, and put wheel
grease on the seat of his saddle. !
have often heard an army teamster
discussing the situation with his mules
when the wagon was hub deep in
the mud, and the mules would
not pull pound; and l once
heard Gen. Phil Kearney make some
remarks of personal nature to an
orderly who. in helping the general to
mount his horse, had by his awkward"
ness caused the general to tear his
trousers; but for good, cool, clear,
hair-lifting profanity, for maledictions
which embraced the whole nine parts
of speech, which were formed accord.
ing to the rules OF syntax, and could
be anaylized and parsed, I never
heard anything quite come up to that
little discourse which Frank delivered
that morning over the empty bean
pot. He insisted on fighting some one,
he didn't care who, if he was "as large
as an elephant and as tall as Bunker
Hill monument" 1t was long time
before the company got their coffee
that morning, and a longer one before
he cooled down, and mp to the last
day of his service you had only to say
"beans" to him to drive him into a
fit of emotional insanity.