The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-09-21
AN HISTORIC SHELL.

lam ROt going 60 ter a war story.
That Is % say, | am not going to in
tade the province Of the monthly
masazine and describe with lingering
EndReS OF detail a campaign made
great By nay OAR personal interest.
~ nams h John Norton was Z
captain In an iEdian regiment. On
the morning OfJuiy 4, 1868, we lay
gndert the sullrne OHntenanee ofVicks-
barr The city bad surrendered, and
oar tired men were laying about or
The gr0HRd waiting for the forming
of hsdetsaehment that should march
IN and OsseGpy the city. l was lying
aa Snee corner, with my head in
the saEsring shade OF an alder bush,
and upon glaBeing iR the grass ear
ms / s3W tsFFaPiR crawling away.
took IL up, and Welding to a fancy,
Isaryed BY name and "July4, 1868"
On the reptIleis shell was murh
PleaSsd With the graeefulness of the
kttsring. for my civil vocation was
that Of aR eBgraver, and after con-
templating il for a time | showed the
date bearer through a crack in the
6Bee. SO that It might escape the
sgbt Of any OfOarmen- A short time
afterwards, dusty and hot, L was
marching through the streets of the
war slrlcheB town
Last scar / went down To Vieks-
burg. having become the President
ofa company organized To establish
. cotton seed Gal mill ia that city.
One day. with the idea of securing
the coming crop of cotton see, l had
driven out To several large planta
tons, and was returning when a
dark cloud that hung in the west
warned me that unless / sought shell
ter / should get wet. l drove up to
n double log house situated near the
roadside, and a tying my horse
when an elderiy-lOoking man who
had been moving grass in the yard
hung his seythe in a tree and came
forward TO meet me.
Needn't hitch yo' boss thar" he
SAID, fur yo' buggyH git wetter'n er
droxnded rat. Jest come on inter
the house an III have "a Niger drive
the vehicle under the shed. Glad ter
SEE er rain comm" he added, as he
turned and gased at the cloud. .'Er
rain on the Fo'th of July allus putty
nigh inshOres er good erup UveOttOn.
Bill" calling a negro, "cOme here an
drive this here contraption round
Under the shed"
be then invited me into the house,
and Just as We had reached the hewed
log steps q girl, flirting her apron
and following a hen and chickens,
came round the corner of the house.
She blushed when she saw me, dropped
her apron, and I thought was about
to run away, when her father said:
Hurry up thar, Zudie, an git
them chickens In the hen-house, or
they'll be drowned. Come in, mister.
Ii would be a leetle mo- eOmft'ble
out here on the pOieh, butez the rain
~ driTin' thiser way We better set in
this room"
He led the way into a room dark
ened blythe approaching cloud, and
pointing TO an Old-fashioned arm
chair, said: "Set right down thar
and make yO'se'fe z much at homeez
fyOu'd foteh' that cheer with you.
Live about here anywhar?'
When / had given him a brief ac-
count Of myself he added. 'Glad ter
welcome you down here. / amt
been around much myself, but l ike
ter see folks that has. Benlivin'h here
al my life. Wife she died two years
ago. Thar's the rain"
The girl bounded into the room.
She shook the rain drops from her
beautiful wealth of hair" and sat
down near the window. Her face
hone In bright outlines against the
darkened panes, and when she smiled
at some remark her father made and
revealed, with a sudden CLEAN, her
pearllike teeth, | fancied that a f1eck
of silver had been thrown against the
cloud. | hesitate to acknowledge
that l fell in love with her at that
moment; / hesitate because / think
we should be influenced by Judgment
rather than be moved by impulse,
vet, as l sat there and gazed at that
girl, / could not help loving her, still,
II was absurd. She was not more
than seventeen; Twas pretty wei
along in years. My hair bore not a
streak OF gray, and l knew that l
moved with more agility than many
a youngerman, but the words. "You
are forty-fve, you r fo~rty-fve,"
came down on the roof with the rain.
"Look how the roses are nodding
In recognition to the rain," she said.
See, they have gotten up a firta-
ton"
.Sr-rl- - V-lL