The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-04-08


trustworthy, and he mounted and renewed his
Native American harangue to the djutant.
The advance-guard of cold and disagreeable
| storm began to manifest itself and warn the
| party to seek shelter
| "Kunnel." remarked Mr.. Wagonmaster At
kins, eve put in the wagon ahead thar fine
wall tent and some other camp fixings. When
ever you conclude to halt I'll fix the tent up.
! The kunnel ordered a halt when We reached
the bottom of the hill, and We entered an old
pasture-lot, where We equine members OF the
party were turned loose in the inclosure 20 fill
Our cavernOus stomachs as best We could with
| the dry mulleins and leathery burdocks which
| were all the vegetation the earlier tenants OF
the pasture had left.
While We nosed around disconsoateiy among
these the tent was pitched, and found to be ex-
! ceedingly comfortable Among the equipage
accompanying it was an ingenious sheet-iron
| stove, which Atkins, unable to understand,
| kicked aside as "some senselesS Yankee con-
| traption," but which the Adutant succeeded
! in rigging up and setting to burning merrlly IN
It's proper place in the center of the tent.
| Great Scott! how much comfort theh is in
| this little mite Of that boats cargo" said the
| Maiah. holding his blue old hands close to the
| grateful glow How we would We lived If
we'd got the whole of it. Think o that ole
| Bourbon-smooth as goose-grease and fragrant
| as the flowers OF May.
a wish l knew where all the men are that
led down to that landing" said the Kunnel,
with a sigh. Yet I'm afraid to know, too"
"We'll find out all about them Tomorrow"
| said the Adjutant. They can see this big tent
| for miles around, and as soon as it's daylight
| they'll begin to gather in | only wish l knew
where we're going to get rations for the raft of
| 'em that II be heah tomorrow, tired and
hungry. But let's make ourselves as comfort
able as possible for the night We've nothing
to be sorry over. We did ouah best. 1t turned
out that the other fellows held right bower
when we didn't think they had even a trump,
and we were euchered. That's all there is of
it, and | make il point never to shed tears
over hand that's been played"
The rest of them seemed disposed to take
this philosophic view of the situation, and,
after refreshing themselves with whatever
eatable or drinkable could be found, sat down
on the camp stools and began a languid game
of eucher to kill time and thought. The Kun
mel and the Majah played as partners, and the
Adjutant and Atkins sat opposite each other.
One of those dreary, 6one-searching, soul
saddening rain storms which only come to per-
lection in Kentucky set in. The great drops
fell as if they had acquired momentum by
miles of uninterrupted Descent and they were
as close together as the hairs on dogs back.
The wailing wind drove them into every nook
and crevice, and it seemed to Ne that they
would penetrate into the most sacred recesses
of My inner consciousness and wash out the
secrets of My soul.
1 crept around on the lee side of the tent to
get little shelter from the wind. The COM
Portable warmth inside filtered through the
canvas and woocd Me to press My drenched
skin closer and closer to its agreeable shelter.
pushed up to the yielding wall until l was
half covered by its folds and the relief from
the driving storm was so great that L fell into
doZe and began Il troubled dream, in which [
saw Atkins torn to fragments by demijohn of
old Bourbon, fired by the Majah from cannon
which looked strangely like a ve-gallon keg.
l was aroused by hearing the Kunnel say:
"Majah, yo' can't play diamonds now. Yo'
refused 'em when led the Jack O. hearts last
time"
"Ow-wow-wow!" yelled Atkins; "what N
tarnation's that? Thar went stream O ice
water down my back ez big IS branch. This
tent s sprung leak"
mo it HASN'T" said the Adiutant "a hose
IS bullying in the side O. the tent theh behind
yo' and making the watch run down inside"
Atkins arose in wrath and surveyed My
shapely outlines as they stood in bold relief ON
the snowy canvas
Hits that gol-darned Mule; blast his ornery
carcass" he said at last. "Now let's have some
fun"
/ heard sound as if he was ripping board
of box. The next instant it fell with crash
across the bust of My person, and the board was
broken into strips and splinters. All inside |
burst into loud guffaw as Ny sensitive form
shrank under the brutal blow. Ny blood was
up, and l acted with energy and promptness |
Before the echoes of the laugh had been drown
ed in the wall of the wind the calks on My
right heel slit the tent from bottom to top as
If it had been cut with a knife. The inmates |
had scarcel time to dash out into the driving
rain before the tent was in ribbons that flut
tered in the wind, the stove was sailing
rf,h flaa 4 h..
table and camp stools were making vain efforts
to accompany it in its wild fight. AS l was
finishing the work of demolition one of My
flying feet was caught in the tent ropes and
was flung to the ground. but / was up in an
instant and away to the uttermost part of the
Enclosure.
Fun" said the Adjutant, as he rose, after
having tripped over the tent-pegs; "aint this
just no end of fun? What a fun maker that fool |
Wagonmaster is, anyway"
Fun" said the Majah, crawling up on |
fence-corner to be out of the way of any fur |
Their developments; it don't seem to be the |
right sign o. the moon fo' fun TO- US. Between |
the mules and the Dutch Pm pretty sho' t be |
cut off in the prime O. my usefulness"
Ali the other horses were reused by the ex- |
element, and, weary as they were, began charg- |
ing back and forth across the field, to get some |
circulation into their chilled veins. Conse- |
quently the occupants of the tent spent the re- |
nAiHueE VI inc nlSnL TooStlHS Oh tne IeHce-cOr- |
ners.
Azariah Grimsted spoke with his customary |
accuracy when he told Charles Barnard that |
the estimable lady to whom he habitually |
alluded as Jane" would bring him around |
in short meter"
Mrs. Jane Grimsted was in the habit of bring |
ing whatever she addressed her vigorous mind |
to around in short meter, whether that was |
the Methodist Ladies Sewing Society, of which
she was President; the Lodge of Good Tenn
plars, of which she was the second officer and |
the chief spirit, or the gentleman whose name |
she bore. The pastors who mnistered the
usual term at Embury Chapel had all pro-
nounced her the "most jealous and efficient
sister" they had known in all the years they
had been in the ministry. Her enemies, of
whom she had many, characterized her as
"tyrant in petticoats" and her friends, of whom
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