The National tribune., 1899-11-02
there and larrup some o. you, if you don'b

there and larrup some O. you, If you don'b
mind me-"
whats excitin' Shorty so. to make him
yell that way? wondered 81, stopping in his
shoveling down the embankment upon the
rebel dead, and wiping his hot face.
20, he's tryin' to keep them fresh young
kids from blowin' themselves into Kingdom
come with the rebel guns" answered one Of
the veterans indiferently, and they re-
sumed their Shoveling.
Shorty started over 10 where some of the
ooys We're trying to eXtricate rebel Timber
abandoned in ravine He spied a pair of
fine field glasses lying on the ground. and
picked them up with an exclamation of de-
light.
Great Jehosephat." he said. turning
them over for careful inspection. "Ain't
this puddin'? just the thing to give the
Cap. He got his smashed with a bullet
comm through the abatiS. and'S bin mourn
in about 'em ever since. These is better'n
his was. and he'll be tickled to death TO
git 'em."
He put them to his eyes and scanned
the landscape.
"Ain't they just daisies, though. Bring
that teamSter over there so close that [
kin hear him cussin' his mules. Cap1l
have better pair o glasses than the Colo
mel or the General has. He deserves 'em,
too. Cap McGillicuddy's good all the way
through, from skin to bone, and as brave
as they make 'em. He'll be tickleder than
boy with new pair o red-topped boots.
He'll invite me to take drink with him,
but he won't have nothin' so good as this
old apple-jack. / guess I'll give the rest
to him. too, for his friends at headquar-
tiers. They don't often smack their lips
over stuff like that. But Pll treat myself
once more, just as Cap McGillicuddy'd
do"
The last drink was a settler. He was
then in a frame of mind for anything-tO
tear down a mountain, or lift hill, or to
fight anybody, with or without cause.
He looked over at the boys struggling with
the Timber, and yelled, as he laid his coat,
| hat, canteen, and cartridge-box down on
the stump upon which he had been sitting,
and placed the field-glass upon them:
| Hoppe! Yank her out o. there, boys.
1ank her out, and don't be all day about
it, either. Let me git at her and I'll fetch
her out Stand by, YOU kids, and see
your uncle Eph snatch her"
| He bolted in to the ravine, swung the
| limber-tongle about, and with aid of the
rest, stirred to united effort by much pro-
fame. vociferation on his part, disengaged
the Timber and trundled it up the bank.
The tall, very stiff young Aid, with whom
81 and Shorty had had the previous affair,
came stalking on to the ground, viewing
everything with his usual cold, superior,
critical gaze.
"You are doing well, my man." he re-
marked to Shorty, ''but too much noise
4
swear at his men. It's strictly against
regulations"
''Go to blazes," said Shorty, scarcely
under his breath. The Aid picked up the
field-glasses, looked at them a minute,
scanned the field with them, and then
looked around for the case, as if to appro-
pirate them himself.
Here, drop them," said Shorty roughly
| ''Thems NINE"
| "How did they come to be yours, sir?"
said the Aid sternly. picked them up,
didn't you?"
None O. your business how got 'em.
They're mine l tell you. Give 'em to me-"
| You picked them up on the battlefield,
sir. They are military equipments which
aRe mess sbsra ssn Of 9vs5 beS to hs officer
you'll do nothin' O. the kind" roared
Shorty. shiding up to him. "Give me
them glasses"
Il shall do nothing of the kind" said the
Aid sternly. Don't you dare approach
once. shall punish You for disrespect to
me and threatening an officer. Fall back,
sir, tell you"
Shorty made grab for the glasses,
which the Aid tried to evade, but Shorty
fixed his firm clutch upon them. The
Aid held on tightly, but Shorty wrenched
them from his grasp.
"You bob-tailed brevet West Pointer"
| said Shorty savagely, raising his fist,
"Pve notion to break you in two for tryin'
to beat me out o what's mine. Git out O.
here, or PIP
@ShortyI Shorty! Stop that" shouted
| ST, rushing over to his partner, and CATCH
| ing his back-drawn fist. He had been
| suspicious as to the cause of his partners
| noisineSS, and ran up as soon as the dis
turbance began. stop it, 1 say. Are
you craZy?"
Poor little Pete, badly excited as to
what was happening to his best friend.
was nervously fumbling his gun and eye
ing the Aid.
"Si Klegg. go off and mind your own
business, and let me attend to mine.' yelled
Shorty, struggling TO free himself from
his partners iron grasp. Am | goin' to
lie run over by every pin-feather snipe
| from West Point? I'll break him in two"
Sergeant commanded the Aid, reach
ing to take the field-glasses from Shorty'S
hand; buck and gag that man at once.
him down, say"
You tend to your own business and
I'll tend to mine. Go away from here.
and don't say anything to make him mad
der, you wasp-waisted errand bov," said
ST savagely, as he thrust himself i'll be-
tween the Aid and Shorty. I've got
enough TO do to take care of him. Go off,
if you don't want him to mash you."
Little Pete had an idea. He wriggled
in between, snatched the glasses, and
made off with them.
The Brigade Provost-SIarshal rode up
and sternly demanded what the disturbance
was about Shorty began hot harrangue
against young staff officers generally, and
this particular offender, but ST got his
arm across his mouth and muffied his
speech The Provost listened to the Aids
bitter Indictment against both ST and
Shorty.
Put both those men under arrest" he
said to the Orderly-Sergeant, "and make
a list of the witnesses. Pll court-martial
them at the first halting- place"
fTf, bo continued