The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-12-25

the conscrlpt officer drew a Formidable
looking memOrundum-b from his
pocket and tapped the young man on
the shoulder Little Billy looked
around In surprise, the blood mounted
To his face and he laughed shoepishly.
"What iB your ngme7" the officer ask-
ed, polishing his pencil
william Henry Harrison Cochran"
replied little Billy,
GLOW old arr your
Twenty, April gone"
Report AZ my office under the Tenn
pernuce hall, next Wednesday morning,
the day after tomorrow The army
needs your services
"Do you want me to go to the WARP"
asked little Billy, n quaVer In HIS voice
YES" the officer replied. You fall
under tho conscrlpt law
"Whatll nanny do?"
''Really, ] don't know, Tho confeder-
acy needs you worse than your nam
my does just now"
Little BILLY hung his head and walked
70 the riCkety wagon.
"Mind," said the officer" Wednesday
morning at 10 o'clock. l don't want to
send after you,"s
"Why what In the round world Is the
matter, honey?" Aunt Sally inquired,
seeing the downcast look OF her son.
Little Billy simply shook his head,
He could not have uttered a word then
had his life depended upon II,
"Glt up, BeCkl" exclaimed Aunt Sal
ly. slapping the old mule with the rope
relns,
Major Goolsby watched the mother
and son for n few moments as they
drove back across the public square,
His lip qulvered as he remembered how,
years before. Aunt Sally had nurHed his
dead wife. He turned to the conscript
oticer and Strengthened himself up,
"Mlster"-his voice was soft, sweet
and nsInuatinB-"Mls how many Of
your kind are loaflng around in the
south, picking up the mainstay OF
widOws?"
"As many as arc necessary, SIR" re-
piled the officer.
AS many as are necessary, sir" said
the major, turning TO his ncquaintnnces
and mlmlcklng the tones Of the officer,
Boys, that's what they call statistics
the exact figures. Well. sir, II there's
one for every town In the confederacy,
there's more than a regiment OF them.
Don't you reckon I'm about rlBht In my
figures?"
~ couldn't say" replied the officer,
Major GOOlsby was angry, but he didn't
know what the majors anger meant,
Il couldn't say. II all OF them have
enlisted as many men as have, the
army will be q great deal larger IN the
course OF the next three months"
Don't you think you could do n great
deal more damage to the Yankees. u
you had the WILL than that boy you've
1uRt served nOeicc On?" asked the
major, with a little more aspcrity than
he had vet shown. "Why don't you get
a basket and catch tnm-tlts and send
'em to the frontH The woods aro full
Of en-"
"Now, II you'll tell me how oil this
concerns you" said the officer. brist-
ling UP. I'm be much Obliged to you,
The major took one step forward
and. with movement quick as light
ming, slapped the officer In the race
with his open hand. That's for little
Billy" he exclaimed,
The officer sprang bnck and placed
his hand under his coat ns II to draw
pistol The major whipped out q biz
morocco pocketbook. fnmbled about u
q moment, and then threw ave 80 GOLD
pieces at the feet OF the officer.
"Ill send that TO your family" he
said, III you'll pun your pistol out
where Gun see IL"
But the officer by this time had taken
sober second thought, and he turned
away from the major and went to lhia
office across the public square. The
older citizens OF HlllsbOrough applaud
ed his GOODNESS and discretion. and one
OF them told him confldentially that II
ne had drawn his pistol when MAJOR
Goolsby begged him to he would have
been a dead man before he could have
pulled the hammer back.
(To NJ ooSTiSuLnl