Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-01
Now bctwixt us and that ravinc thoro

Now bctwixt us and that ravinc thcro
was about forty rod Of old field, rs bare
as brick. right i'll tho cncmy's range.
1t was pretty smart risk TO run to cross
that field with water aud cotton, and
VIC all knew it; but the word for
volunteer wasn't out of the cap'cn's
mouth before old Cool jumped up.
I'll go, sirr' says he. az haven't got
no membranes to homc," and he
grinncd. So he started out with ten
cantccns full of water slung onto him
and bundle Of cotton under his arm.
"Cool, says I, tryin' to act as though
l blieved he was ccrt'in sure to get
there, "you be real economical about
distrbutin' that water, because it's got
to last 'cm all day"
"You so 'long!" says he, shown his
white teeth, aud off ho went.
Then the balls begun to sing. We
dursn't so up the rise of ground for to
watch him, but after half an hour one
man did venture TO reconnoitro that old
field, and reported there wasn't anybody
lynn there, so we knew he d got to tho
ravinc- like place where tic men was.
After he d been away couple of hours
ho come back, Cool did, us cool rs
over.
"Didn't hit yc, did thcya" says Cha.
pin.
You bet thoy did, thought says
Cool. "'rhcy put two vcntilatin' holes
through the legs o my boots goin' over,
and tore hole in my trousers and one
in my jack ct sleeve a.comin' back; but
mcbbc you don't call that hittin' me,
an / dono as twas" says he laughin'.
For true, not one of them bullets had so
much as drawcd drop of blood
Twnsn't very long after that we was
sent into the ri lc-pls. some of us, with
rations for twenty four hours. How'd
you like that. boys, spcndin' day and
night into hole i'll the ground, with
chunks Of salt bccf-"old boss" we
called it-and tough, dry harl-tack to
chaw ONT
Twas ruthcr unpleasant; no way TO
sleep exccpiin' up. aud finally nothin'
TO eat. l didn't blame the men; in
TACT, was quite little rilcd myself.
But Cool was az cool as n cucumbcr.
lie jokcd and laughed, and sang. and
held up on his broad shoulder, morc'n
one sleepy, tircd-out head.
When some of 'cm would Ike dis.
parasing remarks, he'd hol!cr out,
Come, boys. stop growlin'! We're in
for the whole war; hoorayr and so
kc'd kind Of heart us up
lie was always doin' that; he was IA
clever as "A bobolink. Nobody was sick
or wounded but he was tho frs: to helm.
I've seen him give up his blanket many
time to some poor fellow shallin'
with chill. and let another, BURT up
with wound fever, drain the last drop
out Of his cantccn, when nobody knew
il we should get any more water for
hull day. And he always made rs
though he hadn' done no,hn'.
Well, "whcn this cruel war wa, over"
as the song says, and the regiment WAS
mus; cred out, it come about that Cool
and took the same train to go home,
though lived way up in Vermont, and
he was Connecticut boy; and We sat
together, next to the window.
He'd been us composed rs Il chaplain
at a funeral all those years, but he seemed
now as though he was on tcntcr. hooks
all the way He wmstlcd about and
got up and sot down moron forty times
and never said two words all the way:
but when we Stacked up, and brake.
man hollercl out. "Slvcrbridgc lie
give me a grip. frozc on TO his khan.
sack, and give ii rush.
looked out Of the window. for
thinks |, "Thercs girl waitin for
HIM, and he hasn't never let on about
her."
Sure enough, thc,c he was, his face
all broke up as you may say, red as a
beet, hodin' out his arms to-a rrav,
old woman, tears runnin' down her face
like freshci. Twas his mother.
Thai was the last see OF OH Coo. -
Youths Communion.