The Columbus journal., 1899-01-04

campfire SKETCHES.
GOOD SHORT STORIES FOR
THE VETERANS.
Gss. shernan's Callantry-How Grant
Became Responsible for Starting the
Story On HIm-Joke Of . Country
schoolboy ut Gen. Wheeler's Expense.
Three Score and Ten.
Who reach their threescore years and ten
| AZ have mine. without q sigh,
Are either more or less than men
Not such am !.
I am not Of them: life to me
Has been q strange, bewildered dream.
Wherein I knew not things that be
From things that seem.
I thought. hoped, knew one thing.
And had one gift. when I was young
The impulse and the power to sing.
And SO sung.
TO have q place in the high choir
or poets, and deserve the same.
What more could mortal man desire
Than poets fame?
I sought 1t long. but never found;
The choir SO full was and so strong.
The jubilant voices there, they drowned
Ny simple song.
Men would not near me then. and now
l care not, l accept my fate.
When white hairs thatch the furrovel
Crowns come too late!
The best OF life went long ago
From me: II was not much at best:
Only the love that young hearts know.
The dear unrest.
Back on my past. through gathering
Once more I cast my eyes and see
Bright shapes that in my better years
Surrounded me.
They left me here. they left me there.
Went down dark pathways. one by
The wise. the great. the young. the :a;r;
But l went on.
And 90 on! And, bad or good.
The old allotted years Of men
! have endured. es best l could
ThreeScore an ten!
-R. II. Stoddarj.
Gen. ShefmAn's CsAliantry.
General. l never understood how 1t
was you came to gain the reputation
Of the Great American Deau;' wont
you enlighten u.s."
The question iickled him, says the
ChautauQuan. The scanned face dis
solved into wrinkles. and, after laugh
ing In his silent way for a minute or
two, he said:
well, now, you will he surprised
when I tell You that that whole thing
was the work of Gen. Grant, but it's a
fact. Just after the war closed Grant
asked me to take a ride with him in
Washington behind a horse he had
just bought and Of which he was very
fond. As We spun down the avenue l
said: See here, Grant, now that the |
piping times of peace have Come, We |
must choose a fad
"'What are you driving at, Sher-
man?' he asked.
II mean to say that if We don't fix
upon something. the public will do it
for US, and it may not be pleasant
Well. it is pretty generally known
that l am fond of horses; suppose
that will answer for me. Wha: have
you in mind?
ssI <o1.1 him Z EoA 6va5 ,,v,on cothf,o
as yet, but would try to do SO. Mean
while I asked for his help. He said
he would be glad to serve me.
Nov, what do you suppose Grant
did?" asked Sherman, with pretended
indignation. why, he made straight
for tht newspaper correspondents and
told them that had formed the reso-
luton to devote the rest of my life to
the name of a gallant for all
the young ladies in the country. At
the same time he intimated to the
men that he would take it
as personal favor if they would do
what they could to spread the news; 1t
would be doubtless of assistance to me
and he was sure would appreciate the
kindness.
We'll, those correspondence didn't
need any urging. The whole thing
was heralded from one end CT the
to the other, my first knowl-
edge coming from the papers them
selves. saw through the whole thing,
though. Grant tried to play innocent.
All, he was a sly wag. but" added
Sherman, Il forgave him, and l find
The work Of trying to live up to the
reputation he made for me the most
delightful pursuit Of my life"