San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-05

guise was to behold a country bump
kin of the lowest class
No soldier would give him a mo-
moments thought, and if he did the
Tennessee dialect would have de-
ceived a native.
Wilton was a born mimic. He
stopped at his captains tent.
Has you'uns got airy a thing for
VEINS ter do?n he said with an indie
scribable drawl.
"Come back alive, boy" answered
the captain; 81 would go with you,
but it would only increase the dan
ger"
1t was about $50 in the morning.
The hot summer day was before him,
and also the twenty miles which
| stretched between him and the river,
on the far side of which the enemy
lay encamped.
He chose the open road, and alter
an hour of walking a wagon u bled
by.
He begged for a ride and obtained
it. By loon he was ten miles Oh his
way.
They gave him huttermilk and a
cold corndodger at a farmhouse where
he stopped. He ate heartily of the
coarse food, as heroic natures do, for
the purpose of keeping up his
strength.
AS he stepped out into the sun the
heart of the farmers wife went out TO
him.
"Be you agoin fur?" she called.
81 be agoin' down ter,..the river to
Uncle Job Adkins. Weun's COW air
ailiug like, and ma, she low Uncle
Job sot her all right onct before. He
gin her some" yarbs."
The woman reflected. She had four
horses in the pasture.
II amt got no saddle round handy,
but I might mex out to lend yer a
rope-if yer have got spunk enough
ter catch one of them horses. Yew
could bring it back ter-morrow."
No second bidding was needed, and
in a short time Wilton sat upon his
borrowed steed, feeling that fortune
favored him.
AS he rode away he lifted his torn
hat, brushing back the hair from mis-
brow. The unlearned woman felt a
thrill she she could not comprehend
as she encountered that farewell
glance, and went into the house to
dream of her boys in the army.
He rode steadily, until at about five
in the afternoon, he saw the broad
waters OF the river cleaning in the
distance.
He tied his horse to a tree with the
long rope and let him Craze.
Then he climbed to the highest
branch of the highest tree in the little
grove and surveyed the country.
On the other side of the river
the white tents of the enemy,
the on the o%utposts, the men
in uniform, the martial sights and
sounds made an agreeable whole.
But to the poor boy in the tree it
was terrible. Somewhere in the midst
of all that his little brother was a
prisoner.
Many of the tents were very near
the bank and from his post of van
tage he watched the men as they
went in swimming.
At last the sur went down and he
crept from the grove.
Presently a single star came out
and comforted him. His mother al
ways looked for that first star and
loved it. When they were little they
had made wishes on 1t. He made a
wish upon it now, and then with
} child-like faith pursued his enter
prise.
He was near enough to hear voices,
borne family over the water, for 1T
was a broad, deep stream, not N of
the overgrown creeks which we often
call rivers in the South.
Deeper and deeper grew the twi-
light, until its gray mantle wrapped
him completely. Then he went far
ther down the shore until he was no
longer quite opposite the camp and
} walked out in the water, which was
shallow near the bank. Then he
swan across the river and waited in
the reeds on the other side.
K X X K r.
A party of soldiers were eating a
'post supper spread" at a short dis
, lance from the camp fire.
They had obtained permission to
bring with them one of the prisoners,
: a "little kid" as they called him,
l who had a wonderful voice.
The men would make him sing
; "Home, Sweet Home" until the tears
: rolled down their cheeks and his own,
Then to make up for this they tried tC
|" teach him ribald songs which he
would not learn.
. On this particular evening he had
: sung to them a long time. AS hi:
. eye caughG the star his brother had
I, seen, even before it was quite dark
4 he struck up the notes of his mother
- hVmn.