Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-06-12
THE VETERANS STORY.
AS I Overreard It on a Railroad
Car.
Written for This Paper.1

sciousness of the one condition-the
advent of night-soon brought me to a
partial realization, at least, of those
near by.
Occupying the seat in front of me
were two war veterans-and G.. A. r.
boys, as / soon discerned-who, I
found, were returning from an encamp-
ment where they had lived again the
scenes Of the past.
Passing from the chronicle of days
events given me by the newspaper,
became at once interested in the
earnest conversation of my fellow trav-
elers.
l trust that my course of eavesdrop-
ping will not be considered particular
ly reprehensiblc, inasmuch as | only
reiapsed into condition of case, and
drank in, as creature of circumstance
might, the flow of words which came
to me over the back of that car seat
early learned that the two men
were old playmates, as well as army
comrades, and were held closely by
these ties, notwithstanding that for
tune had been more lavish in the one
case than in the other
One of the emeu-Frank-was a prom
inent attorney in western city; while
the other-Bill, as his friend called him
had become a sturdy tiller of the
soil
Presently Bill, the older one of the
two, spoke up:
81 say, Frank, you remember PEN
ny Pickerson, don't you?"
al + r 10
remember him, and would go good
ways to see old Penny"
"But you wouldn't find him, Frank.
He's gone. Yes, .Penny's' gone. I'll
Jest tell you about it. (" And the old
man turned himself n little more to-
wards his companion, placed his hat
upon his knees, and was then ready to
enter upon his story.
Apropos, however, to the old soldiers
tale let mo briefly gather together n
few fragments of interest which were
dropped, some before and some during
the narrative.
1t appears that during childhood's
days and afterwards, running through
the period of early school times,
Frank, the lawyer, Tom Hazard,
Penny Pickerson and old Bill We're all
playfellows and close friends. What
ever one was engaged in. the others
were quite certain to share. joys and
sorrows were mutually divided Their
common stream of life, however, sep
arated some little time before the war
began, but that great strife, strange as
it may seem, again brought them to-
gether, and in the same regiment.
Shoulder to shoulder, it may almost be
said, they passed through many cam
paigns, experiencing many and varied
dangers and privations.
This second common experience only
clinched--if elinching were necessary
those bonds of Il lasting friendships but a
cold world-or the hand OF a blinded
fate-had decrecd another separation
one which promised to have no end.
1t seems that Bill, when boy and
when skating with Penny one day
upon the old village millpond, had,
through coolness and foresight, saved
his companions life. 1t was the same
old story of daring to cross n fragile
bridge of ice between two air holes
when Penny found himself vainly
struggling In the frigid waters, and
with swift current aiming to draw
him beneath the surface. 1t was a
situation demanding prompt action on
the part of Bill, and at almost the last
moment he succeeded, by greatly
periling his own safety, in saving
Penny.
This happening tended to bind them
more closely in their youthful days,
and also-in connection with other
events-cementcd feeling of inter.
dependence throughout the course OF
their army career.
81 don't know as I ever told you
about that happenin when Penny
had tn fever down In Carolina, did I?i
queried Bill
81 think not" replied the lawyer.
well, it was on that cold, raw
night in November, '63, when TIL
command was passed along t us,
rather sudden, { advance with all
speed. You may remember what q
nasty, drizzlin' rain was comm down,
victim everything we had on. Penn y
had not been feelin' well that day, nor
for several days before that, an ]
could see that he had anything but
enthusiasm when we started out.
took my place near t him an / could
see that he was strugglin' manfully .
throw off tn weakness which was
a-comin' over him more an more with
every step he took. Purity soon when
he see he couldn't stan 1t no long CIR, he
said T. me: