The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-28
SKINNING A cow.
BY VI. NJ. Il.
Fer Tae Constitution.


stationed On Chickasa% bayou, two or three
miles above the city.
Fears were entertained by our commanders
thai the enemy would attempt to land troops
and come in upon us at that point, hence picket
duty was very heavy and the region where
this arduous duty was to he performed was
dismal and uninviting in the extreme.
Canebrakes, underbruSh, mud ana marsh,
frogs, owls and mosquitoes We're some OF the
more prominent productions OF the localty:
and a fellow was almost afraid to open his
mouth for fear a ten-horse chill would snip III
and 90 on duty somewhere in his anatomy.
Bnt what of all this? Picket duty must be
performed. and soldier didn't usually stop to
ask whether his post was supplied with
feather-bed and carpet, orWith slush ana green
frogs.
One dreay drizzly night a sergeant's squad
of us were posted ont about mile from camp,
on the opposite side of the bayou, with instrrc-
tions to shoot at every noise that showed It's
head in our vicinity.
After posting portion of the men, the re-
serve proceeded to make themselves as com
Portable as possible, under the circumstances.
A small fire was kindled, which threw
sickly simmer on the gloom that surrounded
US; but the steady dIiZzle seemed to have no
inclination to hold up, and nothing was left
for us but to take all the soaking we could get,
and be thankful that it WASH whisky
At such a time and on such an occasion as
as near filing the bill in driving away care
and ghosts-as any plan that had ever been de-
yis9d and put into practice in the army.
Old Uncle Ben Wade-an old substitute"
of some fifty or more fourthS of July-Was
iolly old coon, and to him an appeal was unan-
imousy made for some of his experiences.
Boys" he commenced, after showing
fresh Quid of 'stingy-green" between his
grinders, II b'lieve I'll tell you one Nv my
scrapes when lived in Tallerdggy county,
i. =, I,ac Il tFa ash
Each one OF US was forced to answer mega
"Moses be blessed for that!" he went on. 81
hone yer never will be, fer Nv all the dad
busted countries this side NV the moon, that
sartinly gifts away with the puddin.
"TharS some powerful good land in Taller
diggy, but whar 1 lived it was SO durn'd poor
that two Nv the crossest cats in the naborhood
couldn't raise fuss on it. 1t wouldn't sprOut
meas, fodder, shucks ner grass, and wood
pecker he'd ter be powerful peart,or he'd Starve
ter death fore he could fly across a forty-aker
lot"
Jerusalem, Uncle Benz" interrupted one of
the boys.
"Now, you jest keep yer hash mersheen
shet till git through, young man, an then
YOU kin hev room to bust all round here if
you want ter retorted the old man, and then
he continued.
81 lived thar two years and never made
single flat grain NV corn, and mighty few round
uns.
"Wall, me N the ole oman and children
wehed ten NV um-hed got to whar it was kill
the ole COW or starve, and I decided that ole
Pide he'd better perish than dozen Nv us, SO
Imade beef Nv her.
"The Lord may know how old that COW
was fer don t hut I'll tell you about how tough
she was. Idon't b'leve thar was fire, wood and
water enough in Talerdiggy county ter bile u
piece NV that anermi tender enough to make
hame-strings. You couldn't drive a shingle
nail in the soup"
"Uncle B-!''
"Shet up! 1 was thar. an know what I'm
talkin' erbout. It's mizer'b BILE fact. he'd
an ole dog-an' he was good un-but he
couldn' manage that meat 1 throwed him a
hunk NV it one day an he bounced it. He
walered it GROUND bout an hour, an then
sot down on his tail an cried like somebody
he'd stepped on his corn. But he didn' tackle
that steak agin.
81 dried the hide NV that ole COW and made
| shovel plows out NV it
"Uncle-!"
81 sees some NV you fellers is gwine ter git
MORALLY wounded fore l git through. Yer
wanted a story. I'm gwine Ter tell it er bust, %
he went on.
"Wal, l seed that wouldn't do: we he'd ter
hev meat err be berried, so one night l tuck ole
Yelp (my dog), my ole rifle, an AK an started
l was determined ter hev meat IL l he'd ter kill
somebody's boss.
at war norful cold night, an arter tramp
in round an hour er so, am startin' no game,
/ bergun ter feel like freezin', so ] stopped on
the bank Nv the creek an built q rousin' fire.
carter gittin' good warm, ] told ole 1elp
we'd better try an find Whar we lived, fer it
bergun ter look like eff thar ever was any game
in that country it he'd starv ed; so we showed
out.
81 hednt gone more'n mile when | cum
to ernuther creek. This kinder stonished me
for | wasn't erquainted with but one creek IN
my settlement. However, crossed on a log
and KEEP diggin'. 1 couldn't hear nuthin'
from old Yelp, an that 'stOnished me some
more. Presently 1 cum ter ernUther creek,
an while l was wonderin' what on yeth was
the matter with the blame country, l seed two
blazin' eyes starin' at me from the opposite
side
Thinks ], 'Ole Ben, yanders yer meat, an
1 raised my gun an fired. The eyes went ont
| powerful quick, an l got across that stream in
| less n two minits an half, an thar lay"
"a buck ?"
"Ole Yclp, ez dead ez last years almer-
nick! Boys, L thought that was the best
| chance ter cuss I'd ever cit, an | went at it,
/ britches got too big fer me- The fool dog had
got disguised an gone back ter the fire ter
| wait till found myself, fer he knowed l was
lost, but didn't till then
! Cousin didn't seem ter help me any, so
decided to camp whar l was till momin, fer
| was dead lost. I lay down by the fire, and
! long lords day l heered chickens CROWN not
! fur off. When it got good light l started
/ TO rus llle noise NV Ii6 CillCkEilS tcF SEE u /
could find somebody that could tell me who
was. hedn't gone more'n three hundred
yards when | stumbled up on a cabin that
| looked sorter fermiliar, but I'll swar l didn't
| know il was mine till the old oman poked her
head out mt the door and yelled
"'Ben Wade, wharve You bin"
Fright thar l thought it was my duty tC
cuss some more, but didn't hev any left arteI
| gittn' through with the dog, so jest sneaked
| inter the house an went ter bed, whar l staid
two days and nights, without gruntin'."
whats that, boys?" eXcitedly asked one OF
the men, as Uncle Ben concluded his story
pointing to what appeared to be a COW, stand.
| ing motionless some thirty steps from our posi-
ton.
'Nothn' but an old cow he was answered.
cts the ghost of Uncle Ben's cow and she's
heard every lie he's been telling about her"
| suggested one.
II don't believe it's a cow" said the SER
! geant; land you know what our orders are, SO
| here goes TO find out" raising his gun TO his
! face. At the report of the piece some object
was seen to flop to the ground, while the thrash
ing noise of quadruped or biped was heard in
| haSty retreat
On going to the spot green cowhide was
| discovered spread out on the ground with a
musket ball hole through it and human foot