The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-19

1nuleS VIII some Gay come unQSr the
sway OF the first republic in the world
A VETERAN LIAR.
An old Indian campaigner, a veteran
soldier who says that ''fghtin' is his
trade" was wounded in the leg three
times at the famous charge of San
Juan hill at Santiago, and when final
ly he dropped from weakness, he kept
on firing as he lay on the ground.
When the hospital corps came to take
him off the field he begged them to
| leave him. Just until l get two more
of them damn dagoes," he said. But
he was taken to the rearsand ordered
to New York hospital to recuperate.
To the younger members of the
wounded corps in the hospital he is
known as 'the old man." He does not
hesitate to tell the other men what he
thinks of them, aided by all the adjec-
tives in an old soldiers vocabulary.
THE old mans. all right. though"
! said one Of the soldiers. even if he
does cuss US once in awhile 7 don't
know his beat at tellin' a yarn If
| it don't hurt u.s."
The other day the old man was sit
ting under a tree, surrounded by
group of convalescent soldiers, who
were having fun at his expense. A
visitor whose attention was attracted
to the group by the roars of laughter
which greeted each passage of repartee
between the old man and the soldiers,
ventured to ask what the fun was
about
''Oh, nothin' much" one of the men
answered. The old mans got a baby,
and were roastin' him a bit, that's all.
Here, Poppa" he shouted to the vet
eran, show the stranger your kid
The old man grinned and then put his
hand in the bosom of his shirt and
brought out a tiny white zabbit. The
bunny looked even whittier and smaller
than it really was as it Struggled peace
fully down on the soldiers big brown
palm.
Say" he said, looking at it admir-
ingly, 'ain't it a peach? Honest, nowi
Amt it the cutest you ever did see?
Look at the little pink eyes of him, an
say! watch his nose. 1t goes wigglin'
around, for all the world as though
someone was ticklin' it," and the old
man roared with laughter at the antics
of the rabbit.
The reason he's so dead stuck on the
rabbits because his girl gave it to
him." volunteered the youngest man in
the crowd.
AN that's no pipe dream, neither"
replied the old man emphatically, adj
ding soto voce to the visitor THE
girls about years old. An look you
here" ne continued, turning to the
young soldier, my girl gives me some
thin that lasts longer than candies.
anyway"
The young man flushed and his COM
panions laughed.
Another thing" said the old man. as
he returned the rabbit to its hiding
place, don't you make fun of vouT.
betters. The bunny's got whiskers I'M
der his nose, an that's more'n you'll
have for many long day yet, Baby,f
AT this moment there was a. rumor
that a number of wounded men had
arrived. All the soldiers rushed off
anxious to see if any of their friends |
were among them. The old man didn't |
STIR On being asked how and where !
he had got the rabbit he said: Don't |
you give it away to any of them boys
an Ill tell you. Day afore yesterday /
was sittin' down under tree, in the !
grounds here, when 1 sees a little suuir- !
rel runnin' round close up to me as |
perky as you please. 1 tried to coax |
1t to me. for I'm powerful fond of
animals of all sorts. Here, bunny. |
bunny l says, an then heard a little /
laugh behind me. / turns round an |
there stood the purtiest little girl I !
ever see. Say, she was beaut: looked |
like one OF them wax dolls that chill /
dren play with. She had yellow hair. |
you know, an big blue eyes. an she |
weren't more'n knee-high to a grass
hopper Bout five, reckon
That amt bunny says she, |
lookin' wise like. That's Nellie: it's |
only tame squirrel. Don't you know
what a bunny is? bunny's a rabbit
oh? says I, for 1 didn't want to
ondeceive her. Amt that a rabbit
An looks as innocent as a baby. She !
looks at me with her big blue eyes
wide open for minute or two without |
sayin' nothin'. Then she says You |
poor mani You don't know much, do |
you?. No, ma'an, says 1, an l was
afraid I'd bust my buttons keepin' in
the laugh.
4" Weren't you ever a little boy?' says
she. An then she looks at my crutch |
an my bandaged foot. Sit down. she
says: want to talk to you. 1 think
you're very interestin'.' Down 1 sot
with face on me as long as my arm
an a-tryin' all 1 knew to keep from
laughin'. 1t was the oldfashionedness
of the kid that tickled me more n any
thin else.
When she saw I was comfortable
she squats down on the grass along
side O. me an says, holdiE' up one
finger an markin time with it, I
o-tell-me about when
-you-was-a- Now, start
at the beginnin' an don't miss nothin'.'
an then she closed her lips up tight,
as though she was bound not. to in
terrupt, an waited for me to begin. I
knows the kind o. stories as kids like.
had one myself once-a little girl,
that's neither here nor there,
an it's long time ago, now. starts
off an tells her all sorts O. stories O.
things 1 had seen an of things that
neither me nor any one else ever seen.
finished up by teilin' her of a horse L
had trained.
Can you train rabbits?' says she,
quite solemn like. Sure says l. I
had got so used to lynn by this time
that I'd have found it hard work to
tell the truth.
g Do you know what you are? says
she, still as solemn lookin' as ever.
No, ma'am,' says I an then she starts