The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-04-11

we cannot check it-Worse Than dozen
armies in our rear Say nothing about
t. till I return. 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 biyouac around the lire
that night, a dozen officers lay smoking,
chatting and Willing the hours away
with song and story Suddenly Charlie
Fulton burst into the throng.
.sOh, boys,' he cried, GIVE the grand
est Joke you ever heard. Where's Be
SAINT? Stand up, Frank, and reveal to
the gaze of an admiring multitude the
hest 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 gold
mine"
.sWhat is it? Out with it!' cried a
dozen voices.
ssWhy, 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-johrl--
snatches her baby from the cradle, up
sets bottle of red ink over it's 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
holy horror that he won't be able to get
his hat on till he's been shingled."
ooh! Charlie, surely you're making it
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, as soon as Halleck in st.
Louis heard of the battle Of Shiloh and
it's results, he was filed with indigna-
ton at what be persisted in considering
Encouragement 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
h,1miliating Grant, who was retained III
the anomalous position of second III
command.
Halleck made haste slowly. He had
been reinforced by Pope. with twenty
five thousand men from the Mississippi,
and was now at the head OF an army
numbering at least one hundred thou
sand. On the 21st of May, he had crept
TO within three miles OF the dreaded
Notifications Of Corinth, whose terrible
guns threatened his advance, and conn
PEELED him t., move with caution that
WAS dIlhV W ciA1SSAo GUIANA
men.
And meanwhile Bea11regard saw the
mighty host approaching, and though
he TOO had been reinforced, knew that
when the tussle came he would be III
able to Withstand them, SO he coolly de-
stroyed every thing Of value in the city
and withdrew his forces southwark.
On the 3oth of May, Halleck marched
into the deserted fortress; and what
must have been his feelings, when he
found that all this vast array of brist~
ling guns: which had aWed him into
such deliberate action, were but harm
less logs Of wood painted and mounted
to represent cannon!
s'Well," cried Frank, as he gazed at
the mock artillery, eff that doesn't
beat any thing i'm the way of shams,
I'm a Dutch1nan!"
Gwen a, baby with the smallpox!
Charlie Fulton asked, getting well out
of reach, however, of his comrades
brawny grasp.