The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-12
A MANS A MAN.
ny ARTHUR COTTON.

Company a was Gu, up at Antietam so
Thai there was not enough OF il left for
useful purposes and Deacon Andrew Ter
relI became a member OF a certain Com
pany G, which nicknamed him -" is hulh-
ness" Company came from Duchess
county There was a little white church
IN the village Of Brewster, and little
white house vita a meager porch where
that good woman Mrs. Terrell. had stood
and shed several tears as the deacon walk
ed away down the street, looking extra
ordinary in his regimentals She dried her
eyes, settled down to her sewing In that
quiet south window, and hoped he would
remember TO keep his feet dry and not
lose the cough drops. That part of Dutch
ess county was a bit Of New England spill
ed over New England has been spiling
over these many years.
The deacon took the cough drops regu-
larry, he KEPT his gray chin beard trimmed
with a pair Of domestic scissors, and drill
ing never persuaded him to move his large
frame with other than the same self-con-
scious restraint; his sallow face had The
same set lines. There IS something IN the
Saxon's blood that will not let him alter
with circumstances. and it is by virtue
OF it that ne conquers in the end.
But no doorkeeper in the house Of God
the deacon's service in the meeting
house at Brewster-who should come
perforce 10 dwell in the tents of wicked
ness would pretend 10 like it. Besides,
Company G. had no tents. II came from
the lower wards OF the great city; and If
YOU take Dinkey Cott for instance, that
thin-legged, stunted, imp-faced, hard
ened little Bowery sprout, he put his
left fist in the deacons eye the first day
of their acquaintance, and swore for
several minutes in the pleasantest manner
possible.
And the deacon cuffed him because he
had been schoolmaster in his day,
and did not understand how he would
be despised for knocking Dinkey down
In that amateur fashion, and the lieu
tenant gave them both guard duty for
fighting in the ranks
The deacon declared "that young man
Colt hadn't no moral ideas" and did his
guard duty in bitterness and strict coz
science to the last minute OF IL. Dnkey
nut his thumb TO his nose and offered TO
should the lieutenant how the thing
should have been done, and the big man
laughed, and both forgot about the guard
duty.
Dinkey had no sense whatever of per
sonal dignity, which was partly what the
deacon meant by moral ideas" nor rev.
erence for anything above or beneath. He
old not harbor any special anger either,
and only enough malice 10 point his finger
al the elder man, whenever ne saw him,
and smoker loudly TO the entertainment
of Company q.
Dinkey's early recollectlonS had to do
with the cobblestones of Mulberry Bend
and bootblacking on Pearl street. Dea-
con Terrelrs began with a lonely farm
where there were too many potato hills
to hoe a little school house where arith-
metic was taught with feruie, white
meeting house where the wrath Of God
was preached with enthusiasm both SEEM
ed far enough away from the weary
tramp, tramp, the picket duty, and the
camp at last one misty night in thick
woods on the Stafford hills, looking over
the Rappahannock 10 the town of Fred
erieksburg.
What happened there was not clear TO
Company @. There seemed to be a deal of
noise and hurrying about, cannon smoke
in the valley and cannon smoke on the
terraces across the valley. Somebody was
building pontoon bridges, therefore, 1t
seemed likely somebody wanted 10 get
across. They were having hard luck with
the bridges. That was probably the enemy
no end 10 him anyway; up and down the
valley. mile beyond miles. the same line
of wooded nights and drifting smoke.
And the regiment found Itself crossing
a shaky pontoon bridge on Saturday
morning in the mist and climbing the bank
into a most battered and tired-lookng lit
tie town, which was smoldering sulkily
with burned buildings and thrilling with
enormous noise. There they waited for
something else to happen. The deacon felt
a lump in his throat, stopping his breath.
"Git out O. me tracks, sniokered Din
KEY Colt behind him. I'm step on yer"
Dinkey had never seemed more impish.
unholy and homogeneous. They seemed to
stand there a long time The shell kept
bowling and whizzng around; they howl
ed til they burst, and then they whizzed.
And now and then some one would cry
out and fall. 1t was bad for the nerves.
The men were growing.
Jaw, cap, give us CHANGER
at amt my fault, boys. l got to wait
for orders, same as you"
Dinkey poked the deacon's legs with the
butt OF his rife.
Say, it's rotten, aint il? Say. Gully,
my ma don't like me fun o holes. Hows
yours
The other gripped his rifle tight and
thought of nothing in particular.
Was 1t five hours that passed, or twenty,
or one? Then they started. and the town
was gone behind their hurrying feet Up
a steep slope to a stretch Of broken level,
rush and tramp and gaspng for breath;
fences and rocks ahead. clumps Of trees
and gorges; ground growing rougher and
81 eeper; but that was nothing. If there
was anything in the way, you went at it
and left il behind. You plunged up a
hill, and didn't notice it. You dove into a
guiley, and it wasn't there. Time was a
liar, obstacles were scared and ran away.
But half way up the last ran a turnpike.
with a stone wall in front that spit fire
and came nearer and nearer. 1t seemed
creeping down viciously to meet you. Up,
up, till the powder of the guns almost
burned the deacon's face, and the smoke
was so thick he could only see the red
flashes.
And then suddenly he was alone.
At least there was no one in sight, for
the smoke was very thick Company G
all dead or fallen or gone back There
was clump of brambles to his left.
He dropped to the ground, crept behind
II and lay still. The roar went on, the
smoke rolled down over him and some
times a bullet would clip throuqh tho