The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-07-22

II will go at once" this energetic
son Of Galen said "and satisfy myself
about 1t. Why, sir, It will be ruin, II
we can not check it--worse than dozen
armies in our rear, Say nothing about
IL till Ireturn, and caution your fellows
to silence; for talking about these
things creates an alarm which predis-
poses the men to infection"
Frank promised discretion, and the
doctor rode away on his sanitary err
rand.
Grouped in bivouac around the fire
that night, dozen officers lay smoking,
chatting and willing the hours away
with song and story. Suddenly Charlie
Fulton burst into the throng
"0h, boys" he cried, 1--WE the grand
est joke you ever heard Where's Be-
SAINT? Stand up, Frank, and reveal to
the gaze of an admiring multitude the
best sold man in Christendom. What
will you give me, old fellow, to spare
your blushes-but, by Jove, couldn't
keep it in, If you offered me a gold
mine"
"What is it9 Out with itl' cried a
/ dozen voices.
"Why, four rebel officers were having
a quiet little game Of ante this after
noon at farmhouse about five miles
east Of this, when up comes Captain
Frank and his merry men ON a forage,
seeking whom and what they may de-
your. There was no chance Of escape.
The men were all round the house, and
the poor beggars gave themselves up
for lost, when the lady of the house
whose health by the by we'll drink
presently, If Robinson doesn't guzzle
the whole contents of that demi-john
snatches her baby from the cradle, up
sets bottle of red Ink over its innocent
countenance and tells Franks lambs
her darling's got the smallpox. That
was enough; they stood not on the
order of their going, but went, and
never stopped running till they got
back to camp. Then Frank tells Doc
Saunders, who reports to my dad and
raises the old mans hair with such O
holy horror that he won't be able to get
his hat on till he's been shingled."
''0h! Charlie, surely you're making Il
all up" Frank gasped.
''Not a bit, my boy. It's all as true as
Gospel. The doctor wormed the whole
story out of colored girl, who was the
only occupant OF the house when he got
there"
A roar of laughter greeted the con
clusion of the narrative and completed
Franks discontinue.
Now, us soon as Halleck in St
Louis heard of the battle of Shiloh ant
its results, he was filed with indigna
tion at what he persisted in considering
mismanagement on the part of the
Union leaders, and at once set out him
self to take command of the troops be
fore Pittsburgh landing, once more
humiliating Grant, who was retained IL
the anomalous position of second il
command.
'HalleclS made haste slowly. He hat
been reinforced by Pope, with twenty
Eve thousand men from the Mississippi
and was now at the head of an army
numbering at least one hundred thou
sand. On the 2ist Of May, he had crep
TO within three miles Of the dreade,
fortifications Of Corinth, whose terribl,
guns threatened his advance, and com
PEELED him to move with caution tina
was depressing alike TO officers an'
men.
| And meanwhile Beauregard saw th'
mighty host approaching, and thougl
he too had been reinforced, knew tina
when the tiissle came he would be un
able TO Withstand them, so he coolly de
stroyed every thing Of value in the cit,
and withdrew his forces southwark.
On the 30th Of May, Halleck marched
into the deserted fortress; and wha
must have been his feelings, when h
found that all this vast array Of brist
ling guns, which had awed him int
such deliberate action, were but harm
less logs Of wood painted and mounte'
TO represent cannonl
"Well," cried Frank, as he gazed a
the mock artillery, "if that doesn'
beat any thing In the way Of shams
I'm Dutchmanl"
Even baby with the smallpox
Charlie Fulton asked, getting well on
Of reach, however, of his comrade'
brawny grasp.
CHAPTER XII.
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