The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-02-20

lay ABOUT twenty IeeG OH. ana we ndu
fire gthn', so't could see him layin
there Ike big log. mouth wide opel
and big feet turned toes mp jest thOugl
the want nothin' goin' on.
Pretty soon heard "zip-zip 7! and |
minnie bullet just took off the toe of on
Of those great army shoes, and theI
buried itself in the stump close 10 hi
ear; jest shaved it ! He riz up a little
Whats goin' on p says he.
why, "says I. there's some bulleti
aflyln' round here and one nigh abou
shot off your ear. You'll find it in tha
stump"
He looked round, as quiet as Sunday
"Weli,l I'll get leelle out O. thiel
way, says he. and with that rolled ovel
about foot to the left, shut his eyeI
and was snorin' inside of three minutes
After the battle was over we had tC
stay on the field pretty much all night
When we began to fall back next morn
ing there wasn't any way to get to csmI
but through ravine that the enemy'i
guns raked-and they kept rakIn' Of vi
into another world pretty spry as we
went through the gully.
We couldn't take along the wounded
so they crept into the bushes the bes,
they could, and there they had to lie al
day before we could 90 after 'em and
fetch 'em out. 1t was hard, but that's
war.
But we couldn't let 'em lie there al
through that hot day. with no water and
nothin' to stanch their wounds, so abou
noontIme we got leave to call for a vol
unteer to go over to 'em.
Now betwixt us and that ravine there
was about forty rod of old field, as bare
as brick. right in the enemy's range
1t was a pretty smart risk to run to cross
that field with water and cotton, and we
all knew it; but the word for q volun'
teer wasn't out of the cap'en's mouth be
fore old Cool jumped up.
I'll go sir y says he II haven't go'
no membranes to home" and he
grinned. So he started out with ter
canteens full of water slung onto hin
and bundle of cotton under his arm.
"Cool," says l, tryin' TO act as though
l b'lIeved he was cert'in sure to gel
there, "you be real economical about
distributin' that water, because it's gol
to last 'em all day
"You go long |" says he, showing biz
white teeth, and off he went.
Then the balls began to sing. W.
dursn't go up the rice Of ground for 't
watch him, but after half an hour one
man did venture TO reconnoiter that olC
field, and reported there wasn't anybody
lyin' there, 20 we knew he'd got to The
ravine-lIke place where the men was
After he'd been away couple OF hour
he came back. Cool did. az cool a. ever
Didn't hit ye. did theyH' says Chaplin
you bet they did, though !" say'
Cool.
They put two ventilstin' holes thro
the legs O. my boots goin' over, and tore
hole in my trousers and one in my
4cket sleeve a-comin' back; but mebb,
you don't call that httin' me, an don
no as twas" says he laughin'. For trut
not one o. them bullets had 80 much a,
drawed drop of blood
'Twasn't very long after that we wal
sent into the rhr-pits, some Of us. with
rations for twenly-four hours. Howe
you like that boys, spendin' day and {
night into hole 10 the ground, with
chunks o. salt beef-"old boss" we called
Il-and tough, dry bareback to chaW
on
Twas ruther unpleasant; no way t.
sleep pxceptin' up, and finally nothin' Il
eat. didn't blame the men; in fact,
was quite little riled myself. But Coo
was as cool as cucumber. He jokeC
and laughed, and sang, and beld up Of
his broad shoulders more'n one sleepy
tired out head.
When some of 'em would make dis
paragiDg remarks he'd holler out
"Come boys, stop growlinr We're il
for the whole war, hoorayI" and 80 he'C
kind of heart us up.
He was always doin' that; he was al
clever as bobolink. Nobody was sicl
I've seen him give up his blanket many
time TO some poor fellow shskin' will
a chill, an let another burned up with
wound fever drain the last drop out o
his canteen, when nobody knew if W,
should get any more water for a who'll
day. And he always made as though h.
hadn't done nothin'.
Well, "when this cruel war was over,
as the song says, and the regiment wa
mustered out, it come about that Coo
and took the same train to go home
though lived way up in Vermont, ant
he was Connecticut boy; and we ga
together, next to the window.
He'd been as composed as a chaplain
at funeral all those years, but he seemed
now as though he was on tenter hook
all the way. He wrastled about, and go
up and sot down more'n forty times, an
never said two words all the way; bu
when we Stacked up and a brakeman
hollered out, "Silver-bridge!" he CAV
me a grip, froze onto his knapsack an
give a rush.
looked out of the window, for think
l. "there's girl waitin' for him, and h
hasn't never let on about her."
Sure enough; there he was, his face a
broke up. a you may say, red as beeI
holdIn' out his arms to-a gray, old VIC
man, tears runnin' down her face like
freshet. Twas his mother
That was the last see of Old Cool
Rose Terry Cooke.