The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-23
Shorty Gets Letter From Bad Ak, wis.

Shorty had always been conspicuously
lacking in the general interest which his
comrades had shown in the mails Probably
at some time in his life he had had home
like the rest of them, but for some reason
home now played no part in his thoughts.
The enlistment and muster-rolls stated that
he was born in Indiana, but he was a stranger
in the neighborhood when he enrolled him
self in Co Q.
His revelations as to his past were confined
TO memories of things which happened
"when / was cuttin' wood down the Mis-
sissippi," or "when / was runnin' on an
Ohio stern-wheel.'
He wrote no letters, and received none.
And when the joyful cry, "Malls come, "
would send everybody else in the regiment
| on the run to the Chaplain's tent, in eager
anticipation, to jostle one another in inn
patience, until the contents of the mail-pouch
were distributed, Shorty would remain in
different in his tent, without an instant's in
terruption in his gun-cleaning, mending, or
whatever task he might have i'll hand.
change came over him after he sent his
letter to Bad AK, Wis The cry, ''Mail' 3
come" would make him start in spite OF
himself, and before he could think to main
tain his old Indifference. He was ashamed
lest he betray his hearts most secret
thoughts
The matter of the secure transmission of
the mails between camp and home began to
receive his earnest attention. He feared
that the authorities were not taking suffi-
cient precautions The report that John
Morgan's guerrillas had captured q train be-
tween Louisville and Nashville, rhed the
mail car, and carried off the letters, filled him
I, Ir- ind; hot Al
gan and his band and the Generals who had
not long ago exterminated that pestiferous
crowd
He had some severe structures on the sloven-
ly way in which the mail was distributed
flom the Division and Brigade Headquarters
to the regiments. 1t was a matter, he said
which could not be done too carefully 1t
was great deal more important than the dis
tribution of rations. A man would much
rather lose several days rations than letter
from home He could manage in some way
to get enough to live on, but nothing would
replace a lost letter.
Then, he would have fits of silent musing,
sometimes when alone, sometimes when with
81 in the company over the personality of the
fair stOcking-kntter of Wisconsin, and the
letter he had sent her. He would try to re-
call the exact wording of each sentence be
had laboriouSly penned and wonder how it
impressed her, think how it might have been
improved, and blame himself for not having
been more outSpoken in his desire TO hear
from her again. He would steal off into the
brush, pull out the socks and letter, which
he kept carefully wrapped up in a sheet Of
the heavy letter paper, and read over the letter
carefully again, although he knew every word
of it by heart These fits alarmed ST.
Pm afeared, " he confided to some GRO
MES that rebel bullet hurt Shorty more'n
he III let on. He's not actin like hissef at
times. That bullet scraped so near his thinkery
that it may have added it. 1t was an awful
close shave"
Better talk to the Surgeon" said they
CHANGING bullets sometimes hurt worsen
they seem to-"
mo, the bullet didn't hurt Shorty any
more than make scratch" said the Surgeon
cheerfully when 81 laid the case before him.
= | examined him carefully. That fellows
head is 50 hard that no mere scraping is go
ing to affect it. You'd have to bore straight
through it, and I'd want at least a six
FOUNDER to do it with if | was going to under
take the job. An Indiana head may not be
particularly fine, but it is sure to be awfully
solid and tough. No; his SYSTEMS likely to
be out of order. You rapscallions will take
no care of yourselves, in spite of all that /
can say, but will eat and drink as if you
were ostriches. He's probably little off his
feed, and a good dose of bluemass followed
up with quinine will bring him around all
right. Here, take these, and give them to
him."
The Surgeon was famous for prescribing
bluemass and quinine for every ailment pre-
sented to him, from sore feet to shell
fever" 81 received the medicines with a
proper show of thankfulness, saluted, and
left. AS he passed through the clump of
bushes he was tempted to add them to the
collection of little white papers which marked
the trail from the Surgeons tent, but solici-
tude for his comrade restrained him. The
Surgeon was probably right, and it was Sis
duty to do all that he could to bring Shorty
around again to his normal condition. But
how in the world was he going to get his
partner to take the medicine? Shorty had
the resolute antipathy to drugs common to
all healthy men.