The National tribune., 1897-06-17
fTobe continued.l
VII.

Pussonal Rekollekshuns of an Army Cook.
Tho War Viewed from the Rear.
VII.
alluz 'spised Newell Novels alluz seemed
tub me made up oh sops and remnants OBJ two
| very spectacle animiles widdout OBJ de
good p'ints OBJ needer. Dey's like desc ornery,
butternut-dyed mulatters, wat hant in dem
| needer de homes days wuk oba Quincy mig.
gah, nur de CRATE big know how oh whaite
man. De good Lord nebber made elder mules
or mulatters 1t wuz sum smartey. dat fought
he'd make an Improvement on de Lords work.
Down on de Pamunkey de Mornin Glory
Mess picked up likely young mewel, an
mustered him intuh DER private transportation
| department. De Mess had geddered up quite
| passed. OBJ camp. kittles an udder truck from
| de new regiments comm in. an not 'sperienced
| in camp ways. De newell d come handy tub
tote desc erlong. Dey called him "Calber g.
'kase he kicked so. / wuz younanimously
elected Chief Engineer oh do train. Dey
s'posed dat 'kase was niggah l wuz bawn
| KNOWN all erDout mewels, an diddent need no
larnin Land o. Goshen. wat arned de next
| day erbOut mewels ID make de bigges' book yo'
ebber see, an hit d be mostly cuss. words.
De regiment wuz ordehed tub march at Z
| o'clock de necks m0rnin, wild tree days RASH
| uns an 40 rounds OBJ catrij.
Airly in de mornin Mistuh 10 borryed a
saddle an long piece OBJ rope from a teamster
| wat wuzzent lookin. De Mess put de saddle
on de mewel, tied on knapsacks blankets an
| pup-tents till dey made a hump ez big ez a
cock oh hay, an den dey hung two or tree
camp-kittles on each side, an h'isted me on
top oh de hull pile.
"You's all right SNOWFALL" seq Mstub Jo
You's q gentleman, to-day. Yo' kin ride.
| like de ossifers vile de rest OBJ us hab tub
mash clods. Yo' jes' fall In behine de Wagons
| an cum ergin tub US wen we go intuh camp"
| All dis time de newel seemed meek ez
Moses, but Fence Rail Pete who WIZ lookin'
| him in de face alluz declahed dat he see him
| wink his left eye.
De bugle bowed, an off de regiment started.
You'd fought from de way dat Caiber 65
moved up an tux his place dat he'd bin in de
ahmy all his life. an liked nothin' better dan
| to.in a kyart-load OBJ blank an camp. kittles,
wid cnllud gentleman on top OATS de Gus
sidness oh mewel. Hos bigger hypocrite
dan possum.
fought | had de best mewel in de Nashun,
an wuddent hab tux t'ousand dollars fur him.
/ got very proud an sassy tub dc niegahs who
WIZ plunkin erlong on foot, cahyin DER camp
klttes truck DER heads an shoulders
l chen glib de Boss Teamster sum slack. t'ink
dat erbout den Caliber 60 must hab wunk his
udder eye.
We'd only gone two or tree miles wen Cali.
Der 90 seemed suddenly tuh grow very tired
Oh Dein good. He'd bin too sweet. Hit sou red
on his stnmmick.
Widdont word OBJ explanashun he let fly at
Sariint Bracenoze, who WAS commandin de
Vaughn guards kctched him we're he wore out
his antalo0ns wnst, an landed him 'mong de
briars on de udder side oh de road. Dis diddent
'sturb me. fought Mistnh Jod rudder like
to heah Oh hit.
Sarjint Bracenoze wanted tub shoot him den
an dar. but de flip Majah, who wuz Dustin wild
latin, ordehed Bracenoze tub 60 erbout his
bizness, an in miuit an half, by de watch,
dat newell kicked clear space around him
hundred yards wide.
Den Caliber 65 seemed tub tiuk dat he'd
stayed in de rear long enough, dat his proper
place wuz at de head OBJ de colyum, an he
must git dar widdout minut's loss OBJ time
In all de 10 yeahs oh de wah nebber see
regiment git madden dan dat one, when Calber
90 pranced Trough hit from one end to de
odder, de camp kittles flynn round, bangin' de
men on de heads, knockin' dem into de ditches
kickin' up sch dust dat you couldn't see yo'
hand afor' yo' face. Dere WIZ hull mile OBJ
dem, frowim' rocks at me dat weighed ton
apiece, an yellin':
Kill dat niggah!"
Shoot dat muie!"
"Stob him wild q bayonet!"
An my, de cuss words! Dey used up enough |
cuss words to'ye supplied de whole ahmy q |
month ia rainy wedder. De dust was SO thick I
dat dey cudden't see tub hit me, an befo' any.
body could make up his mind wat tub do we
wns bangin' de necks company to pieces. AT
fust | sawed away on de bit wit all my mite.
try to stop dat TO- legged cyclone. Den | |
glib up. an let him CO. | knowed had to die,
an didn't keer durn how soon hit cum.
One of de Captains slashed Calber 65 ODER de
hanch wild his sword, an dat made him wilder'n
ebber. He banged over de Chaplain intuh de
sbumake bush. den caromed on to de flip Majah,
an rassled him often de culvert intuh de mud,
an Grrx a a La.1
kittle squeezed de Qnartermasteh agin tree,
an kicked hole in de bass drum.
Ez we tore through Company A, ketched |
q glimpse oh de Mornin' Glory Mess safe on de
bauk out OBJ de way, aud latin ez eff dey'd die.
Mistuh 10 he sung out:
go hit, SNOWFALL. You's dom fine. |
knowed hit wuZ you when / fust heered de
racket. Glib him his head Don't shove ON de
lines. Yo'il git dar. We've got our money on
you. wOuldn'ttsk . millyon dollars far dat
niggeh aud dat newell"
At dc head Oh de regiment de Kunnel an de
udder ossfers had turned round an wuz ridin'
back to see wat de fuss wux.
Wen SEQ dem l kn0wed / wuddent lib a
minnit longer, an tried tub pray. Bat Caliber
65 had his blud up. He didn't keer no mo- for a
kunnel dan fur Q niggeh cook. / shet nv
eyes. Wen open dem see de grim old Kun
mel an de Fegimental staff knocke ed ell ober de
Pamunkey Valley, an Calber IS wuz tearin'
down DC side Cd De hili, at dc bottom OBJ which |
wuz rbber.
Pm not tub be killed. I'm tuh be drownd.
ed. SEE /, an de necks minnit we sent de wa
ter flynn like q thundsr-gust. De mewel be-.
gun sinkin' till do water wnz up on de saddle.
Den We struck sand.bar an began scramblin'.
But he cuddent 60 no furder. De water filled
de camp-kittles, an soaked intuh blankets SO
dat he wuz pinned down.
/ slept off intuh de watch an drawed nv
fust long bref hit seemed tub me for hundred
yeahs, wen / found hit only cum up . little
above my knees.
B;meby do regiment cum up. Dey'd got ober
DER mad, an wuz Dustin wild lafiin'. Mistuh
10 swum ober to where wuz, an de rest OBJ de
Mess cum ober in q dug.out Dey tux dc tings
of Caliber IS. an me an him got intuh camp
in time tub cook supper.
6aengerbund Festival-Philadelphfa.
The B. & o. will eell tickets from all points
on its lines east of Ohio River. for all trains
June 10 to 3D. inclusive, valid for return pas
sage until June 26. inclusive ct rate of one
single fare for tho round trip.
For further Information. call on nearest B.
+ o. Agent