The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-01-06

her life D "and Jenny Blunt of Co
K-you know him-was rather
rough on the girl when Quite So
who had been reading under tree
shut one finger in his book, walked
over TO where the boys were sky
larking, and with the smile of ju.
venile angel on his face lifted Jenny
out of that and set him down gent.
| ly in front OF his own tent. There
Blunt sat speechless, staring at Quite
So, who was back again under the
treee, pegging away at his little Latin
grammar.
That Latin grammar He always
had it about him, reading it or turn.
ing over its dog-eared pages at odd
intervals and in out of the way
places. Half a dozen times a day
he would draw it out from the
bosom of his blouse. which had
taken the shape fthe book just over
the left breast, look at it as if to as
sure himself it was all right, and
then put the thing back. All night
the volume lay beneath his pillow,
The first thing in the morning, be.
fore he was well awake, his hand
would go cropping instinctively un-
der his knapsack in search of it.
A devastating curiosity seized
upon us boys concerning that Latin
grammar, for we had discovered the
nature of the book. Strong wanted
to steal it one night, but concluded
not to.
sin the first place." reflected
Strong, Il haven't the heart to do il
and in the next place | haven't the
moral courage. Quite So would
placidly break every bone in my
body" And l believe Strong was
not far out of the way.
Sometimes | was vexed at myself
for allowing this tall, simple-hearted
country fellow to puzzle me SO much.
And yet, was he supplemented
country fellow? City bred he GER
tainly was not but his manner, in
spite of his awkwardness, had an
indescribable air of refinement. Now
and then, too, he dropped a word or
a phrase that showed his familiari-
ty with unexpected lines of reading.
''The other day." said Curtis, with
the slightest elevation OF eyebrow,
"he had the cheek to correct my
Latin for me-" In short, Quite So
was daily problem to the mem
bers of Mess 6. Whenever he was
absent, and Blakely and Curtis and
Strong and | got together in the tent
we discussed him, evolving various
theories to explain why he never
wrote to anybody and why nobody
ever wrote to him. Had the man
committed some terrible crime, and
fled to the army to hide his guilt
Blakely suggested that he must haye
murdered "the old folks" What
did he mean by eternally coming
that tattered Latin grammar ? And
was his name Bladburn, anyhow !?
Even his imperturbable amiability
became suspicious /; and then his
frightful reticence. If he was the
victim of any deep grief or crushing
calamity, why didn't he seem un-
happy =? What business had he to be
cheerful ?
Its my opinion" said Strong,
"that he's a rival Wandering Jew
the original Jacob you know, was
a dark fellow"
Blakely inferred from something
Bladburn had said, or something he
hadn't said-which was more likely
that he had been schoolmaster
at some period of his life.
Schoolmaster be hanged J" was
Strong's comment can you fancy
a schoolmaster going about conjugat-
ing baby verbs out of a drafted little
spelling book? ? No. Quite So has
evidently " been IA. Blest II |
can imagine WHAT he's been."
Whatever John Bladburn had
been, he was lonely man. When
ever / want type of perfect human
isolation, | shall think of him, as he
was in those days, moving remote,
self contained. and alone in the
midst of two hundred thousand
men.
The Indian summer fifth its infin-
ite beauty and tenderness, came like
reproach that year to Virginia.
The foliage, touched here and there
with prismatic :ints, dropped mo-
tionless in the golden haze. The
The delicate Virginia creeper was
almost minded to put forth its scar
let buds again. No wonder the
lovely phantom-this dusky South
ern sister OF the pale Northern June
fingered not long with US, but
filling the once peaceful glens and
valleys with her patbos, stole away
rebnkefully before the savage en-
ginery of man.
The preparations that had been
going on for months in arsenals and
foundries at the north were nearly
completed. For weeks past the air
had been filled with rumors of adj
vance; but the rumor OF to-day re-
futed the rumor of yesterday, and
the Grand Army did not move.
Heitzleman corps was constantly
folding its tents. like the Arabs, and
as silently stealing away but some
how it was always In the same place
the next morning. One day, at
length, orders came down for our
brigade to move.
We're going to Richmond, boys y
shouted Strong, thrusting his head
in at the tent and We all cheered
and waved our caps like mad. You
see, Big Bethel and Bull Run and
Balls Bluff hadn't taught US any bet
ter sense.
Rising abruptly from the plateau,
to the left of our encampment, was
tall bill covered with a stunted
growth of red-oak, persimmon, and
chestnut. The night before we
struck tents | climbed up to the
crest to take a parting look at a
spectacle which custom has not been
able to rob of its enchantment
There, at my feet. and extending
miles and miles and miles away lay
al. L