The National tribune., 1899-07-13

Il
monstrous hard luck at poker lately"
That's because you amt up to the
latest kinks said Shorty. hopef;illy. I've
been back to the rear-just come from
Jeifersonville-and I've got on to lot Of
new lodges. I'll show 'em all to you for
one o them guns"
The waver in the Sergeant's face showed
the temptation was trying enc, but he
answered firmly.
No; l won't do it."
"Pll put up $40 bill agin one O. the
guns, play you two out o three for IL, learn
You the tricks, and give you back the
money if win" said Shorty desperately.
Again the Sergeant's face showed great
rreSOlution. but again his fidelity tri.
umphed, and he answered firmly, mo
won T.. Then he softened his refusal by
saying:
Come. Shorty, walk over little way
with me. know where we can get some
thing good"
After they had shared tincupfuI Of
applejack that teamster supplied them
the Sergeant's heart thawed out little.
Il tell you. Shorty, there's gun in there
thatd Just tickle your boy to death. It's
an Enfield, new one, and has Yankee
bullet sticking in the butt. Must've
knocked the Johnny double somersault
when!tstruck. I've been thinkin' O. sending
it home myself. But I'll let you have it,
and I'll tell you how you can get it. See
that camp over there? Well, that's a regi-
ment being organized out o. Tennessee
refugees. They and their officers are the
carelessest lot of galoot5 that ever lived
IheIr tluartermaSter stores and their Com
miSSary stores, and everything they have
IS allowed to lie around loose. Just wherever
they get the notion 10 drop them. I've had
nay eye on 'em for several days, ard'Ye
helped several Of my friends 10 straighten
up their company accounts, and replace
things that they'd lost. You Just waltz
over there, careless like. as if you belonged
to the regiment, pick up gun and traps,
put EN- on, and sail back here, and I'll turn
your things in, and give you that gun with
the bullet in the stock in exchange"
Shorty lost no time in acting on the ad-
vice. That afternoon the express from
Chattanooga carried gun to Sammy
Noggles, the contemplation of which de-
prived that youth of sleep the night after he
received it, and won him the cordial hatred
OF every boy in his neighborhood for his
overweening pride.
But after the gun was gone, and afte.
Shorty had written laborious letter, in
forming Sammy of the shipment of the gun
and its history, which letter inclosed crisp
greenback, and was almost as urgent in
injunctions to Sammy to write as Sammy
had been about his piece of ordnance,
Shorty sat down in sadness of heart He
was famishing for information from Maria,
and at the lowest calculation he could not
hope for letter from Sammy for two weeks
It'll take at least a week for that little rat
to git over his fever about that gum" he
unused, until he'll be able to set up and
think about anything else. Then it'll take
him at least another week to build letter.
Great Jehosephat, how'm l goin' to stand
it till then2 Where'll / be two weeks from
now? What kin do? almost wish that
something'd happen to ST that'd give me
an excuse for writin'"
He racked his fertile brain with expedi-
entS and devices for getting UP communica-
ton, but for once he had to reject them all.
There was halo Of unapproachableness
about Maria Klegg that paralyzed him.
He awoke the next morning with the
same anxiety gnawing at his heart, and 1t
haunted him so that he went through the
mornings routine mechanically. When
he came back from taking a squad up to
Headquarters to report for fatigue duty, the
Orderly-Sergeant called out:
Here's letter for you, Corporal Elliott.
Shorty took the small white envelope
from the Orderly's hand, and looked at it
cUriously. Who could it be from? 1t re-
sembled somewhat the letters that once
came from Bad AK, Wis, but then again it
was very different. He studied the hand
writing, which was entirely strange to him.
Then he was electrified by seeing that the
postmark seemed to be something the same
as on Sis letters, but was blurred. He
gave little gasp, and said:
Orderly, I'd like to git off a little while
today"
why, Shorty" demonstrated the busy
Sergeant, you were off yesterday. But
go. I'll try to get along without you.
Don't stay long,"
Shorty would not trust himself to more
than look at the outside, until he had
gained a safe screen behind clump Of
bushes. Then he took out his knife, care
fully slit the envelope, and read:
Deer Mister Elliott:
talk mi pen in hand to inform you that
we are all in good helth, and hoap that you
are injoyin the saim blessing, for which We
should all be thankful to God. am over
on visit to Prairie Hen. and Mrs. Skid.
more, a widder, called to see me to-day. In
the corse of conversation she said that her
little boy Peter had run away, and shede
heard that hede joined the 2O0th Indianny
Iolunteer Infantry. She heard that we
had foxes in that regiment, and wanted to
know if knowed anybody that would give
her news of her boy, and would look out for
him. / told her that did know gentleman
in that regiment who was sure would look
out for him, and be second father to him,
and l would write him. l thought Ids
rather write you than ST, for ST will never
answer my letters, because its all he can do
to write to mother and Annabel, and he
don't write to mother half often enough.
Besides, Ide like to hear from you myself.
Sincerely Yore Friend,
Maria Klegg.
M-a-r-i-a-r K-l-e-g-g," gasped Shorty,
make sure that his eyes were not making a
fool Of him. "And she'd like to hear from
me-"
And he took off his hat, and famed bis
burning face.
ITO be continued)