Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-09

/ ROYAL Kenton-was news to the people
and a great surprise. Brayton had no
need to exaggerate facts to compel cheers
for the Yankee" as Kenton was still
| called He told the story over and over
again, always to an interested audience,
and he always wound up with the OBJ
servation:
II reckon yo' all knew that l was
agin him and kinder hoped to put on
the tar and feathers, but I've changed
my mind. Durn my hide if l don't
wish he was captain of our company"
One day as he passed the Percy man
sion Marian was at the gate, seemingly
waiting for him.
81 have read of the battle and heard
great deal of talk about it," she said.
"but would you mind telling mother
and of the part taken by our own COM
pany? We are naturally more interest
ed in them than any other participants. "
Sitting on the veranda with mother
and daughter for an audience and using
piece of chalk to draw rude diagram
on the boards, Steve Brayton kept theA
deeply interested for an hour.
You were at first driven backe"
queried Marian when he had finished.
"Driv right back like flock of Sheep
and thar hain't no use to deny it, no
replied.
Where We're your Ofticers:'
"Runnin as fast as the rest of us.
And Mr.. Kenton rallied you!"
He did, ma am. Abner Jenkins was
carryin our company flag, and he tun-
bled down and left it lyin on the ground.
I was right behind him with Kenton,
and the Yankee lifts it up, waves it
about and yells for us to halt and rally"
And did the officers rally, tooI' per-
sisted Marian.
WAL, yes. but they was purity slow
about it. We had got the cannon and
were DRAWN it off afore saw any of
'em. Reckon they feel nightly cut up
over it, fur they allus said the Yankee
wouldn t stand fire
Steve Brayton was not close observ-
er, or he might have discovered a secret
that afternoon. Both mother and daugh-
ter exhibited the greatest interest and
asked him many questions, and when
he took his departure he said to himself:
"Durn my hide if they wasn't more
interested than half the men!"
Two or three days later Captain Wyle
appeared, and Steve Brayton vanished.
The captain expected TO create a sensa-
ton, but was bitterly disappointed. Ev-
erybody was friendly, but Brayton had
told the story of the rally and put the
credit where it belonged. He had plen-
ty of excuses to urge, and his story was
quite different from Brayton's, but
somehow it failed to go. While he was
congratulated on his promotion, which
was strong evidence in itself of his good
standing with his superior officers, he
had not rallied his flying company and
led it back, and no one could be quite
satisfied with his record. On the sec
ond evening of his arrival he called
upon the Percys. His sole reason for
returning home at that time was to
make this call. The victory which he
had helped to achieve, his promotion,
the Mandatory notices he had received
in his home newspaper, all these things
went to make him believe that he would
be accorded frank welcome by mother
and daughter and that opportunity
might be given him to plead his cause.
The captains welcome was cordial
enough, and after the first salutatiOns
conversation naturally turned to the
war. He took an early opportunity to
laughingly remark:
We'll, I suppose you have heard all
about our Yankee?''
ITO whom do you refer, captain?'
stiffiy inquired Marian.
why, to Kenton, of course. 1 be
ieve you both knew him? 1 had no idea