Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-07-11
NAILS THAT WHISTLED.
A JOKE THAT MADE 10000 MEN
THINK THE ENEMY WAS NEAR


les. Powder, and Prlce's Men Imagined
THAT the Ingenuity Of the Yankees Had
Evolved Something Terrible.
IL see" said the veteran, as he twisted
his feet up on the veranda railing and
gazed lazily at the sunset, that they are
making whole lots of talking in the news
pauers nowadays about smokeless apa
noiseless powder. Why, we were talking
about the same thing when ! was IN
Prices army
| You know we were away down in
the brush in southwest Missouri, where
we were all cut off from the world and
couldn't get any news from the outside
| Well. the story got started somehow that
the Yankees had invented a new powder
"a kind that burned with no smoke, no
| flash and no noise. Pretty soon they
were talking about it in every regiment
worrying over the thing, and reviving
the devilsh ingenuity of the Yankee
There was nothing to talk about, and
you know how it is in big body OF idle
men.
"There was ono fellow that took great
stock in the noiseless powder story 1t
bothered him all the time This was
Bill Oliver, of Colonel Winston's Second
Missouri Bill came from up here at
Platte City He was blacksmith, a
strapping great big fellow, strong as a
horse lie weighed, reckon, 200
pounds
"One black night Bill was put ont in
the brush on picket duty. Now, he was
just as gritty a fighter as you ever saw
in line with man on either side of him,
but tell you, my boy, set man out in
dark thicket all alone and the enemy
known to be near and supposed to be
everywhere, it takes all the starch out OF
the best of them
WHISTLING NAILS.
$50 Bill was treinbly and shaky and
saw Yankee sharpshooters everywhere.
"Now. in the same regiment they had
daredevil, harum scarum fool-Reub
Hill This Reub Hill was the kind of
specimen every regiment hasa pestif-
erous practical joker-a nuisance that
everybody liked Here was rich chance
for one of Reubens little jokes Soon
as Bill had got settled at his post Reuben
loaded his pocket with dozen or so big
wrought iron nails and out through the
dark he circled to get in front of the
pickets. He hid in sassafras brush
about hundred feet from the big black
smith and looked out.
There was Bill tiptoeing up and down
his beat like an elephant on rickety
bridge, lodging and whirling every time
grasshopper chirped or a horse back in
the camp snorted He was getting badly
scared Reuben picked up right rag
ged nail and flung it just as hard as he
could jerk
"You know what vicious screening
nail makes when yon throw it that
way' No mimic ball ever sounded wick
eder. 1t goes;
'Whiu-U-u-ur
Poor Bills heart stopped with big
thump like a sledgehammer, and Reu-
ben, away off in the thicket, heard him
catch his breath as if some one had
dropped bucket of ice water on him
His big bulk dropped in the weeds like
sack OF sand, and for about minute
there was not the sound of breath
Then the big picket muttered shakily:
'Sho, I'm gittin skeery as a woman with
thinkin of them Yanks an their new
tangled powder, And he got up and
began warily to walk his beat.
"Reuben let go another of his nails.
and third just as quick as he could
throw. They went whirring blood
thirstily toward William, and one of
them ripped through the leaves over his
head, scattering twigs and bits of leaf
all about
AN ARMY IN READINESS.
There was no doubt about it this
time, and big Bill, as he let his musket
or wildly in the air, charged for camp,
sputterlng, putting, yelling, tearing up
weeds and sod and boiling into trees
His trail looked like the track of a Young
cyclone. Into the camp he plunged,
over men and tents, musket stacks and
COOK trenches. 1t is an actual fact that
he ran over little foraging pony that
was tied to tree and couldn't get ont
OF the way, knocked the poor beast down
and crippled it for week His head /
way was terrific. He finally brought up
full tilt against tough little hickory
'apllng, which he ran down like a moose
landing up in the leafy top with his
hands clawIng at the boughs.
lie walked every man in the regi-
nent. Down the line went shouts and
ougle calls. Within ten minutes every
'ne OF Prices 10000 men was in line Of
battle, staring into the darkness for the
enemy advance guard, listening for the
1urr OF their silently fired bullets.
III course, the enemy did not come
out the men lay on their arms all NIGHT
Reuben was too tickled over the wav
o :, tore through the brush to keep quiet
Next day every man in the army had the
tory. But 1t did not take well with
ne ollcers. y corporars guard came
'iter Reuben and put irons on him. and
Us Mule Joke was ponderousIv consider
oy court martial That afternoon
anne news Of the enemy in deadly ear
es'' ana Price set out on one of his
ohg' forced marches. Reuben went
long lie took with him by especial re-.
uest OF the court martial a full sized
iack OAK fence rail, soggy with SAP. Ha
'as charged carefully not to lose that
all for three DAYS. ''-"'
he lrst day, said the disconsolate
oker after it was all done, that rail ftIt
Ie'ty heavy just like an ordinary rail
'e1t day 1t felt like whole tree brt
". on the last laN lani...ht | - N..9'