The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-07-11

farthest departed.
Maynard held the boy against his
breast while he gave way to convulsive
sobs such as are unusual in man and
only come when some mental struggle
under an intense grief is relaxed and
suffering permitted to get control. Nei-
ther spoke. Jakey's presence reminded
Maynard the more keenly Of those he
loved. His mind had been upon his wife
and child. Jakey's coming brought also
Souri's image and the trials and tri-
umphs which he and Jakey and Souri,
had once passed together, and trials
and triumphs borne in company weld
hearts. Of all who loved him only ia
key was there, and on him alone could
he rely for comfort.
At last Jakey withdrew himself from
his friends embrace. He had permitted
him to indulge his grief for few min
utes, and this he considered quite long
enough.
General - he began. He had always
called his chief general" contending
that he was general since he COM
manded brigade.
''No more Of that, Jakey. I am only
Maynard now-Mark Maynard. Mark
is good enough name for me-
"Waal, that don't make no differ.
You uns got tn same body N arms n
legs n all thet. Hev y done tn fust
thing TO- ter do?''
whats that, Jakey?'
'Tell Mrs. Maynard.
"Jakey, I can't"
''Reckon she'll hev ter know it some
time''
''There's going to be a battle. No
court can keep me from shouldering
musket or welding saber. I'll go into
the fight that's coming and never come
out of it. Then she'll not need to know
it."
"What makes y think theirs goin ter
be a fight?''
II would not have the intuitions Of
soldier if did not. -
''Y' hain't General Rosey.''
''Nor do need to be General Rosey
to divine what's coming. Do you sup
pose I knew any more about war with
eagles on my shoulders than in pri-
Yates uniform? If there were some su-
perior being to look into the heads of
the men composing this army and read
just the rank in accordance with fitness,
many star would leave the shoulder
where it now rests to alight on that Of
some obscure private. -
''Waal, eff we fight 'em, won't we
whip 'em?"
Jakey noticed that, with the change
Of his friends mind from his grief to
war, there was an immediate improve
ment from the terrible depression upon
him. He asked the question for the
purpose of keeping Maynard's attention
fixed for time on war rather than for
information.
"Whip 'em? Why, Jakey, we're scat
tered all over creation" He dipped his
finger in tin cup full of water and be-
gan to draw rude map on the top of
an extemporized table, consisting of a
square board nailed on a stake driven
in the ground.
Here's the Chickamauga flowing
between these two ridges, Missionary
and the Pigeon mountains, from south
to north into the Tennessee. Critten-
den's corps is here at Lee and Gordon's
mill. Thomas corps has just passed
through Stevens gap down here, ten or
dozen miles from Crittenden, while
McCook is at Alpine, 20 miles away
from Thomas. We are off here near
Reeds bridge, the tip of the left wing,
40 miles from McCook, the tip of the
right wing
bragg is here at Lafayette, on the
east side of the Pigeon mountains, and
opposite our center at Crawfish Springs,
where he can strike any one of our corps
separately. He can ride up on to the
Pigeon mountains, and, looking down
on the valley of the Chickamauga, see
just where we are located. I was up
there myself the other day with a rec
onnoitering party and came upon one of
his scouts, looking at US very much as
one would survey a barnyard of fat
turkeys before Christmas. -
He paused and seemed lost in some
attendant problem Presently he added.
absently:
''All I'd be afraid of would be de-
lay"
"What d'y' mean by thet?'' asked Ja-
key.
Maynard started. II was thinking
that was on the other side," he said.
"You see, Jakey, in military point of
view the beauty Of the situation is all
with the Confederates.
s'How2''
Continued on 9Th page.)