The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-05-17
THE OLD SETTLER.
Peleg Asks a Few Questions and
Starts Him Talking.
He Enlightens His Grandson on Matters
Military and Recalls the Particu-
lars of an Old Time Train
ing Day.

IaIiCly meyer OOllC IO ca
knows on, but kim nigh to bein' a
soger wunst."
"How was that, gran'pop?" asked
Peleg.
''Wull, Peleg, you've hearn tell, O
course, O the war 'twixt us people up
North here an the folks th't riz up agin
us down SOUTH replied the old settler.
'"Fore the war were over our side run
leetle short O sogers, OWN to folks
bein' busy a-gittin' in their buckwhit
an a-cuttin' O their hoop poles an a.
chopin out their railroad ties, ct
cetery, ct cetery. The conscience were
th't lot o us patriots in Sugar swamp
got notice from the Government th't we
needn't be Altered tibet we wouldn't
hev . chance to sackerfce our
sells on the altar of our kentry,
cause special invites was goin' ter
be sent to setch of us ez was lucky
enough to have our names drawed outen
list th't were gointer be made o the
able-bodied citizens o the deestric' wat
want more'n forty-five year old. TIL
were big fallin' off in the healthiness
o. the deestric' right away arter that
notice were received. Consumption,
aroomytiz, agur, hard O. hearin', missin
front teeth, plumbago in the back, nigh
sightedness an giner'l broakin' up O
the constitution took holt O the dees-
trio wusS'n a woodtick to a houn's nose.
Ev'ry body was ailin' amazin' bad, an |
was took suddenly helpless with the
roomytiz myself, an the agony-Jeo-
whizz! Peleg! how the agony did swoop
down on me! yooped with it like an
oi-faShioncd dinner-horn. Tn want
an able-bodied man under fifty year old
in the hull deestric'. an took on awful,
cause | thort l wouldn't git on the list
o. them th't was to stan q chance o
bcin' invited to go an bleed an
die fer their kentry. But some
how or other l did git on the list.
An so did Jehiel Covercorn, though he
had been took with plumbago in the
back so bad th't he were doubled up like
l ship knee. An Hiram Spudley got
IN the list, too, though he were shakin'
with the agur so that it were all he KID
do to git his glass to his mouth without
5pillin' the rum, an Hiram had to shake
pNCO1 bt!'t " Cll liC uOlt JutU. JCHlcl
were down first on the list, then come
me, then come Hiram. Iwere picturin'
to myself, Pcleg, how Id go down inter
Vlrglnny with my trusty Of b'ar-killin'
gun, an march to glory or the grave,
b'gosh, in spite o the agony an the
roomytiz, Wen wat sad misfortun' do
but grab me an Spite the pictur'! The
last were draw'd. Jehiel Covercorn got
in invite to so an do some marchin' on
to glory, an so did Hiram Spudley, but |
were left out in the cold. l went to bed
weepin' scaldin' tears O. dissyp'intment,
Pcleg, but Wen got up the mex morn
in the roomytiz had took wings and
flew away, ez Dominic Van Slocum
mowt put it, an the Amy had I'M
;lutched my wizzen, an were breathin'
" soft an mild ez a May mornin'. SO
that's the way l kim nigh to bein'
'oger wunst, Peleg. Would you like to
be soger, sonny?'
'You bet | would, gran pop" said
Peleg. And that's what I'm going to
be- too. Wait till you see me on skit-
fish horse, with gold tassels jingling
on my shoulders, and a red sash tied
around me, and cooked hat with
feather in it longer than our old
ROSTERS tail. I'll have my picture
took, with my horse rearing up on his
hind feet, and mis- nose up in the air,
and me pointing my sword up toward
the sky. Why do soldier horses always
stand up on their hind feet, with their
heads up SO high, like we always see
EN- in pictures, gran'pop?'
THAT SO they kin sniff the battle
from afar off all the quicker, sonny, an
give the men THIS ridin' 'em chance
to 30 off in t'other direction fore it's too
late" replied the old settler. But yer
wrong, Peleg, in thinkin th't them fell
lers on hossback is sogcrs. They hain't
sogers. They'm Ginerls an Colonies an
Majors. Sogers don't hef to ride boss
back riskin' their lives by bein' throwd
OFF or run away with. Sogers walks, an
don't hev nuthin to do but carry a twenty
poun' gun, with a nice shinin bagonet
stuck to it, an with only few blankets
an kittles an tin cups strapped to their
backs to keep 'em balanced good, SOS
they kin travel easier. Them chaps on
hossback has to sleep nights in hot tents,
vile the soger can march up an down
in front of EN- all night, gittin' the
fresh air, an seem the stars shine, an
hearin' the owls sing, an injyin' natur |
from the ground up. It's the Giner'ls |
an the Colonies and the Majors th't |
rides hossback, Peleg, not the soger.
AN speakin' O sogers, sonny, minds
me O the time l were boy in Sugar
Swamp, an O. the company o. sogers
th't usety make freedom Shrek in that
1eestric'. 1t were called the Never
Sleepin' Sentinels and Powder Burnin'
Sons o. Liberty. l member the fust
giner'l trainin' day th't them Powder
Burnin' Sons turned out-school let out
fer that day, the saw-mill shut down,
the tan'ry quit work an the store put
up it's shutters. Tn want an eddyca-
tional, industrial or commercial insti-
tootion in the hull deestric' open 'cept
the tavern. Hannibal Tidbit were the
Gin'r'l, an they had Colonel an Ma
ior, an q Leftenant-Colonel,a an Cap'n,
an Fust and Secon' Leftenant, an a
Sargent, an Corp1. The sogers was
my pop, Libby Conkr'ght's pop, Joe
Hosslip an Pete Smiley. Toby Grindle
Il 80