The National tribune., 1897-10-14

1 SnOEe OF MIN.
An Orderly came up, saluted Pollock, and
said:
Capt. Bryan's compliments. He desires
rolled"
Where is his tent?"
Come along with me, and I'll show you. y
Pollock and the rest arose and followed
the Orderly. The Captain had his clerk
take their names, and then he issued an A
tent to every seven of them, pair OF blank
cts to EACH and some cooking utensils, and
said:
Garry your tents and things over there
(pointng to an open space) and set your
tents up in line with those others you see to
the right. Pll have some rations sent over
| there after while"
The Tennesseeans picked UP their luggage
and carried it over to the place indicated,
and sat down to consider what to do next
toward carrying ont the Captains orders.
They were not lacking in ingenuity in deal
ing with the things that they had heretofore
been accustom to. Turn one of them into
the deep woods with no tools but n Ratchet
and a jack aud he would soon make
himself very comfortable Bat how to
evolve a shelter out Of those webs of white
muslin, tightly rolled around polls, was as
Web Brainard picked up one of the pack
ages, united the ropes, spread the canvas
out on the ground, and then they all studied
| it, and the iron-spiked poles, and the assort-
ment of pegs
Dog my cats" said Web Brainard, 81 hit
| looks more like deadfall for Il bar than a
contrivance fer men t sleep in. l think hit
must be the trap that Abe Lincoln ketches
| his soldiers in.
That's a good name fur hit echoed
Amos Beckwth. ABE Lincoln's soldier
/ trap"
Il kin make shack on the mountings,
! or raise n log cabin eZ well ez airy other
man." Pollock admitted, but that kailker
| fixin' beats me clean out"
Hits eZ plain Ell the man-in- the moOn
said Web Branard, " that this ERE assem-
blage o. free-born feller-citzens haint got
sumption enough among em to study out
this Yankee con,raption by their ourselves.
Pm a-gwine t. give hit up, an go over thar
an find out how the other fellers whove
more sense hez done hit"
He came back presently, remarking with
confidence:
I've done found out all about hit. All
yo've got to do is y stick these thinguna-
ji.s inter this ere do-funny, set the eends on
the ground, stretch the muslin over hit, an
stake hit down, an the things done"
Sartin 2" asked Pollock, doubl fully.
Yes; hits Jest eZ easy ez sldin down
hill. ! done seed a man from InjianDy over
thar an he tole me. Said hit WIZ so easy
that he wouldn't make me ashamed by
showin me. | couldn't help dom hit eff I'd
only try"
Well" said Pollock, "yo an Amos put
up yo' tent fust, an the rest of we'uns II
watch an rarn how"
All right. Come on, Amos"
The two mountaineers would have relished
a struggle with vicious horse, bear, or a
bull to show off their manhood to their com
panions. They tackled the tent in something
of the same spirit. For moment they seemed
getting along fairly well with the entangllng
poles, ropes, and canvas. The next they had
tripped up one another, and were rolling
over and over, getting mixed up worse and
worse in the mazes of cordage and cloth.
They lost their heads and temper.
Amos, yo' blunderin' punkin-eater,
said Web holly. What fur did yo' pull
on hit when l wuz hstin' hit up? / done
tole yo' L hist"
Yo done tole me no,hin' of the kind, yo
red-headed sapsucker. Yo' done tole ne t
pull"
Pollock inierfered "Come, boys, DONE
git mad. 'Twon't help a bit T. git the tent
up. Web, yod better 90 back an take
another lesson from yer Injianny friend. He
didn't i'arn yo' the A b C's. Let's all 90
and take look at them other tents, and see
how they'uns air set up"
They made prolonged examination Of
the standing tents, and after much hard
work, and not a little temper, succeeded III
getting their own set up In something like
the same way. They sat down to survey
their work and rest. when Gen. Nelson APP
preached. Evidently, things had not been
going to his satisfaction, and his temper was
boiling. He stOrmed at the officers aud
orderlies who were accompanying him, and
sent them away on different errands, with
harsh commands and many curses. He
looked moment at the row of tents, and
his rage famed out in another direction.
What insuiferable Anticipated idiots
have been setting up those tents?" he reared
What insane asylum did the SPAWN Drained
fools break out from? Come here to make
my camp ridiculous by setting up tents in
way to make the world laugh at us. What
kind of line do You call that? Crook
eder than rams horn. Tents set up sc
that if you point your finger at them they'll
fall down. What in tormenting blazes is In,
matter with you? Haven't you got any
eyes in your head Can't you tell a straigh
line when you see it? Are you just getting
over fit of the iim-jam~, or are they Jus
coming on? Or are you just plain, straight
natural born fools? Say"
Henry Clay Pollock's wrath was gettin,
the better of his respect for military dig
nifty and awe of a man who bore General
commission.
'Jineral Nelson" he said sternly, "we
'uns have done the best we could to pu
up them air tents. We'uns we worke,
powerful hard on 'em, an we'uns won
stand yo're abuse, an -"
Shut up" said the General savagely I"
won't hear a word from you" And b
opened note which an orderly had hande,
him and began reading it.
1t was not in Henry Clay PollocI's fles
, and blood 10 stand more He walked di
! rectly up in front OF. the General, shook hi
clenched fist in his face, and said
, Jineral Nelson, Pm white an free borr
an jest Ell good ez yo' airy day i'll the week
/ don't lleer eff yo' air a Jineral or what V,
, air Ell yo' talk Z me that-a-way I'll thras
the ground with yo', ef yo' air 40 Jinerals
/ kin lick yo', an I'll do hit"
Evidently thinking much more Of th
contents of the note than of the word
/ which had been flung at him, Gen. Nelso
? raised his eyes, and locked steadiastly a
Dnll ,ubn az