The age-herald., 1899-01-15

battle of Gerry Gordy?" asked uncle Zebu-
 lon Cooper, the historian of Harvey's x
 Roads, of the crowd which usually assem-
 bles around the village on summer evenings
 when the weathers hot and the crops have
 been laid by.
 None of us had, and there was a moving
 of chairs toward the old veteran of the Mexican war. and look of expectancy settled on the face of all.
 "That was long time ago." began Uncle l Zeb," "a long time ago. Only a few of us boys who fit under Zack Taylor an Win Scott are Twin now, an them what is, are so old that they ain't no count. l remem-
 bers it well. Talk about embalmed beef. | Well, if we'd had beef of any kind you
 wouldn't heard no kick" and Uncle l Feb" replaced the pipe in his mouth and
 blew foith rings of smoke in meditation. l But what about Santy Amy and his peg | leg?" asked Hiram Hawkins, impatiently. Well, was jis' a comin' to that" said Uncle Zeb," as he took the pipe from his mouth and knocked the ashes out on his 1 boot heel.
 "Ole Santy Amy was a slick 'un, an it was a many day that we chased him over them Mexican deserts, before old glory foated over the last greaser stronghold, but we finally won so what was the difference. But boys, that was long, long time ago." l Hits been so long that you've forgit jist how Santy Amy did lose his wooden stump l ain't it,' asked Dodge Wisehart, with a 1 quizzical expression on his countenance. l "Wel, reckon l know more'n you about
 it, snapped Uncle Zeb,' bristlng up.
 "Jist cause you staid two weeks at
 Miammi and drank swamp water | you think you know something about
 mouth don't make a sojer," and "Un- l cle Feb" swellcd up like the toad in the fable.
 But the desire to tell his story soon over l came his momentary anger and he pro- ceeded:
 '"There Is some folks who think that Santy Amy didn't have time to buckle on l his wooden leg when we began to throw | grape shot an canister into Gerry Gordy, 1 therefore he left it. Maybe he didn't have | all the time he wanted, but he didn't have
 any wooden leg, either,' and taking a chew 1 of the homemade plug rendered by the
 proprietor, Uncle zeb' gazed on the crowd with the complacency of a house maid an- 1 nouncing the arrival of a guest.
 "No, at that pertickuar time Santy Amy | didn't have no more wooden leg than 1 rabbit. He had had a wooden leg, and it l was the reason of the absence of this | wooden leg my story deals with. Santy Amy was a great general an great kicker. I have hearn that he wore his meat leg off up to the knee kicking, but don't know about that Anyhow he got a substitoot in the shape of young hickory, and be- | lieve that if he had had two good legs, he never would a stopped at any way sta- tons but kept straight on to Mexico City.
 But not a havin' two legs, locomotion was
 somewhat difficult and he couldn't go far
 at tme. But he was a honest old fellow.
 The squarest greaser that I ever knowed,' | and Uncle Feb" shifted his quid to the other side of his mouth and spat grass l hopper dead which had happened to alight | on the store porch.
 "It was Santy Anny's honesty which had | caused him to lose that wooden leg It hap pened this wise. There was a good for l nothing cuss in our regiment from away out 1 west somewheres. He wouldn't fight, but l nothing delighted him more'n poker game. Jim Winters was his name, an l remem- 1 bers him well, altho' it's been a long time | ago. In one of the frequent skirmishes | which we had with the greasers, along the | Nueces river in the spring of '46, when the
 enemy was commanded by General Ampudia Jim happened accidentally to be from under | cover, an a cannon ball took off his left
 leg. He rapidly recovered an with the aid
 of a crutch managed to hobbe along right | well. He staid with the army, an during
 the battle used to refill the canteens for the
 troopers. During all other times he played
 poker. One day he ventured too far out and
 was captured by the rear guard of the re- | tiring enemy. But Jim didn't mind that.
 In fact, he rather liked it. He saw an
 opportunity to learn the greasers the United | States game of poker, an when a man is
 just taking his first lessons in poker he
 always loses. But you all know that as
 well as me. Anyhow, Jim was caught an
 carried to the Mexican camp. Bein' crp-
 pie he was not kept in Company X, but was
 allowed the freedom of the other soldiers.
 He soon roped in a gang an began nishiatin'
 them into the intrickacies and the mysteries
 of jackpots. Of course he'd win an soon
 had most of the crowd busted. Old Santy l
 camp at Gerry Gordy one evenin while sup
 per was bein' got, an run across the gang as
 Jim was dealin' out a hand. The general | watched the game for a while, an soon the
 idea entered his crazy head that he could
 play poker hisself Accordin'ly he set down
 in the circle an began to draw some lucky
 hands. Finally all got busted but Jim an
 Santy, an them two set there playin' by
 theyselves. Pretty soon Santy opened the | pot on Jim's deal an Jim raised him Old ] Santy returned the compliment an that
 jackpot grew like the stummick of a man
 who has just dined off of dried apples and
 Adams ale
 AS l said before, Jim had been wnnin'
 since his capture, an he raised ole Santy
 out of his hoots Well. direcky ole Santy 1 says: All mines up. Do you not ce any l thing about my habilaments which you