The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-03-24

| IoT u NlSlC W Ills Doy, LII w lu.cl qu"utc'S e'o
Murfreesboro. Nearly every day some adven-
ture-sometimes amusing, oftener painful, to
| him-always interesting to our readers
| added to his stock of knowledge of how they
do things in the army. He came into pos
session of a large roll of money in way
! that was very disquieting to his good soul,
and he tells ST and Shorty about it in this
| installment.
| The Deacon Troubled with q Question of
Conscience-He also Goes Out with q
ForaSing Party.
| From the door of the cabin the Deacon
| could see the fort on which the boys were
piling up endless cubic yards of the red soil
| of Tennessee. As be watched them, with an
| occasional glance at the beans seething IN the
| kettle fond memories rose of q woman, far
| away on the Wabash, who these many years
| had thought and labored for his comfort In
| their home, while he labored within her
| sight on their farm. 1t was the first time In
| their long married life that he had been away
| from her for such length of time.
81 believe Pm gittin' real homesick to see
Marian" he said with sigh. "Td give
good deal for letter from her. do hope
everything on the farms all right. think
it is I'm little worried about Brown
| Susy the mare but | think she'll pick up as
the weather settles. | hope her fool colt,
that I've give ST, won't break his leg nor
nothin' while Pm away"
Presently he saw the men quit work, and
he turned to get ready for the boys. lie
covered the rough table with newspapers to
do duty for a cloth, he had previously secured
up the tinware to lis utmost brightness and
cleanliness, and while the boys were washing
off the accumulations OF clay, and Literally
denouncng the man who inven: | fort
building, and even West Point for educating
men to pursue the nefariolS art, he dlShed
| out the smoking viands.
Upon my word, Pap" said ST, rs he
helped himself Literally, you do beat US
cookin' all holler. Your beans taste almost
as good az mothers. We must git you to
give us some lessons"
Yes; you're boss cook" said Shorty,
with his mouth full. BETTER not let Gen.
Rosecrans find out how well you kin bile
beans, or he'll have you9 drafted, and keep
| you with him till the end,o' the war"
After supper they lighted their pipes and
| seated themselves in front of the fire.
Howe you git along to-day, Pap?" asked
| 81. 81 hope you didn't have no trouble?"
The Deacon took his pipe out of his mouth,
blew cloud of smoke, and considered mo-
ment before replying. He did not want to
recount his experiences, at least until he had
digested them more thoroughly. He was
| afraid of the joking of the boys, and still
more that the story wotld get back home.
| Then he was still sorely perplexed about the
disposition of the money. ,Iie had not thought
| that out yet, by great deal. But the ques-
| ton was plump and direct and concealment
and untruth were alike absolutely foreign to
his nature After minutes pause he de-
cided to tell the whole story.
| "Well, boys" he began, with shame
| faced look 81 had the famboyantest racket
to-day I've had yit."
| The two boys took their pipes out and re-
garded him with surprise.
Yes" continued he, with deep sigh,
| sit laid away over my cittin' down here.
and my night in the guau.liJu>e. eecn. Yea
see, after you went away aGul ,o IN,
| about gittn' up something - little cNtty ~
| you to eat ! thought a5ou; it II asy,;!e.
and then recolected seeing Il little .-,crery
thatd been set up iisA he.e III a lord
shanty."
Yes, we know about it," said Shorty,
exchanging u look vita 81.
"Weil," continued the Deacon. . CON
Guided that Id jest slip over there, and
mebbe | could End something thatd give
variety to your pork and beans. He didn't
seem to have much but canned goods and
his prices wuz jest awful. Bnt wuz deter
| mined to git something, and finally bought
| a Jug O. genuine Iniianny maple moasses, a
| chunk O. cheese, and Il can o peaches. had
| to pay him 50 for it. He said he had to
charge high on account o. freight rates. and
! / remembered that / had some trouble in
gittin' things down here, and SO paid him.
| He wuz very peart and sassy, and it was
| take-it- leave it and be piaguey- quick
about-it, all the time. But l paid my So,
gathered the things up, and started back to
| the house. l hadn't got more'n 100 rods
| away when l met one o these officers with
/ only one O. them things i'll his shoulder
straps r.
| "a First Lieutenant inteTjected ST.
| eyes, they called him Lieutenant. He
| spoke very bossy and cross to me, and hit my
Jug a welt with his sword. He broke it, and
what do you suppose was in it?"
Whisky said ST and Shorty stimuli
| taneously, with a shout of laughter.
That's Jest what it wuZ. l wuz never
so mortified in my life. l couldn't say a
word The Lieutenant abused me for being
| a partner in sellin' whisky to the soldiers
me, Josiah Klegg, Patriarch of the Sons o.
Temperance, aud Deacon. While l wuz
| tryin' to tell him this he jabbed his sword
into the can O. peaches, and what do you
suppose was in that ?"
Whisky" yelled ST and Shorty, with
another burst of laughter.
That's jest what it wuz. Then one o.
the Lieutenants men jerked the chunk o.
cheese away and broke it open. And what
do you suppose was III that?"
Whisky, of COURSE yelled the boys in
uncomfortable mirth
THAT'S jest what it wuz. l wuz so
dumbfounded that l couldn't say word
They yanked me AROUND In behind the squad,
and told ME they'd shave my head and drum
me out o. camp. The Lieutenant took his
men up to the grocery and tore it down, and
ketched the feller that wuA keepin' it. They
put him alongside o. me, and TUX us up to
the guardhouse. On the, way he whispered
to me that they whz likely to salt him,
cause they knowed him, but I'd likely git
off easy He'd made $500 clean out o. the
business already, and had it i'll his clothes.
He'd pass it over to me to keep till the racket
| wuz over, when he'd divide fair and square
| with me. | told him that I'd rather burn
my hand off than tech dirty dollar o. his
money, but he dropt it into my overcoat pocket
all the same, and wuz SO excited that clean
forgot all about it, and brung it away with me-
When we got to the guard-house they TUX
all the rest of his money away. shaved his head,
and drummed him out o camp"