The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-05-17
THE OLD SETTLER.
Peleg Asks Few Questions and
Starts Him Talking.
He Enlightens His Grandson on Matters
Military and Recalls tho Particu-
lars of an Oid-Time Tram
ing Day.

"Gran'pop, was you ever a soldier?"
asked little Peleg of the old settler.
mo, sonny" replied Pcleg's grand
father; 81 never done no sogerin' ez
knows on, but / kim nigh to bein' a
soger wunst"
How was that, gran'pop?" asked
Peleg.
'Wull, Pcleg, 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.
1'Fore the war were over our side run
n 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 a lot o. us patriots in Sugar swamp
got notice from the Government th't we
needn't be afeered thet we wouldn't
hev Il chance to sackerfice 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
a list th't were gointer be made o the
able-bodied citizens o. tho decstric' wat
want more'n forty-five year old. Th'
were big fallin' off in the healthiness
o the deestric' right away arter that
notice were received. Consumption,
roomytiz, agur, hard O. hearin, missin'
front teeth, plumbago in the back, nigh
sightedness an ginerl breakin' up o.
the constitution took holt o. the dees-
tric' wuss'n woodtick to houn's nose.
Ev'ry body was ailin' amazin' bad, an
was took suddenly helpless with the
roomytiz myself, an the agony-Jee-
whizz! Peleg. how the agony did swoop
down on me! | yooped with it like an
or-fashioned dinncr-horn. Th' want
an able-bodied man under fifty year old
in the hull deestric'. an took on awful,
cause / thort / wouldn't git on the list
o them th't was to stan chance O.
bein' invited to go an bleed an
die fer their kentry. But some-
how or other / did git on the list.
An so did Jchiel Covercorn, though he
had been took with plumbago in the
back so bad th't he were doubled up like
ship knee. An Hiram Spudley got
on the list, too, though he were shakin'
with the agur so that it were all he KID
spillin' the rum, an Hiram had to shake
pooty bad wen he done that. Jehiel
were down first on the list, then come
me. then come Hiram. Iwere picturin'
to myself, Peleg, how I'd go down inter
Virginny with my trusty oil bar-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 spilc the pictur'! The
last were draw'd. Jehiel Covercorn got
in invite to go an do some marchin' on
to glory, an so did Hiram Spudley, but
were left out in the cold. | went to bed
weepin' scaldin' tears o. Disappointment,
Peleg, 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 un-
clutched my wizzen, an were breathin'
ez soft an mild ez May mornin'. So
that's the way / kim nigh to bein'
soger wunst Peleg. Would you like to
be soger, sonny?'
"You bet l would, gran'pop," said
feleg. "And that's what I'm going to
be, too Wait till you see me on skit-
tish horse, with gold tassels iingling
on my shoulders, and red sash tied
around me, and cooked hat with a
feather in it longer than our old
rooster's tail. I'll have my picture
took, with my horse rearing up on his
hind feet, and his 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
'em in pictures, gran'pop?"
THAT so they kin sniff the battle
from afar off all the quicker, sonny, an
give the men th'ts ridin' 'em chance
to go off in tother direction fore it's too
late, replied the old settler. "But yer
wrong, Peleg, in thinkin th't them fell
lers on hossback is sogers. They hain't |
sogers They'm Giner'ls an Colonels an |
Majors. Sogers don't hef TO ride hoss-
back riskin' their lives by bein' throwd
off or run away with. Sogers walks, an
don't hev nuthin to do but carry twenty
poun' gun, with nice shinin' bagonet
stuck to 1t, 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 'om all night, gittin' the
fresh air, an seein' the stars shine, an
hearin' the owls sing, an inj'yin' natur'
from the ground up. It's the Giner'ls
an the Colonels 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
hit usety make freedom shrek in that
ieestric. 1t were called the Never
5leepin Sent,nels and Powder Burnin'
sons o. Liberty. l member the fust
yiner'l trainin' day th't them Powder
Burnin' Sons turned out-school let out
er that day, the saw-mill shut down,
he tan'ry quit work an the store put