The National tribune., 1899-04-13

pany OF Union cavalry relieves the Deacon Of
the horse and gives him COW, which is
claimed as Gen. Rosecrans's. The General
recognizes Mr.. Klegg ard consents to let 81
and Shorty go home with him, which they
do. Shorty gets letter from a sweetheart
he has never seen. The letter is read before
the family, and makes Shorty so ashamed
that he leaves secretly to return to his regi-
ment, and wakes up at Jeffersonville, Ind.
81 and Shorty Have Some Additional Expe-
rience With The knights of the Golden
Circle.
Having seen their prisoners safely behind
the bars, 81 and Shorty breathed moro freely
than they had since starting out in the MORN
ing, and Si remarked, as he folded up the
receipt for them and placed it in his pocket
book:
"That drove's safely marketed, without
the loss OF runaway or played-out.
Purity good job o. DROWN. that Pap could
MT do better'n that with his hogs. Pm
hungrier'n wolf. So must you be, Shorty.
Les hunt up Maria, and she II take us where
we kin git n square meal. Then we kin
talk. Pve got hundred questions want
to ask you, but amt goin' to do it on an
empty gizzard. Come on"
fixed his eyes ON the stone wall opposite, as
if desperately striving to read there some
hint Of extrication from his perpI5xities
The thought of encountering Maria's bright
eyes, and seeing there even more than her
sharp tongue would express, numbed his
heart.
''Yit, how kin git away from 81, now 2"
he murmured to himself "And yit Pm so
dead hungry to see her again that I'd be
willin' to he Almost skinned alive to do it,
Was ever anybody else so big a fool about
girl? Pve plagued other feiers, and now
I've got il worse'n anybody else It's a
judgment on me. But, then, nobody else
ever seen sich girl as that. There's some
sense in bein' fool about her."
Come on, Shorty" called ST from the
door. What are yoa dreamin' on? Are
yOu too tired to move? Come on. Well
have good wash, that'll take away some of
the tiredness, then big dinner, and good
bed tonight To-morrer mornin' we'll be as
good as new"
81 think I'd better git right on the mex.
train and go back to Jacksonville" mur-
INJURED Shorty, family struggling with him
self They may need me ther."
Nonsense !" answered 81. "We've done
enough for one day. Pve bin up for two
nights now, and am goin' to have a rest. Let
some O. the other fellers have show for
their money. We haint got to fight this
whole war all by ourselves"
''No, ST." said Shorty, summoning all his
resolution; "Pm goin' back on the next
train. l must git back to the company.
They lP'-
you'll do nothin' O. the kind" said ST
impatiently. "What's eatin' your What'd
you skip out from our house for? What'd
you mean -
He was broken in upon by Maria's voice as
she came in at the head Of bevy Of other
girls:
ISL Klegg, amt you ever comin' out?
What's keepin' your We're tired waitin'
for you, and re comm right In. What're
you doin' to them ragamuffins that you've
bin gatherin' up? Tryin' to patch 'em up
into decent-lookin' mon? Think it'll be
like mendin' q brush-fence-makin' bad
worse. Where on earth did you gather up
sich gang o. scare-crows? l wouldn't
runts as them. When 1 go man-huntin' I'll
gether something that's worth while"
Every bright sally Of Maria was pune
tuated with shrieks of laughter from the
girls accompanying her. Led by her, they
swarmed into the dull, bare room, filing it
with the brightness Of their youthful pres
ence, their laughter, and their chirruping
comments on everything they saw The jail
was place Of deep mystery to them, and it
was daring lark for them to venture in,
even to the outside rooms
"The girls dared me to bring 'em in"
Maria explained to ST. land I never won't
take no dare from anyone. 81, ain. you goin'
to kiss your sister? You don't act a bit
glad to see me. Now, if it was Anna
hel -
"Why, Maria," said 81, kissing her to
stop her mouth, "I wasn't expectn' to see
you. What in the world are you doin' over
here?"
why, your Cousin Marthy, here, is gon'
TO be married Thursday to her beau, who's
got 10 days leave to come home for that pur-
pose The things bin hurried up, because
he got afeared. He heard that Marthy was
hyin' around to singin' school and sociables
with some other feilers that's home on fur
Tough. So he just brung things to head,
and rushed over here to help Marthy git
ready, aah stand by her in the tryin' hour.