The National tribune., 1898-10-13
myself

Resemble this, 81 asked shorty, Wht
was paving around in their shrunken haver
sacks, as he produced two dinsy crackers
and handful of pieces discolored by con
tact with the coffee and meat during the
days of marching in the rain.
And then" continued 81, unmindful oil
tie Interruption, after she took the bread
out, smelling like bouquet, she put in some
biscnits and then some dressed chicken, q
young pig -
Just like this" echoed Shorty, pulling
out rusty re mnant of very fat commissary
pork.
"Shet up, Shorty said 81, angered at
this reminder of their meager store, which
was all that was left them for the day, since
they had far outmarched their wagons. -
won't have you making fun o. my mothers
cookin,p'
well, you shet up torturin' me about
home goodies" answered Shorty, "when we
hain't got enough grub here to fill ore undi-
videG auarter-section o. one o. our gizzards,
aud there hain't no more this side o the
wagons. which are stalled somewhere in the
Duck River hills, and won't he up till the
katydids sing l amt making fun O. your
mothers coOkin' But / won't have you
tormentin' me with gas about the goodies
back home"
II know it amt right, Shorty" said Si.
- 1t only makes us feel worse. Bat / can't
help thinkin' D.
''.Jest 90 on thinkin," sneered Shorty,
"if you kin fill yourself up that way.
can't. You'd better set to studyin' how to
make less'n quarter rations for one fill up
two men fer all day. There amt no use
goin' a-foragin They call this country the
Cumberland Barrens. There never was grub
enough in it to half support the clay-eatcrs
that live around here, and what there was
the rebels have carried Off The only thing
kin think of is to cut up some Easswoo
chips and fry with this pork. BIebbe we
could make 'em soft enough TO fill up on. Z"
And Shorty gloomily shook out the last
crumb from the haversacks into tin of
water to soak, while he fried the grease out
of The fragment of pork in his hali-canteen.
And Zap, continued ST, as if determined
to Danish famine thOnght, by more agreeable
ones. has had the trotting team nicely
curred and their names and tails brushed
out, and hitched 'em to that new Studcbaker
spring wagon he wrote about. They IL put
all the good things in, and then mother aid
the girls'll climb in They'll 90 down the
road i'll great STYLE and pick up Annabel,
and drive over 10 the Grove, where they'll
about their boys i'll the army, and the Posey
Br,ss Bandit play patriotic tunes, and old
Beach Jamieson'll fire off the anvil, and then
Parson Ricketts'll put on his glasses and
read the Declaration o. Independence, and
then some politician young lawyer from Mt.
Vernon or Posevville'll make a sky-soaring,
spread eagle speech, and -
30, do come Off ST. said Shorty irritably
- You're only making yourself hungrier ex-
ercising your tongue 50. Come here, and git
your share o. the breakfast, and mind you
eat fair"
Shorty had fried out the pork in the dngy,
black half-canteen poured the soaked crackers
into the sputtering hot grease, and given the
mess little further warming and stirring.
Then he pulled the hali-canteen from the
split stick which served for handle, set it
on the ground and drew line through it
with his spoon to divide the food fairly into
equal portions.
Meanwhile ST had strolled over little
ways TO where an old worm fence had stood
when the regiment went into camp. Now
only the chunks at the corners remained. He
looked a minute, and then gave yell of de-
light
Here, Shorty" he called out, here's
something that beats your fried break fasts all
hoiier. here's ripe biackberrleS till you
can't rest, and the biggest, finest ones you
ever saw. Come over here, and you can pick
all you can eat in five minutes
He began picking and eating with the
greatest industry. Shorty walked over and
followed his example.
They are certainly the finest ,blackberries
ever saw" he agreed ''Strange that we
didn't notice them before. This country
amt no good for nothn' else, but it surely
kin beat the world on blackberries Hi,
there. Git out, you internal brute u
This latter remark was addressed to a
long-legged, NANCY hound that had suddenly
appeared from nowhere, and was nozing
around their breakfast with appreciative
shifts. Shorty made a dive for him, but he
cleaned out the half-canteen at one compre-
hensive gulp. and had put good-sized farm
between him and the fire before Shorty
reached it. That gentleman fairly danced
with rage, and swo-e worse than teamster.
but the breakfast was gone beyond recovery.
The other boys yelled at and gibed him, but
they were careful to do it Mt q safe distance.
''Twasn't much Of breakfast, after all,