The National tribune., 1897-12-09

The reply that came TO Shorty's lips was
that they seemed to be losing great deal Of
liberty rather than gaining it. but he checked
this by the fear that it would be construed a.
an ungentlemanly boast Of their capture.
He said, instead
never knowed as any of Us wanted your
niggers-me particularly. / wouldn't take
| a wagon load of EN-, even if the freight was
prepaid. But, let me ask you, Sergeant, how
many niggers do you own?'
Il don't own nary one"
Does your father own any?"
''No, he don't"
Does your mother, or brothers, uneles,
aants or cousins own any?" persisted Shorty.
mo; thar amt nary one owned in the hull
family"
Seems to ne, said Shorty, YOU'RE doin'
great deal of ightin' to keep Us from takin'
away from you netting that We don't want
and You haint got That's the way it looks
to man from north o the Ohio River. Mebbe
there's something in thu Tennessee air that
makes him see differently I'll admit that
I've changed my mind about a good many
things since We crossed the river"
Pve alluz said" spoke another of ths
prisoners, that this wuz a rich mans wah
and pore mans fout"
Well, " said Shorty, philosophically, Il" for
folks that like that sort O fghtin', that's the
sort o. fghtin' they like I'm different
don't. When ! fight it's for something that
I've got an interest in.
While the discussion was going on ST had
been studying the appearance of the prison.
ers. In spite of their being enemies his heart
was touched by their comfortless condition.
Not one of them had an overeoat or blanket.
The Sergeant and a couple of others had over
their shoulders pieces of the State House
carpet, which had been cut up into lengths
and sewed together for blankets. Another
had what had once been a gaudy calico
Counterpart, with the pattern Rose Of
Sharon wrought out in flaming colors. It
was now sadly bedraggled substitute for 3
blanket The Others had webs of jeans sewed
together.
The buttons were gone from their gar
ments IN many essential places, and replaced
by strings, nails, skewers and thorns. Worst
of all, almost every one OF them was nearly
shoeless. A sudden impulse seized ST.
Shorty" said he, these men are going
up where the weather is very cold / wish
l was ale to give each of them warm suit
of clothes and blanket. L ain'L though.
But tell you what 1 will do: I'll 60 down
to the Quartermaster and see if he'll issue
me a pair of shoes for each of 'em, and
charge it to my clothin' account"
Bully idee," calculated Shorty III
go you halves Mebbe if they git their
understandin' into Yankee leather it'll help
git some Yankee idees into their understands
in. See 2"
And Shorty was so delighted with his little
joke that he laughed over it all the way to
the Qusrtermaster's wagon, and then TO
hearsed it for that officers entertainment.
Fortunately, the Quartermaster had a box
Of shoes that he could get at without much
trouble, and he was in sufficiently good
humOr to grant Sis request.
They added warm pair of socks to each
pair of shoes and so wrought upon the A.
G. Ms sympathies that be threw in some
damaged overcoats, and other articles, which
he said he could report s. lost in action"
They came back loaded with stuff, which
they dumped down on the ground before tho
prisoners, with the brief remark:
''Thems all yours. Put 'em on"
The prisoners were overwhelmed by this
generosity on the part of their foes and
captors.
81 alluz thought" said the Sergeant,
"that you Yankees wuz not half so bad En-
believed that you'ns wuz. You'uns ia white