The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1897-07-31
Madsworth Dispatch,
PUBLISHED sEMI-wEEkLY
$500 Per Annum.
H OLD SOLDIER.


oN1A 20
changing on the wall in my
room," said the old soldier, "are
my last ~lnapsack, haversack and
canteen, and with them is I'm old
canteen with the cloth covering all
faded out and a Lilo hole in one
side of it where a piece of cloth
about as big as half your little fin
ger has been gouged out. Under this
hole there is a little dent in the side
of the canteen, made by the bullet
that gouged out the little strip of
cloth. The old canteen is hanging
with the battered side out. Vain old
MANI Maybe so. I'm not ashamed
of the old canteen. That's certain.
ION the day it was dented l got
the sweetest drink out of it l ever
had. We had started in the morning
with canteens filled. It was a hot
day, and it was hot and dusty
marching. I had nipped along at
the water until it was pretty nearly
all gone, and just before we went
into the fight, which was early in
tho afternoon, l had finished it.
1.-THE fighting didn't end until
dusk, and then we fell back. While
the fight was going on I never
thought of being thirsty, but when
it was over and the tension was off
and we had come back to the earth
again l certainly was tremendously
dry, and when we had got started
along the road back l thought I had
never been SO thirsty in my life.
about two miles back there was
a little brook running across the
road, shallow there, and may be
four or five feet wide and not much
current. Cavalry and artillery and
infantry had passed through this
brook, and the water was thick with
mud and gravel. But it was water,
and as fast as the men came upthey
unslung their cups and scooped up
a cupful Of it as they went along.
It was dark, and some of the men
didn't see it until they had got right
to it, and they had to halt a minute
until they had got their cups loose,
But most of the men had noticed
the men ahead bending down and
knew what they e coming to and
had their cups ready. They would
just bend over when they came to
it and scoop up a cupful without
stopping and carry it along for 20
or 30 feet to let it settle a little be-
fore drinking.
well, l didn't scoop up any.
Most of the men did, but | didn't. l
thought l would rather wait. But
when | heard the swishing of the
water as the men threw out what
was left in their cups with the mud
and twigs and leaves in it it made
me very thirsty again, and l reached
around for my canteen. realized,
though, before l lifted it that there
wasn't anything in it, and showed
it back. But in showing it back
quickly I heard something rattle in
it. / pulled it around again and held
it up and shook it, and, by gosh,
there was water in it--mighty little,
but enough so that you could hear
it slat against the tin when you
shook it. l thought that I had emp
tied it, but | hadn't quite. / had
really left in it about two table
spoonfuls of water.
II shifted the strap round on my
shoulder, go as to bring the canteen
fully in front of me and quito free,
so that / could raise it easily and
freely, with nothing pulling on it
when Idrank. And then l pulled the
stopper. The water would be warn
and fat / knew after stopping around
all day in a tin canteen covered only
with cloth, but l didn't care about
that. / was mighty glad to get it,
and l raised the canteen to find that
the little water remaining was cool
and bright and delicious, cooled in
the canteen, whose covering was
now wet with heavy dew. New
York Sun.