The San Francisco call., 1897-03-07

Billy for "home guard" and went to the
| front" without him. Yet he kept on
beating his drum in public, but kept his
| thoughts to himself.
One day not long after the Twenty
fourth departed he saw troops going on
| board boat bound for Washington. He
! Joined the troops and asking no questions
he walked on board unmoested. The
| Twenty-fourth was in camp at Washing
| ton, and what was their surprise to see
| one day coming up the ROAD but
drum with little head just peeping over
| it, and 10! and behold Billy soon arrived,
| happy and hungry. The captain wrote
his mother concerning his whereabouts
and she could do no more than give her
consent for him to remain. So Billy en-
| listed as drummer.
The regiment soon went into active SER
vice and the little drummer was allowed
to run wild" or any way he liked. Some
where in Maryland he picked up little
I darky boy about his own age named
Lincoln. They chummed, and when Billy
was tired Lincoln carried the drum. They
ate, slept and were always together-very
much alike except in color.
Billy's clothes soon wore out, so he had
to take a pair OF mems pants and cut O fl
| the legs. Then he pulled the waistband
clear up to his armpits and did not care
how long the war lasted. Nevertheless he
had lots of ''good stuff" in him, only it
needed to be brought out. After about
six months his captain had a fine new
military suit of clothes made on purpose
for Billy by tailor in the company. The
little boy next had his hair cut and went
to the creek and took good bath. Put
ting on the new suit he took a look at him.
self; first at his pants, then at his coat.
Finally strengthening himself up he said:
Now, Billy, you have got to be man.
You cant chum with the darky any
more" An for the rest of the time he was
a perfect little gentleman and did the
drumming both for the brass band and for
the drum corps.
Sometimes on dress parade the running
black berry vines would catch his feet and
over on his drum he would go, just as any
boy might fall over a barrel, but up he
would jump, run and get his place and
drum away as if it was all in the play.
Even the colonel had often to smile. and
some of the band boys couldn't blow for
laughing.
oAii1 oS q tClh wy wv CO.. -lS
promised his mother he wouldn't drink
and he kept that promise faithfully. Often
when the band went 10 serenade some
generals he felt insulted when the bottle
was passed to him. Once as his regiment
was falling back (wont call it retreating)
from Stevensburg, Va. the shells were
falling pretty thick. and Billy. if he was
small, was making "good time"
As they passed a house where several
ladies stood looking out, one of them said
"Ok see that little drummer boy An.
other said: Where? o, yes! The dear.
little fellow
Billy shouted: 'If you feel so bad az
that, why don't you bring out hoe cake?
| But then, don't know as 1 could stop to
eat it. I'm very anxious to get across the
river just now"
| On the march for Getty sburg he got
very tired, so when he passed near the
| quartermaster's wagon, as he knew good
| thing when he saw it, he stopped with
him. Here let me say he was always well
come anywhere around headquarters. He
would go out to buy butter and eggs of
! the farmers, and when he offered the
money to pay they invariably refused it.
He said it didn't make him mad bit
when they refused the money. In that
way he kept the quartermaster's table
well supplied. After the battle of Gettys-
burg some one said: BILLY. where were
you at the time of the fght?" Straight
ening up his little form. he answered:
"Twenty-six miles in the rear, living on
the fat of the land" There was another
William Young in the regiment Once
| uyhap COInpoI M0rrnu of
furlough Billy's mother asked the colonel
what kind OF a soldier her son made.
| Thinking of the other William Young,
| he answered, "a good soldier-alwavs in
the thickest of the fight" The mother
was frightened, and cried: What my
little boy in the thickest of the fight?"
The colonel saw his mistake and said,
sob, you mean little Billy. He is good
boy and a fine drummer
| While the regiment was in front of Pc
tersburg Billy got fifteen-day furlough
to go home and see his mother. He got
back as far as City Point, Va, on time,
but being quite sick he called on a Mrs.
DR.. Ripley-a lady in charge OF the low
diet Kitchen whose brother was one of the
Twenty-fourth boys and on duty there
and. as Billy had met Mrs. R. several
times before, he was as much at home in
her tent as though it was his mothers.
The comrade notified the colonel in the
morning of his return, about his sickness,
and Billy was allowed to stay at the hos
pital until he wa, better. 1t took a long
time for him to recover, for he had so
much fun boating on Appomattox Bay and
taking in the sights at the landing that ne
didn't care to be better. Billy was fine
scroll writer. One day Mrs. Ripley saw
that he was very busy with pencil and
pine board. After he had gone out she
MAMMALS BOA.