The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-23

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SHORTY WANTS To FIGHT GROUNDING
having succeeded and of contrtion at play
ing q trick on his partner. He decided tc
make amends for the latter by giving Shorty
an unusually large quantity of whisky to
take with his quinine.
81 was generally very rigid in his temper
ance ideas. He strongly disapproved OF
Shorty's drinking and always iHerposed
all the obstacles he could in the way of it.
But this was an extraordinary case,-it
would be "using liquor for medicinal
purpose ''-and his conscience was quieted.
Co. @ had one of those smen-to be found
in every company-who can get whisky
under apparently any and all circumstances.
In every company there is always one man
who seemingly can find something to get
drunk on in the midst of the Desert of Sa-
hara. To Co. Q's representative Of this class
emn assurances against giving away" he
procured half pint of fairly good applejack,
into which he put mis- doses of quinine.
In the middle of the night Shorty woke up
with yell.
Great Cesar's ghost!" he howlsd,
whats the matter with me? I'm sicker' n
a dog. Must've bin them dod- gasted peaches
81, don't you feel nothin'?"
"No" said 81 sheepishly; "Pm all right
Didn't you eat nothin' else but them?'
NAV, said Shorty disgustedly. Moth
in but my usual load O. bareback and pork.
Yes, / chawed piece o. sassafras root that
one of the boys dug up"
"Must've bin the sassafras root" said ST.
He hated to lie, and made a resolution that
he would make a clean breast to Shorty-at
some more convenient time. 1t was not OPP
perfume now. "That must've been sock
dologer of dose the Surgeon gave me-" he
muttered to himself.
Shorty continued to writhe and howl, and
81 made hypocritical offer of going for the
Surgeon, but Shorty vetoed that emphatic
ally.
"No; blast old Sawbones," he said He
won't do nothin' but give me bluemass and
quinine, and l never could nor would take
bluemass. It's only fit for horses and hogs"
Toward morning Shorty grew quite weak,
and correspondingly depressed.
''Si," said he, 81 may not git over this
This may be the breakin' out o. the cholera
that the folks around here say comes
every seven years and kills off the strangers
ST, I'll tell you a secret. A letter may come
for me- If don't git over this, and the letter
comes, I want you to burn it up without
reading it, and write a letter to Miss Jerusha
Ellen Briggs, Bad AK, Wis, tellin' her that
| died like man and soldier, and with
her socks on, defendn' his country"
81 whisted softly to himself. "Tll do it,
Shorty" he said, and repeated the address to
make sure.
The crisis soon passed, however, and the
morning found Shorty bright and cheerful,
though weak.
ST was puzzled how to get the whisky to
Shorty. 1t would never do to let him know
that he had gotten it especially for him.
That would have been so contrary to Sis
past as to arouse suspicion. He finally de-
cided to lay it where it would seem that
someone passing had dropped it, and Shorty
could not help finding it. The plan worked
all right Shorty picked it up in few min
utes after ST had deposited it, and made quite
an ado over his treasure trOve.
"Splendid appejack," he said, tasting it.;
sslittle bitter, but that probably comes from
their using dogwood in the fires when they're
'stillin'. They know that dogwood'll make
the liquor bitter, but they're too ALFRED
law to 90 after any other kind o. wood"
He drank, and as he drank his spirits rose.
After the first dram he thought he would
clean around the tent, and make their grounds
look neater than anybody else's. After the
second he turned his attention to his arms
and accOuterments. After the third he felt
like going out on scout and finding some
rebels, to vary the monotOny of the camp
life. After the fourth, Groundhog,n un-
luckily for himself, came along, and Shorty
remembered that he had long owed the team
ster licking and he felt that the debt
should not be allowed to run any longer. He
ordered Grounding to halt and receive his
dues. The teamster demurred, but Shorty
was obdurate, and began preparations to put
his intention into operation, when the
Orderly-Sergeant came down through the
company street distributing the mail.
"Shorty,n he said entirely ignoring the
beIIicosity of the scene, there's letter for
you"
Shortv's first thought was to look at the
postmark. Sure enough, it was Bad Ak,
Wis. Instantly his whole demeanor changed.
Here was something a hundred times more
important than licking any teamster that
ever lived.
s'Git out, you scab," he said, contemptu-
ously. g. haint no time to fool with you
now. You'll keep. This won't"
Grounding mistook the cause of his escape.
so. you're powerful anxious to fight, amt
YOU. till YOU find Pm ready for you, and then
You guile down. I'll let you know, sir, that
you mustn't give me no more o. your sass. L
won't stand it from you. You jest keep your
mouth shut after this, if you know when
you're well oil.
The temptation would have been irresisti-
bic to Shorty at any other time, but now he
must 30 off somewheres where he could be
alone with his letter, and to the amazement
of all the spectators he made no reply to the
transfers gibes, but holding the precious
envelope firmly in his hand, strobe off to the
secuson of neishboring laurel thicket.
His first thought, as he sat down and
looked the envelope over again, was shame
that it had come TO him when he was under
the influence of drink. He remembered the
writer's iervent Christianity, and 1t seemed
to him that it would be gross breach of
faith for him TO open and read the letter While
the fumes of whisky were on his breath He