The National tribune., 1898-08-11

| Ap@GHS~
COLT PRAaG USED TO Walk Up UN,
Down KRowLING UNIT GUSHING"
dere dat gould do-de work, unit Chef Davis
who always wants to know effery dings apou
de armies. vas punching dem up savagely fol
full information. He wanted accurate state
ments apout de Yankee strength unit bosi
tions unit apout de reppel strength unit
positions, to see if he couldn't do some
dings to pull de Yankees off of Bemhertor
at Vicksburg. Praggs Adjutant- Cheneral
sent word through all de army for to find
good, rapid penmen unit map-makers, unit
YES sent up.
| De Adjutant- Cheneral set me to work
under fly near Headquarters, unit he vas
dickled almost to death NIT de way / did my
work. Oft Pragg himself used to walk up unt
down near, krowling unit cussing unit svearine
at efferything unit efierypody. Vonce or twice
de Adjutant-C heneral CALLED his attention to
my work. Oft Pragg just looked it Offer,
grunted, unit bored me drough unit through
nit dose sharp, cold-gray eyes of his. But
/ thought vas safe, so long as vas at Head
quarters, unit / gate great stiff to other
| SECRET Serfce men who hat been drying to
down me.
"Vun morning oft Pragg vas in an awful
demper-de worst / hat effer seen. Effery
word unit order vas a cruelty to somepody.
vinally, up comes dis Brad Jingle dat you
| hat inside He is a sort of half-sby-not
| prains enough to pc real one, put NIT a
good deal of courage unit activity to do
oil Ha had hapt1 hy ffbpparai
Cheatham to garry some papers unit make a
rehort Vhateffer it vas it put olt Pragg in
worse temper dan effer. Brad Jingle hap
pened to catch sight off me, unit he said In q
surprised way:
| :. Why, dere's dat Chew / saw sitting in
Cheneral Rosecrans's tent talking to him,
when vas blaying off refugee Tenneseean in
de Yankee camps
"' what's dat? WHAT'S dat, my man. said
olt Pragg, who happened to oierhear him.
BRAD Tingle told all he knew apout me-
Oft Pragg burned toward me unit gif me such
look | gould veel dose cold, Cruel eyes
boring straight drough me-
Certainly, he is Chew, unit vone of oil
Rosecrans's best sbies, he said. 'Olt Rose
Grams is Chew. Dutch Chew, himself.
knowed him veil in de Olt Army. He's got q
regular Chew face He blays off Catholic,
put that is to hide his Chewishness. He
can't do it. Dat hook nose'd gif him away
if noding else did, unit he hat got enough
else He likes to haf Chews apout him, pc
cause he understands dem peter dan he does
White people, unit particularly he is fond of
Chew sbies He gan drust dem where no
pody else can. Dey'li Pc drue to him because
/ he is a Chew Put dat man in de pull-pen,
unit shoot him NIT de rest tomorrow morn
ing
'' Heavens gasped de Adjutant- Chen
era; he is Ply far de pest man l hat effer
had. l can't get along mitout him.
| You must get along initout him., said
olt Pragg Pm astonishet at you hating
sucn man arount. Where in de world did
you bick him up? Put lit just like you.
| How in Gods name Chef Tavis exbects me
to command an army nit such makeshifts OF
| sdaff officers as nc sends me, l don't know.
He keeps de pest for oft Lee unit sends me
What nopody eise'll hat, unit den expects me
to vim pattles against a peter army dan de
Army of de Potomac. | meter set sdaff
officer dat has prains enough to set hen.
Put dat man in de pull-ben at once
A Sergeant of de ProvOst-Guart, who vas
natural peast, unit vas kept Ply oft Pragg
because he vas glad to garry out orders to
1 y
der unit run me down to de pull-ben, leav-
| inc de Acknowledgement nit forty express
sions on his Apgry face.
| NV goodness my heart sunk worse dan
effer before when | hear de door shut pehlnd
me. Dere were 80 or 40 others in de pull
ben. Dey we're all laying around-dull,
stupid, suilen, silent, unit hopeless. Dey
hardly bald any addention to me. l sat
down on log, unit my heart seemed to sink
CLEAR out of me. For de Wrist dime III my
life l couldn't see de slightest ray of hope
Through de cracks in de pull-ben | gould see
de fresh graves OF de men who had aireaty
peen shot, unit While / looked | saw squad of
niggers gone out unit pegn digging de
graves of dose who we're to be shot tomorrow.
| gould see reppel soldiers unit officers bass
ing by. stop unit look moment at &c graves,
shrug der shoulders. unit go on. 1t froze
my blood to dink dat tomorrow dey would
pc looking at my grave dat way. After
awhile q man GONE in unit gift each vOne OF
us biece of goInpread unit meat. DE oders
ate deirs greedily, put gould not touch id.
Night come on, unit sdill sat dere. Sud
denly de door obened, unit de Adjutant-
Cheneral gone in mt {: man apout my size
and dressed something like me. AS he
BASED he caught holt of my arm i'll a sort of
Il way dat made me understand to get up unit
follow pehind him. did so at vonce mitout
saying a word. / walked pehind him around
de pull-be2 until We gone back to de door,
When de guard presented arms, unit he walked
out, NIT me sdill pehind him, leaiing de
odtler man inside After We had gone little
way he stopped mt vispered to me:
"'De Cheneral hat to 90 off lie hurry to-
ward War Trace dis afternoon. lie dock de
Drovnct & mt hart of his Sfatf NIT
him, put had to be lett pehind to vinish up