The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-02-09

keen whip, uselessly demonstrated with him
against his profanity. carried rail to help
PRIV the wheels out Of the mudholes, and got
behind and pushed going up the steep hills.
At the journeys end when the exhausted
brutes stood motionless, with their ears
dropping and their eyes looking unutterable
disgust at everything connected with the
army and war, the Deacon helped the team
ster take their harness of. and carry them
as much corn and hay as the Forage
Master could be persuaded to dole ont to
them.
The Deacon's next solicitude was to get
the boys aboard train that would start ont
soon. This was sore perplexity. All was
rush and hustle about the railroad yard.
Trains were coming, being switched hither
and yon, unloaded and reloaded, and going,
in a way that was simply bewildering to the
plain farmer Men in uniform and men in
plain clothes were giving orders, and these
were obeyed, and everybody seemed toe
busy to answer questions or give informa-
ton.
NAV; git ont. Don't bother me with nc
questions, l tell you," impatiently said a
man in citizens clothes, who with arms out
spread was signalling the switching engines.
faint my business to give information to
people. Got all | kin do to furnish brains
for them bull-headed Engineers. Go to that
Quartermaster you see over there in uniform.
The Government pays him for KNOWN
things 1t don't me-"
81 don't know anything about the differ
ent cars, my friend" said the Quartermaster
haughtily. THAT'S the business of the
railroad people. l simply order them to
make up the trains for me, and they do the
- ~
ask him"
.'Biazes and birthstone" exploded the
Yard-Master; show in the devils name do
you suppose can tell anything about the
trains going out? I'm just pestered to death
by such fool questions, while the life's being
worried out of me by these snoozers with
sardine-labels on their shoulders, who strut
around and give orders, and don't know
enough about railroading to tell a baggage
check from danger-signal. II they'd only
let me alone I'd have all these trains run
ming in and out like shuttles in LOOM
But as s0on's j get one arranged down
comes q shoulder-strap and orders something
different. Go off and ask somebody that
wears brass buttons and Eastwood head
Don't bother me. Get out of the way of that
engine, there"
who wore Majors shoulder-straps.
"No," he answered; Pm sorry to say
that I cannot give you any information.
Pm only in command Of the guards here.
haven't anything to do with the trains The
Quartermasters run them. and they run them
as they run everything they have anything
to do with-like the old man and woman run
their fulling mill on the Kankakee-that is,
like ~
Dumb this mixin' o. military and civil
ian," said the irriiated Deacon It's
worse'n mixin' religion and politics, and
preachin' and tavern-keepin'. Down there
in camp everything was straight and sys-
tematic Every Teller what don't have
nothin' in his shoulder-straps bosses all the
fellers what hain't no shOulder-straps at all.
The feller what has one bar in his shoulder
straps bosses all the fellers what haint moth
in in theirs, and the Teller what has two bars
bosses the fellers with but one; the Teller
with leaves gives orders to the fellerS with
bars; the Teller with an eagle lays clear over
him, and the man with star jest makes
everybody jump when he talks. Ont at the
depot on Bean Blossom Crick, Sol Pringle
has the say about everything. He knows
when the trains come and when they 90,
and what goes into EN-. This seems to be a
hetwixt and between place, neither fresh
pork nor bacon. / don't like it at all. l
always want things straieht-either one
thing or t'tother-reg'ler, close communion,
lotal-immersiOn Babtist, or fee-for-ail,
,houtin' Methodist"
81 think kin help you, SQUIRE" said O