The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-05-17


Burnin' Son O. Liberty 'mongst 'em, fer
not another soger or Ginerl or any
thing else had aegun. To see my pop
marchin' in the ranks, wearin' his
cooked hat and feather and his
regular regimental coat an brass but
tons, with his ancestors sword strapped
round him, an his gun on his shoulder,
l tell ye, Peleg, it were a sight th't
filled mo so full O. tAae spirit O Bunker
Hill th't riz up on the fence and hol
Tered:
"'Make way fer liberty an my old
pop?
THAT'S the ticket, Siler hollered
pop. Let EN- Shrek, b'gosh, Giner'
II no Giner'l!'
"Ginerl Hannibal Tidfit was ridin' on
1ossback, with no sword but corn-cut
ter, an wearin' a coonskin cap. He
didn't hev brass button nowhar' about
him, an my pop were jist walkin' sogeI
an rugged out like Ginerl. The
Colonel was a-hossback, too, an so was
all of EN- clean down to the Corp'l, who
carried big brass boss pistol an wore a
white hat with squir'Ps tail in it, an
red woostid comf'ter tied around his
waist. The arms O. the sogers, sides
my pops gun an sword was an eel spear,
carried by Lippy Conlright's pop, q
brush hook shouldered by Joe Hosslip,
an a two-tined pitchfork which Pete
Smiley handled. Pete's pop had beer
a secret lodge man O. some kind down in
Jersey, an MOI E his belongings Pets
had found W prom wit lot O. plas
term tools pic on it, long with q
big wide-open ey
THAT wide-open eye II fit the Never
Sleepin' Sentinels amazin',' says Pete.
AN so he tied the apron on hisself
an mex to my pop had the takin'es uni
form o the hull comp'ny.
at were a-cheerin' sight to see the
Never Sleepin' Sentinels an Powder,
Burnin Sons O Liberty make their fus.
start at trainin'. Giner'l Tidtit slun9
up his sword arm with the corn-cutter in
it, and hollered:
'For-r-e-e-e-d motchr
"The sogers started forrid, but the
Giner'l hollered:
60 Halt there, gol ding YET
'"rhe sogers halted, an the Gineri
toll 'em th't they want to start till the
order got down to 'em regular. Then
he hollered: 'For-r-e-e-e-d-motc
wunst more. The Colonel took it up,
an the Major took it up an hollcred il
down to the Leftenant-Colonel. Lippy
Conkright's pop an Joe Hosslip thort
the order were regular enough by this
time, an begun to march. Ginerl Tidfit
yelled to EN- to- halt an fall back or he'd
hev 'em court-martialed fer goin' agin
the rules O. war. Then he started the
order all over ag'in, an it went to the
Colonel, an on to the Major, an from
him to the Leftenant-Colonel, an from
him to the Captain, who yelled it to the
Fust Leftenant, an the Fust Lieutenant
passed it to the sergeant. Then my
pop an Toby Grindle, the ffer,
got it in their heads th't the time
was to hand fer moyin'. Toby struck
up a tune, an him an pop begun to
march. They was halted by the Giner'l,
who said he had half notion to borry
my pops gun an shoot both him an
Toby with it fer mutiny in the camp
Then he started the order to forrid
march ag'in. 1t got all down along the
line to the Corp1 this time, an then it
were reg lar fer the sogers to march but
not consarned soger moved. The
rules of war had got EN- all mixed up.
The mex time the order kim down the
line from the Ginerl to the Corp'l things
was Strengthened out, an away the
Never Sleepin' Sentinels went. The
the people hollered l can't begin to
tell ye, Peleg, the steps an the twist
ms them sogers was put through. They
sashay'd, they crossed over an back,
they swung their corners, they ally
manded left an they allymanded right.
Bout all th't the Ginerl an the rest of
'em on hossback had to do was to keep
their bosses from gittin' in the way O
Joe Hosslips brush hook, an Lippy
Conkright's pops eel spear an Pete
Snifiiey's pitchfork, fer either one or
tother of 'em was allus a-bringin' up
the rear on the double quick, an
slingin their weapons around per-
miscus.
''Arter it were all over the comp'ny
were halted in front O the tavern, an
Giner'l Tidtit perceeded to give 'em
partin' drill. Wen he hollered out to
'em to ground arms my pop let his gun
come down poorly heavy, an she went
off with bang that shook the tavern
winders. Giner'l Tidfits boss hadn't
seered much for the Never Sleepin'
Sentinels, but wen it kim to the Pow
der-Burnin' Sons part O the sogerin'
he pertested. Wen the gun went off
he give an all-pervadin' snort an
sprung ten foot in the air. The Giner'l
quit the saddle in a hurry. He went up
a piece an then kim down in curve
head fust. He plunked squar' inter the
head O. Simon Filkins' drum an
went clean through it. He got up
with the drum hangin' to him an
his head showed inter it clean to the
shoulders. The drum wouldn't let go of
him till my pop grabbed the Giner'l by
the heels an Simon Filkins grabbed
the drum. They both yanked, an
yanked, an by an by pulled the Giner'l
out. Toby Grindle had happy idee
jist then, an struck up on the fife See
the Conquerin' Hero Comes jist ez the
Giner'l come out O. the drum. But tn
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