The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-26

began, from force of long habit in caring for
his stock, to pick OFF some burs, and other
wise groom her.
Say, my friend" said the officer, "who
brought that COW IMP"
/ Shorty had been frantically trying to catch
the Deacon's eye. and was making all manner
oil winks and warning gestures without avail,
for the Deacon answered frankly:
| y brung her in"
F.! You're just the man Pm looking for, :"
returned the officer. Then turning to Ser
geant who had just come up at the head of
a squad, he said:
Here, Sergeant, take charge of this citi-
zen and this cow, and bring them both up to
Army Headquarters. Don't let that citizen
get away from you. He's a slick one"
| As they all moved off. Shorty bolted into
| the crib and shouted:
Great Jehosephat, 81, but that dad of
your'n's oner! He's got nerve that looms
up like Lookout Mountain! He's genius
He's got git-up and grit to spare! What do
YOU thing he done last night? Walked up
| to Gen. Rosecrans's Headquarters, and stole
the Generals cow right from under the
noses o. the Headquarters Guards, and brung
her down here and MIXED her. Did you
ever hear o. SIGH snap? l only wisht that
me and you was half the man that he is, old
| as he Is. The only trouble is that he is MT
as good hider as he is on the take. They've
dropped on to him. and they're now takin'
| him up to Headquarters. But he'll find
some way to git off. There's no end to that
| man. And to think that we've bin playin'
| him right along for a hayseed."
| And Shorty groaned in derision of his
own acumen.
Pap stole Gen. Rosecranss cow from
| Headquarters? They've arrested him and
are taking him up there?" calculated 81 in
| amazement. 81 don't believe word Of it. I"
Well, the cow was here. He brung her
here last night, and owned up to it. He
MIXED her, and you drunk some of the milk
The Proyost-GuaId's now waIbin' the cow
and him up to Headquarters. These are early
mornin' facts. You kin believe what you
dumbed please
Pap arrested and taken to Army Head
| quarters" groaned 81, in deepest anxiety.
What in the world will they do with
| him?"
90, don't worry" said Shorty cheerfully.
Your dad amt as green as you are, if he
| has lived all his life on the Wabash. He's
as fly as you make 'em. He's fixin' up some
story as he goes along thatu git him out OF
| the scrape slick as whistle. Trust him."
Shorty" said ST severely my father
don't tx up stories. Understand that. He's
got some explanation for this. Depend upon
| it."
They call it explanation when it gifts a
| feller out, and blamed lie when it don t, -
muttered Shorty to himself, as he went out
again, to follow the squad as far as he could
with his eyes. ANY way, I'll bet on the
| Deacon"
4 he I1fo
and the officer dismounted and went in.
| Early as it was lie found the irdefatigable
| ROsecrans at work with his staff and clerks
General, Pve found your cow, and got
the man who took her, said the officer,
| saluting.
Good" said the General joyfully.
Nov we'll have some fresh milk again 1
| can give up anything cheerfuily, rather than
| fresh milk. Say you've got the thief too"
| continued the General, reapsing into one of
| his testy moods. Put the rascal at the
hardest labor you can find. I'll give him a
lesson that stealing from Headquarters don't
pay. The rascals in my army seem to think
that and everything have belongs to them
as much as il does to me. But I'll draw the
line at my COW and my horses. They can
steal everything else but them. Hold ON a
minute. I'll go out and see if it's really my
cow
Yes, that's she; glad to see you back,
Missy" said the General, patting the cow on
he back. "Take her back and give her
good feed, if you can find it, for probably
she's pretty hungry"
Then turning to the Deacon:
"You old rascal, you'll steal the Generals
cow, will your" Fond of thorobred stock,
are You? And a citizen, too Well, I'll see
whether month Of hard work on the fortifi-
cations won't cure you Of your fancy for
blooded CATTLE"
Z" Look here, Gen. Rosecrans," said the
Deacon firmly, " l didn't steal your COW, and
| won't allow you nor no other man to say
so. I'm an honest man, or at least I've
always passed for one at home. was out
over the river yesterday, tryin' to git boss
back to his owner, and Captain of a cavalry
company come along and took my boss
away, and give me this COW in exchange.
He said his mend got the cow down the
road apiece, and that's all 1 know of her."
"A very likely story" snsered several of
the staff
''Let me see," said the General, who
prided himself on remembering names and
faces. Haven't met you before? Aren't
you from Indiana?"
''Yes, sir; from Posey County"
''And you've got a son in one of the
regiments"
Yes, sir. Corporal ST Klegg. Co. @,
2O0th Injianny Volunteers Him and his
partner Shorty wuz badly wounded, and 1
come down here to take care of 'em. Ive
bin moseyin' around out in the country try
in to find something for 'em to eat, and the
other day I-borryed a boss, which I was
tryin' to take back, when this cavalry Cap
tain come along, and TUX the boss away from
me and give me this cow instid hadn't
no idee where he got her, and he didn't give
me time to ask, for he started on the jump
alter some guerrillas."
II shouldn't wonder if his story is true, |
General" said q member of the staff You |
see. your cow has been gone really two days !
Day before yesterday we sent Blue Jim out |
into the country with her. to see If he |
couldn't find little grass somewhere for
her. She needed it awiully. We laid the |
law down TO Blue Jim about being very care
full with her, and keep near the road 1t
seems that he found good piece of meadow,
and turned her loose in it. but then, niger
like, he forgot all that we had told him about
staying right alongside of her, and wandered |
off to gather persihmOns, and afterward fell |
asleep in fence-corner. When he woke up
the COW was gone, aud he was scared nearly |
to death. He hunted around for her all day,
and came in last night nearly starved to
death, and whimpering and blubbering |
We've told him that you would order him
shot us soon as YOU found out. He has been