New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-12
81 LEONARD'S LUCKY STAR.
IT WAS TAKEN FOR A ROCKET AND SAVED HIM
AND HIS REGIMENT.

IT WAS TAKEN FOR ROCKET AND SAVED HIM
AND HIS REGIMENT
For several minutes no one had spoken. The clock In
the corner licked away loudly and the RAIN eu wiz,
steady pstter against the windows Ephraim the eerh
was behind the counter opening chest OF tea and inc
odor Of filled ovcrpowerng everything else
even thc aroma Of pairs Of cowhde boots whch
were seamng against the At last old Joe Ihomp
shifted feet took his pipe from his toothics
mouth and chuckled softly TO himself The other TWO
bootowners look up az him expectanty.
''S Leonard always lucky, but guess We never
heard 'bout one time his luck came in parc
hnndy. IL down In the Shenandoah In June o o.
Me an him 51st Pennsylvania Cavalry an me
regiment had out a reconnaissance Wed
been rldn' 'long OF the afternoon an nigh ABOUT
shutdown came a mlddln' large creek that ran out
o. little valley mong the mountains The mouth OF inc
valley was steep narrow an right TO one side OF IL
was big wooded hill that could see Tor miles rouhu
"Sonchow or mother old Colonel jerks got IL into nus
head ought lup that creek an see VIVA"
was there He didn't want 20 get his retreat cut OH
though so he detailed an Jim Skies to ride away TO-.
ward the south and watch for Rebs. while ~ Lonaio
was 10 wait on the top Of the hill and send signal In
case we brought word o danger
eve rode ahead slow easy for two or three hours.
keenan, our eve, open anyhln that might turn up
Tho ,wiehc KIM o. died away an the moon came out
,,, an, bip an white could miles an miles o.
country on either side. way OIL To the mountains as
stood nm kind o. an ragged against the sky fe
don't have no such nights in this neighborhood
.sTwas mighty lonesome though ana az que, M
graveyard We didn't pass Twin soul nor a hight Tor
hours Now and then we'd see abandoned farmhouse
sand,n, nv the roadside all desolae an dark Some
,mcs the road led through the woods wherc u WAS NO
black we couldn't see your horses ears twas meh ~
cIock when a. we reached the top OF rise In the foau
we saw in the moonlight less m mile away an aeomh
10, ALI they was worth q column O cavalry Ihere must
have been 900 Of them and we knew by the orecuon
they wcre comm from that they were |oni'u'''
tell we just turned an nt out. -. A., 800.
..Our horses were purity fresh an we hgn new oNe'
that road. We'd gone bout mile wren away o" III inc
north streak o. light shot up against inc SKY meh
turned an fell II seemed TO be right over the NIL
where we'd left 81.
Lord ? rays Him, Isl must have let OF Pocket
That amt no rocket Gays /. fc never "a"
rocket as bright an miles away, 700. bs
shootin' star
gsloped purity steady, but 1t must haNc oceh
inter midnight reached c creek at the foos
O, ths hill carryin torch. his face as white
~ Q sheet.
Boys says he. the rockets won't work IL was
leann' the spring thar TO get drink wren the
burned things slipped of stump where ia put 'em an
fell into the water. 1t
~ didn't wait 10 hear no more but stuck the spurs
into my mare en- hustled up the creek. TWAIN I
much use cause they'd be three or four miles