The National tribune., 1897-10-21
"Yo,?" said botfi the boys, in astonish-

| tnelr aStO0lSnmeNt ss's w lIftt iIdktS yO aCV |
| that-a-way? Haint bin with yo' afore?"
'.Yo' sartinly have, an no man could be a
better stander-up than, yo' wuz," they readily
assented.
Then, why can't 7 80 with yo' on this? :"
| Yo' really want t go?"
"Sartin ez I'm alive, l don
Then we'd be mouty glad t. have yo.
! Well have t talkathe Westcott boys into
havin gal along, but they know yo' purity
| well, SOS they'uns won't object much"
'When air yo' gwine? 2"
TO-mOrrer afternoon. The moon'll raise
at midnight, an we'll have hits light t come
home with The Wescott boys went down
day before Yesterday t take another look at
the bridge, an git ez many pints ez they uns
conid. They air t meet we'uns to morrer
evenin' whar the road turns off t go t Mt.
Gilead. Yo better git us up some vctuals,
'kase we'll be monty hongry atore we git
back. But how air yo' gwine T. git away
from motlier?"
Miriam thought minute.
'sYo know she said at last "I've bin
wantn' t git that wool over t. the cardin'
mill fur hull month. Yo' boys We bin
promisin t. take hit over for me. I'm gwine
Z tote hit over myself on Nancy. Yo' boys
kin go part O the way with me. That is, yo'
kin say yo will, an that Ill go t Cousin
Sarah Bells fer the night. Mother'd be so
skeered that she wouldn't live if she had any
idee what weuns air really up t.. We kin
put the wool over the bundles o. fat pine, so
4 that if we meet anybody they won't know
nothin'"
| So 1t was arranged.
Soon after dinner the next day they started,
each with rifle in hand, and the bundles of
pitch-p pine entirely concealed in huge bags OF
wool behind their saddles
Two or three hours after they started they
came down into valley, and encountered
squad of rebel cavalry under young Lieu
tenant. They were citiied fellows, i'm
mensely amused at the uncoutllness of the
East Tennesseeans whom they regarded as
little better than ignorant barbarians. The
great bags of wool excited their risiblities
Whats the matter with your horses 2"
they inquired. " Do they carry their blad-
ders outside on their backs"
"When we saw you coming down the
mountain we thought mebbe it was the adj
vanced guard of circus, with the drome-
dares going ahead"
Didn't know but it was new kind o.
horses that Abe Lincoln had sent down here
for his East Tennessee cavalry. Something
with wings ON thatd fly up into the air
when we begun shootin' at them"
Are you running away with your man.
my teatherbeds boys?"
r Where do yoa suppose those cubs of
bows come from? Must'ye leen raised with
the wolves and bears in the pine woods"
Say, boys did you ever see wagon? Do
you know why the big hind wheel don't
catch up and run over the little front one ?"
Miriam had admonisted the boys to keep
! quiet, and make no reply to the taunts.
Great Scott - said the Lieutenant get
4 g,r+ +6o f,rs ~
face. under her deep sunbonnet. What a
pretty girl you have there. She's pretty in
: spite of her linsey dress and her cowskin
shoes. I'll make up to her"
He rode alongside and said, very politely ::
"Good morning, Miss. Are you going
far?''
; 'r the cardin' mill" replied Miriam,
curtly.
: Il hardly expected to meet SO pretty q
girl on this mornings ride. Do they have
many like you in the mountains 2"
: 81 don't want none o your compliments,
: sir, ~ replied Miriam, sternly 9 don't like
yo' kind, an the less 1 have t do with yo'
the better fm suited"
Heavens, what charming spitfre.
Come. now. that's not the right way to treat
2 :. a man who is fighting for your country.
You've got to come around to it, and you
might as well begin now. How would you
u like to have me for q sweetheart"
lie rode up close to her, and spoke in an
: insinuating way.
= Her face famed with anger, and she
: grasped her squirrel rifle, as if she would
= strike him Bildad had not caught the
: words, but he saw something was wrong.
: He pushed his horse up between them, and
, said in his slow drawl:
;, y Mister, yo' kin sass me, but be mouty
= = keerful what yo' say t my sister, if yo' want
;, = t. keep the top O. yo head ON. Whatd he
r say t yo, Sis ~
q q Nothin' PARTICULAR she hastened to say
to avoid the boys wrath. . He's jest g
} leetle TOO forward, that's all. Let's git away
Ell quick ez we kin. Les turn out here"
:. She turned her mare to the right, leaped
= her easily over low fence, and, followed by
;, the boys, went off through the fields, leaving
: the Lieutenant and his men looking puzzled
at the ease with which they had left them
; sIf the Westcott boys ID bin along We
. . 'uns ID fit the hull gang" said Reuben, a:
y y they looked back at the squad resuming Its
y march s'I'd like awfully well t bust car
"a at that brash young Lieutenant, afore he git:
II II clean away
;, y Don't, Reuby, don't" begged Miriam
:, alarmed lest that hair-brained youngstel
!, would carry his idea into execution. Va
= re gwine on another errand. Les tend only
a t. that"
~ ~ A little before dusk they met the West
~ cott boys at the appointed rendezvous The,
- drew their horses out of sight in a thicl
70 grove of beeches ate the food which they hat
y brought a'ong, arranged their wool for delivery
= at the carding mills little farther on, ant
20 settled upon their plan Of action.
no ''Thar air three sang-diggers a-watchin
-, tie bridge :" said Bob Westcott. went VI
nr t. them through the woods, pretendin' tha
40 10 / lived nigh, an wuz huntin' calf. The,
n, 'uns have got a little shack fixed up nigh
II where they seep and eat. They'u al
~ cowardly skunks what think they "
;. :. got a safe berth thar thatll last Zen
II through the war. propose that we go t.
~ place that I'vc picked out nigh the bridge
y, and git often our hosses thar. We'll leav
Miriam and Reub thar with the critters
= while me am Bildad an Abe II circle roun
- through the woods an come in above then
fellers We'uns I'll begin shootin' at they 'uns
- and yellin'. We'Dfnat shoot to kill, but t
skeer. They 'uns III run off like skeere
hounds, and we'uns after they'u Ez 500
ez yo'uns think they 'uns is away, yo' brin
tbe critters forward with the light-wOOd