St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-06-11

i tHe picket me III front Oh tue 1HiFa
division.
Good thing for you boys" said ,
good-natured sergeant, as he saw Il
their equipments. 1--WE are out whe-,
you'll see plenty of Johnnies befor'
shutdown, and you'll get used to tn.
ping Of hot lead. Our last batch o
fresh fish lay around camp tire,
months before they heard sho
fired"
Tie recruits smiled, and were pleased
as they fell in and marched away will
Inc veterans. 1t would do them credit
10 write home that they had been under
fire on the. first day of their arrival
Perhaps they would have chance al
"game" before the day was over.
Company ID" halted and erected its
tents at the reserve picket, half a mile
in rear Of ''the 'front.'" and presently
the details were made up to relieve the
old pickets. There were two men to
each post, and the new men were dis
tributed with the old as far as their
number went. Jason White, FL years
old-just two weeks away from the
plow on his fathers farm-found him
self on post with sun-tanned veteran
who was serving out the last OF his sec
ond year.
My names Jim Taylor" said the
veteran, as he leaned on his musket
and gave his companion looking over.
lyon size up pretty well. but one can't
aIlus tell. Last man broke in turned
out to be hell Of fighter. and il he
hadn't tried to stop a solid shot he'd
hey bin sergeant by this time. What
made you enlist?"
Il thought it was my duty" replied
White.
''Oh! / see! You jest waited two
years and then felt it your duty to
come down here and lick the stuffin'
ont Of Lees army? 1t was awful good
Of you to think that way. If you'll
only pitch in and finish things up this
week wei al feel much obieeged to
you."
Jason White looked at the old vet
eran in puzzled way, and was in
ciined to resent his sarcasm; but
while he was thinking it over the other
continues:
Its my opinion that you made a
cussed fool o yerself by enlistin', and
that you don't know duty from cab
bagehead. However, as you are here
it's fur me to show We the ropes. Did
ye ever sass anybody?"
'I-eNpect / have" stammered the
recruit.
well, that's good as fur as it goes.
If you've talked right up to folks at
home an let EN- understand that you
was able TO take keer of yerself. that's
a sign of grit. Ever hev fight?"
Yes, two or three of 'em.''
Lick the other feller?'
"Ies, SIR
That's better-that kind O. satisfies
me that you've got grit. When We en-
listed it never occurred to We that We
might git one o these things bored
through yer body, did it?'
And the veteran took a musket ball
from his cartridge box. and reached
over and tapped the recruit on the
breast with il. The fresh fish" moved
back and turned pale, and with a grim
smile the other continues:
makes hole in mans body al |
most as big as yer fist, and he don't
git up and play leap-frog afterwards.
either. Did We ever shoot a dog at
homeg"
NO. SIR
well, shot Cog once, and I've
thought of it good many times since !
bein' down here. He was lookin' at me,
pitiful like, when pulled the trigger
and it's bin jest that way in the case |
OF two or three men. I've pulled trig- |
ger on EN- when could look right into |
their eyes. and they was seem:n' to ask
me TO spare EN- thought if you had
killed dog it might come easier to
kill man. but mebbe you'll be all
right any way"
What do you mean by KILN a
nan9' slowly asked the recruit, as he
leaned heavily against the beech tree
At his back
Say. but that's FUNNY" laughed the
veteran. "Killin' mano Why, what
The devil did You come down here furo
Did We expect to swing a hammock
under tree and smoke all day?"
II came down to fight"
oh. We did! Well, that means kill
In somebody, guess. Leastwise.
you'll find the Johnnies are KILN lots
IT US, and you've got to kill in return.
II we wasn't out en- the picket line
you'd hev waited and killed yer first
man In battle. but as it is vel git in
fer work weeks ahead. We shall be
'ut here fur week. and during that
'Ine ye orter pop over about four. tn
I'll depend on yer nerve, though.
mats happened 10 make We look SO
'esllish white around the gills?"
Nuthin. was the brief reply, rs
ne recruit set his jaws together and
made great effort to brace up.
Nufhin, Ell? Didn't know but xe
WISHED We was back home hoein' corn
bout this time. Now I'll explain things I
Q you bit clearer. Thar's rebel
'ieket about opposite to us, and not
'ser musket shot away. Thar are I
"o men. same as us, and it's our biz Z
ess 70 Kill them and their bizness to I
Ill US. Jest so long as we STAY hid
lere they can't see us, but it's our duty y
crawl down and git shot. They a
nay be crawiin' up on us at this very +
mint. Ie see. the idea is to kill. One 7
nan DON count fur much, but if We Q
~ enough Wen bimeby have a hun a
red. Pooh. What's the matter?. G
Jason White had sunk down nj the I
Dot OF the tree. and was looking e
round him in apprehension. X
II they had line on We they'd shoot b
E s'ttin' down as soon as stand,n' m"
aid the veteran. I've knowed men #
Dc killed even when they was lyin.
own Now if you're ready, Wen lest e
ork down on the left flank and see
we can't catch them Johnnies nan
in" q
DO you mean that you are goin' to 4
'eep around and shoot man in cold
ood! demanded the recruit. as he
sc up with his H ees trembling. :.
What the hell ais you," growled :. =.
ayior, as scoml darkened his face
old blood. WHO talks about cold
God down here at the fronfo w..