The National tribune., 1899-11-16
Shorty Receives and Reads Letter From
Maria.

| shorty Receives ana ReaQS LeLteI riou
| Maria.
| The Court took a recess for dinner. The
meal was fine one. The headquarters
foragers had been quite successful, the
General felt that Il was necessary to get
as much enjoyment as possible out of their
| few days rest. the cook rose to the occa-
sion, and the guests brought appetItes
with them which had been sharpened by
days of rough and haSty snacks OF coffee
and broiled pork. There was young
roast pig on the board, with green's, young
onions. and new potatoes, and even butter
| for their biscuits. milk for their coffee, and
rare old apple-jack on the side. OF course,
good cigars were furnished by the sutler.
"One of the mysteries of this rebellion to
me-" said the Major, toying with tumbler
of the apple jack, "is why people who can
brew such a liquor as this ever become
rebels. l can understand why a man who
drinks Illinois sod-corn whisky. would
naturally become a rebel, or anything else
that was mean and hateful. Indeed. 1t
would be hard for him to be anything
else with thai stuff burning in his veins:
I've had to defend men charged with all
sorts OF crimes, from the gentlemanly Of
fense of killing their opponents III political
disputes up to the beastly vulgarity OF
| beating their wives, and I've always told
| the jury that 'instgated by the devil and
not having the fear of God before his eyes
| in the indictment was the old English form
/ Tor 1tlree 1l!tSpTS Oh SOu-COT1l WulShy
! defendant. and relied on their own eX-
periences with it. Beer makes man
| suIen and stupid, and anxious to be mean,
! but Sod-corn makes a man feel as II he $
Just got commission smelling of brlm-
stone 10 locate Il CountySeat i'll Sileol right
! in his own neighborhoOd Now. this stun
prcdisposes man to love and affection for
! all ii 5 fcllOW-creaturCs."
| In this mood the Major led the rest back
10 court On his way he passed by little
Pete Skidmorc still bucked. AM with bay
! on.t in his month. Pete turned up his
eyes appealingly to him. for he was de
voured with anxiety as to what this terrible.
| clustering man had done with Shorty.
| The Ma or flew into u passion at the sight.
Here, VINO iii thunder is punlshing this
boy this way, I'd like TO know" roared he.
What blim- -blammed heartlesS brute put
that bayonct in that child's mouth? He's
only child, and ought to be in school.
| Who knows about this? Speak, some of
YOU Where's that lunk-headed Provost
Sergeant? He ought to know about this.
III make somebody smart for this cruelty
when | find out who's responsible. Get
me that Provost-Sergeant, | tell you. If
he did this of his own notion, I'll snatch
| his stripes off with my own hand. III not
allow anything like that to go on around
where | am. Where's that Provost-Ser-
Here comes the Sergeant now" said
some of the men, and that official, alarmed
! by the roaring, came up at dOuble-quick.
Here, Sergeant-you big, broad-shoul-
dered, two-fisted ,stalion-did you buck
and-gag that child?'
II was ordered to" gasped ihe Sergeant.
"You were ordered 10, you unfceling
rOustabout? And You didn't have the
manhood 10 protest against it! Take that
bayonct out of that chld's mouth at once.
Who ordered you to? I'll prefer charges
against him this very day. / expect it WAS
tI,at WnSt Point TnlrfinGt ISIit III have
no such doingS around me. Who ordered
you to?'
You did," said the Sergeant The
men roared, and the officers could not
conceal their smiles.
'.I?" gasped the Major
Yes. This is the boy who was caught
up in the tree listening to the court You
ordered me to take him ont and buck-and-
gag him till you decided what else you
would do"
: THAT was your order, Major, said the
other officers.
"Well. if | can't say the toughest things
without meaning them said the Major.
contritay. I'm afraid I'll never get over
it. Sergeant. unite the boy. Well, he
didn't tie you very tightly, sonny, that's
! one comfort" said he, examining Pete's
wrists. You know. my boy, it's an awful
} thing to Spy on court-martial. You're
so LITTLE you don't know any better, but il
you were a nlau no punishment would he
too severe. Let this be q lesson TO you
Here's a dollar 70 YOU. Go back to your
company, now, and be a good
81 don't want your money" sobbed little
I Pete. 81 don't care q durn what you'v
done to me, or will do to me. want tc
know if you're goin' to shoot Corp1 FL
liott?"
"Therc. there. sonny" said the Majo,
soothinglv. Don't ask questions. Run
off to your company"
I But | won't go. can't go. sobhed
little Pete Il can't live anywh~~e till
| know whether you're goin' to shoot Corp
I Elliott"
The boys distress was so evident and Sc
poignant that the kind-hearted Major
q could not resist little iufraction of tbs
secrecy Of the court.
Don't he so scared" he said. Cain
!. down. / hardly think well shoot Corr
Y Elliott No. YOU eau be sure we won't
=, But don't say anything about it just Yet.
Pete'S ten $ instantly ceased, and ht
$ strealicd of for the company. half q milk
: away. The court heard him yelling,
hundred yards before he reached the com
. "Corporal Elliott amt TO he shot! Cor
poraI ElIoyt amt to be shot"
$ The next day while 81 and Shorty wcrc
T.. still in arrest. awaiting the approval anC
- promUlgation of the judgment of the court
t the Orderly-Sergeant handed 81 a lette
= from Annabel, and Shorty a bulky on,
= from Maria
: Both took the letters shamcfacedIy
n Some how the missives seemed to bring th'
folks at home into touch with their preSen
situation, and it hurt aWfully.
l. ST fingered his letter longingly for som'
q time. and then could not withstand tn,
: temptation. and Slipped off to one side anC
IL devoured it.
= Shorty could not do this. Maria had no
written him since the opening of the cam
paign, and never such portentous looking
message as this. His guilty conscenc,
told him that in some way she had he2rt
I'll about his fall from grace, and this lette
II was to inform him of it, administer the re
n proof that he deserved, and dismiss hin
from all friendship with the family and her
i He would not open it while his fate was still
pending, for it would seem to implicate he
:, in his wrong-doing, He thrust it into hi
II breast pocket, but kept bis / and upon it
20 while bitter thoughts ran us to what sh
,f could, should, and probably did say.
~ WELL" he said desperately. they'll prob
Se ably send me to the Dry Tortugas, ant
=. that's as good an end as any, for what's tn
:, good Of anything else, since I've lost al
:, chance of herr" it
y where's 81 and Shorty. Orderly?" sait
" the voice of Lieut.. BownIsox.
~ Here we are, Lieiltenant.' ST answered
y coming forward to wberethe had left Shorty
e Both stood at Attention. and their face
e set little, but otherwise showed no sign O
20 their tense anxiety as to the Lieutenant
y, message
y Come off to one side. boys" said TIN
: Lieutenant kindly Il want to talk t
i unrt J,vo iuot 1,na from,