Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-25
A SOLDIERS PET.

genial afterglOw of pleasant reminiscent
talk that always fellows good dinner,
and especially dinner where old
friends have met, old friendships been
revived, and old stories told. These men
had been comrades in war, had served
under the same flag, held the same polit-
ical opinions, and suffered the same
losses. 1t seemed pleasant now, after the
lapse, of years to exchange experience
from an easy chair, with the best of
cigars in ones mouth and a bottle of
wine at ones elbow. They enjoyed it
keenly in their sober, middleaged fash
ion; told their stories with gastO, drank
their toasts with enthusiasm, and listened
to each others talk with an eagerness
of attention and a freshness of sympathy
at once as novel as it was delightful. In
Vulnerable changes were rung upon three
themes, viz, ''before the war;" "the war;"
and ''since the war" We of the new
generation can easily imagine the style
of talk.
Each had told his story, when our
host turned toward me and said: 'Well,
Harrison, we are waiting for your
story"
Harrison smiled deprecatingly, gazed
into tAe fire, and then began the follow
ing in his soft, southern drawl: Well, M
story happened when we were in Georgia,
just outside of Marietta, and our mess
consisted of six men-two Georgians, one
Albanian, a Virginian, myself, and a
creole with a beautiful face and tenor
voice that would charm the birds from
the trees, named, singularly enough, Or
phee.
We became very tuneful set under
his inspiration, and exchanged musical
information with much generosity. Our
fayorite air was that famous camp song,
'Tenting on the Old Camp Ground"
You should have heard US sing it. Or
phee's tenor, my baritone, and the three
other fellows Ginning in softly, until the
very pine trees stopped whispering to
listen, and the fire burned softly in ad-
miration, and war somehow did not seem
so hard and cruel.
Well, one dark night we were sitting
around the fire, discussing with unwearied
enthusiasm the prospects of the cause,
when we heard irregular footsteps out
side, and paused in our talk to listen.
ssYou can turn in here until further Or
ders," said our lIeutenant's CHEEKY voice,
and minute afterward a short, th1ck-set
man entered. He made an apologize
little bow. shook himself like a dog, and,
taking off his large wideawake, disclosed
a dark, square face, with shy dark eyes,
blue black hair, and wide, firm mouth
He smiled tenderly, giving ali air of great
sweetness to an otherwise somber face.
He sat down on a blanket, Turkish fash
ion, quietly hoped he was not disturbing
and then dropped his eyes meditatively
on the ground. Silence reigned. We
were too disconsulate to be polite, and
so listened uneasily to the slow, indefinite
STRINGS of the wind through the trees,
when suddenly new sound arose, as of
stealthy, uncertain footsteps coming
nearer and nearer. The newcomer prick
ed up his ears, and his face wore an ex-
preston almost approaching guilt. ga
spy was my first Illogical conclusion as
rose to my feet and waited expectantly.
The flap of the tent stirred slightly, eau
tiously; the wind rose and swept the
darkened landscapes; the rain poured
down with a rush, as if to give tragic
significance to what was to happen, for
something did happen-the flap was sud
denly pushed aside, and goat walked IN
and went straight to the stranger, who re-
ceived her with an indescribable tender
ness of look and gesture.
"a rum co." said the Virginian, under
his breath.
We all agreed, but contentsd ourselves
with staring at the strange spectacle of
man and a goat fondling each other with
uncouth marks of affection. After a
while we resumed our old lazy positions,
and silently awaited further develop
ments. The little man resigned the goat
to q remote place, where she lay down,
and then, turning toward us, he
said, as if taking up an unrepressed
thought:
"You see, boys, I could not help it if
Mamie would follow me. [ had been
good to her, and she remembers it. ]
had to leave home secretly to escape her,
and all through the journey l felt
like scoundrel, and now-well, here she
isl
He stopped abruptly, without waiting
for comment, and lay down with a short
goodnight. lay awake several hours
after the others, wondering idly as to the
probable tie which bound the new
conner to the goat, but arrived at no solu-
ton.
From that night Parsons and his goat
became q subject of never ending specu-
lation to the mess. He was very quiet
and unobtrusive, never resenting, al
BnOugn cOubrlV1nS TO SNdue 1npere1Aeht
questions, and bearing everything with a
good nature amounting to stupidity. As
for the goat, she became the hapless but
of the whole division. We called her Oct
risively Miss Anna" treating her with
an amount of mock consideration that
made Parsons eyes fairly glisten with ap-
probation.
The second mis- hit after their arrival we
began to sing. as usual, when the Virgin
ian rose, and in a speech, the delicate hu-
NOR of which | shall not attempt to re-
produce, begged that "Miss Annals" rest
should not be broken by our rude chant
ing. / shall never forget the broken
tender deprecating little reply that came
from Parsons, and how we consented al
last to sing. His face was so rapt as he
sat beating time with his forefnger and
occasionally quavering out an effective
s'Dying tonight, dying tonight which
we sang as if our very life blood was ebb
Ing away, that I began to realize the alb
solute cowardice of ridiculing perfectly
innocent, unconscious man. / began tC