The National tribune., 1899-12-07

"WEAT AIR Yo'UNs GwINE TO
ing word, and only an occasional glance
| backward tosee that his squad was following
| AMI well-cosed up. he threaded his way
| through the teams, took cut-ofs to shorten
| the distance, and find better marching, and
| finally, in the middle of the afternoon. came
| up to the brigade lying in line-of-battle on a
low hill in front of Pine Mountain.
He was astonished at the glad cheers
which welcomed his appearance. Co. @
| threw their hats in the air and yelled with
such vehemence that the rebels in the
| trenches across the little hollow thought a
charge was coming, and rose up and opened
n hot fire.
Everybody, 81 and his squad included.
jumped for cover, and responded with his
musket After the furry died down to
occasional shots Capt. McGillicuddy came
ovec to ST with beaming face, and said
| delfghtedly:
Sergeant, I'm glad to sec you. I've been
worrying frightfully about you, | WAS
| sure that You had run into the rebels and
pretty close for long time last night, and
we turned to the right to get further away
| from them, and in the mud and the rain,
and the rush, nobody seems to have thought
Of leaving a man at the forks Of the road to
| give you directions. I've been blaming
"Why, Cap" said ST, great load lifted
| from his mind, I've bin abusin' my own
dumbness for takin' the wrong road. I've
| told myself thousand times that / was
stupider than an OK for not follerin' plain
| trail. such as you left, but come to place
| whe % the gtound was hard, and the rain
| had washed out the tracks, and L took the
road / thought you'd gone on, and run
smack into the rebels. Things looked
mighty sick for a little while. but we finally
all got away, and brung rebel Captain and
Lieutenant with us"
Good Good" said the Captain. ex-
ultingly. 81 can trust you to get out Of
ScrapeS."
Shorty done the most" ST reminded him.
"Yes; Shortys daisy too. You're a
great pair. ! don't believe you have your
equals. You brought off ali your boys
safely?"
"All of 'em," responded 81 proudly
There they are. You kin see 'em."
where are your prisoners?"
Sis face fell at once.
"Why, Cap" he said regretfully,'1 have
to confess that | was too careless about
them. We brung 'em off all right, with
these 10 Union men who wanted to git
away from the rebels. After we'd got away
the Tennesseeans wanted to kill EN-. be-
cause they wuz specially bad men, who'd
bin persecutin their people, and KILN some
Oh en-. l. NOulIit 1 lcL tlii but llttE
awhile, me and Shorty wuz bothered about
finding the regiment, and went ahead
little ways iookin for it, leavin' the priS-
oners in charge of the Tennesseeans. |
didn't even do as should have done, put
them III charge of our own boys. IL was
awful careless, know, but WAS anxious to
git back to the regiment. The prisoners
made a break, and they WIZ shot before
they'd run far I'm awful sorry. Here
arc their papers and things. I'll go right
up to the Colonel with you, and tell him the
whole story, SOS you needn't have any
responsibility for it. II was all my fault"
KILLED them, did they?" said the Captain,
taking the things"
"Deader'n mackerel," said Shorty, speak
ing for the first time.
WELL" said the Captain nonchalantly.
such accidents will happen in the best
'about It. I'd much rather have you back
safe and sound than hundred dead rebels.
So long as the rebels didn't get away and
were killed running, the rest don't matter.
We have other more important matters on
hand than discussing fine points of guard
duty. You'd better take those other men
back to the provoSt-guard. They III put
them with the other deserters who have
come over"
"Cap'n," said Basil Peters, who had come
up close enough to oyerhear this last re-
mark, that's jist what want ter speak
back thar, but stay right hyar with yo'uns.
We hain't no desarters. We'uns never be-
longed ter no rebel army, no more'n a man
belongs ter Jail whar he's locked up.
We'uns is Union plum through, an hain't
no truck nor dicker with rebels, except ter
fight they y'uns. We'uns never belonged
ter the rebel army, but only stayed thar
bekase we'uns had ter. We'uns got away
the fust chance, and now we'unS want ter
fight fer the Union. We'uns We talked hit
over amongst ourselves, an concluded that
we'uns'd ruther line your company nor
anybody elses. You've got good favor,
an we'uns We done tuck ter YOU"
"Thank you for the compliment, gentle
men" said Capt. McGillicuddy. I've need
more men in the company, especially such
fine, able-bodied men as you appear to be-
with me. If the rebels should capture you
they'd shoot you down like dogs"
"We'uns III look out for that" said Peters.
"We'rms we kalkilated all that ere"
But" continued the Captain, ''the COM
mand that you've come from is probably
right out there in front of us. You'll run a
great deal more danger of being recognized
than if you went back and enlisted i'll an
army in another part of the country"
NO" answered Peters, doggedly. I'VE
'uns want ter stay right hyah. That thar
riiimint in front is Gimartin's. the one that
they had we'uns in. Hits got more mean
men in hit than ary other in the Southern
Confedrisy, an hits the one we want to fout. |
We'uns want the chance ter kill off every
nowhar else. We'unS know this ri jimint-
the 2ooth Injianny.. We'uns We heered
them over thar talk lots about hit Hits !
alters bin in front o. they'uns, an probably |
alters will be, until they uns is done killed
Off an licked out, an we'uns want ter help |