Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-04-02
"MiSS Anna"

reminiscent talk that always follows
good dinner, and especially din
ner where old friends have met, ole
friendships 0een revived. and old sto
ries told These men have beer
comrades in war, and served under
the same flag, held the same politi
cal opinions and suffered the same
losses. Each had told his story
when our host turned toward me anC
said:
"Well, Harrison, we are waiting
for your story
Harrison smiled deprecatingly, ,gaz'
| ed into the fire, and then began the
following, in his soft, southern drawl
Well, my story happened when we
were in Georgia, just outside of Ma
rietta, and our mess consisted of six
men-two Georgians, ,one Alabamian
a Virginian, myself and Creole, with
beautiful face and a 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 gen
erosity. Our favorite air was that
famous camp song, 'Tenting on the
Old Camp Ground You should
have heard us sing it. Orphee's ten
or, my barytone, and the three other
fellows Ginning in softly in admira-
ton, and war did not somehow seem
so hard and cruel. Well, one dark
night we were sitting around the fire,
discussing with unwearied enthusi-
asm the prospects of the cause, when
we heard irregular footsteps outside,
and paused in our talk to listen.
"You can turn in here until fur
ther orders," said our lieutenant's
CHEEKY voice, and a minute afterward
a short, thick-set man entered. He
made an apologetic little bow, shook
himself like a dog, and, taking off his
large wide-awake, disclosed dark,
square face, with shy dark eyes, blue
black hair and a wide, firm mouth.
He smiled tenderly, giving an air of
great sweetness to an otherwise SOM
bre face. He sat down on blanket,
Turkish fashion, quietly hoped he was
not disturbing us, and then dropped
his eyes meditatively on the ground.
Silence reigned. We were too dis
consulate to be polite, and so listened
uneasily to the slow, indefinite STIR
rings of the wind through the trees,
when suddenly new sound arose, as
of stealthy, uncertain steps coming
nearer and nearer. The new conner
pricked up his ears, and his face wore
an expression almost approaching
guilt. GA spy was my first illogic-
al conclusion as | rose to my feet and
waited expectantly.
The flap of the tent stirred slightly,
cautiously; the wind rose and swept
the darkened landscape; the rain
poured down with a rush, as if to
give tragic significance to what was
about to happen, for-something did
flap was suddenly push
ed aside, and goat walked in and
went straight to the stranger, who re-
ceived her with an indiscribable ten
derness of look and GESTURE.
GA rum CO." said the Virrginian
under his breath.
We all agreed, but contented our
selves with staring at the strange spec
tacle of a man and goat fondling
each other with uncouth marks of af-
lection. After awhile we resumed |
our old lazy positions and silently |
awaited further developments. The
little man signed the goat to remote
spot, where she lay down, and then
turning towards US said, as if taking
up an unrepressed thought: ''You
see, boys, / could not hell it if Nan
ME would follow me. l have been
good to her and she remembers it. /
had to leave home secretly to escape
her, and all through the journey
felt like a scoundrel, and now-well,
here she is.
He stopped abruptly without wait
ng for comment and lay down with
short goodnight. l lay awake sew
sral hours after the others, wondering
dly as to the probable tie which
pound the new conner to the goat, but
arrived at no solution. From that
hight Parsons and his goat became a
subject of never-ending speculation
% the mess. He was very quiet and
never resenting, altho'
rying to evade impertinent questions,
md bearing everything with a good
nature amounting to stupidity. AS
or the goat she became the hapless
outt of the whole division. We call
Ter derisively ssMiss Anna," treating
Ter with an amount of mock consider
ltion that made Parsons eyes fairly
,listen with appreciation. The sec
md night after their arrival we began
o sing, as usual, when the Virginian
ose, and in speech, the delicate hu-
nor of which | shall not attempt to
eproduce, begged that "Miss Anna's''
est should not bs broken by our rude
/ shall never forget the broken,
ender, deprecating little reply that
came from Parsons, and how we con
'ented at last to sing. His face was so
apt as he sat beating with his fore
niger and occasionally quavering out
IL N |