The National tribune., 1899-05-11

! vi. " A1i
and Shorty 90 home with him, which they
do. Shorty gets letter from q sweetheart
he has never seen. The letter is read before
the family, and makes Shorty so ashamed
that he leaves secretly to return to his regi-
ment, and wakes up Mt Jacksonville, Ind.
After recovery the partners start to the front
with squad of boy recruits.
| Tho Boys Advance Still Farther into tho
| Encmy's Country.
The long fast had s!larpened. the zest the
boys had for their first g sOldier-breakfast" /"
Until they got down to real soldier-living"
they could not feel that they were actually in
the service. 70 have this formal Initiation
in the historic city of Nashville, far in the
interior Of the Southern Confederacy, was
an eIhilarating event. The coarse fare be-
came viands of rare appetency.
"GracioGs, how good these beans taste, :"
mnrnured Harry Jasiyn, calling for n second
| plate full; "never knowed beans to taste so
gooi before. Wonder how they cook 'em? :?
Well have to learn how, Gid, SOS to cook
! 'em for ourselves, and when we git back
home won't we astonish our mothers and
sisters ?''
'And sich coffee" echoed Gid. "Fn
never drink cream in my coffee agin. /
hadn't no idec cream spilled coffee so Why,
this coffee's the best stuff ever drunk. Beats
maple sap, or cider through a straw, all holler.
That's good enough for boys. This IS what
men and soldiers drink"
YOu know those old gods and goddesses {"
put in Montmorency Scruggs, n pale. studious
boy, for shortness called Monty" and who
had great likeness for ancient history, and
expected TO be a lawyer. drunk what they
called nectar. Maybe it was something like
this"
'But we haven't had any hardtack yet, :"
complained Albert Russell, a youth some
what finiciy as to dress, and who had ambi-
| tiOns of becoming doctor. "They've only
given us bakers bread, same as we got on
the other side Of the river, only better-tasting
Why don't they give us real soldier bread ?
I've heard Uncle Bob laugh at the 'sott-bread
snoozers, who never got near enough the
| front to know the taste of harCltack."
We'll, I'm going to eat all ! can of it,
while / can get it," said little Pete Skid
more, the youngest and smallest of the lot,
who had only pas ell the mastering Officer
! by exhibiting such vehement desire TO
enter the service, as to make up for his
| probable lack Of years and quite evident lack
of inches. ''Fve heard Uncle VIII say that
he was always mighty glad TO get back
where he could get soft bread for change.
after he'd worn his grinders down to the
quick chawing hardtack. 1t tastes awful
good. anyway"
| The Government must pay big wages to
the men it hires to do its cooking" philos-
ophized Harry Joslyn, "same as it does to
| its lawyers and Congressman and Generals
| No common men could cook grab that way
| AIebbe it took the cooks away from the Astor
House and Delmonico's"
1.-The boys are certainly making up for
lost time" complacently remarked Shorty,
rs, having taken off the edge Of his own
hunger with a plateful of pork-and-beans
and a half loaf of bread, he stopped for a
moment 10 survey the havoc that his young
charges, ranged at a long rough counter,
were making in the Commissary stores.
They're eatin' as if this was the last square
meal they expected to git till the rebelliOn's
pnt down"
YES" laughed ST, emptying his second
cup of coffee, 81 used to think that we had
appettes that'd browse ive-acre lot off
clean every meal, but these kids kin distance
us. If they live off the country, its bones
I'll be picked mighty white when they pass.
That lean, lank Gid Maclsall seems to be as
holler as q sa5sidge. skin. Even that wouldn't
give TuOfl !OF .ill tHsIG lie ) StOHlu away
Harry Joslyn IS runnin' nose-and-nose
with him. There amt the width O. their
iorelocks difference. Harry's yelled for more
beans at the same second that Gid has. In
fact, rot one of 'em has Jagged. They're n
great gang, tell you, but l wouldn't want
to board any one of 'em for six bits week"
Maj. Oglesvie came up.
"Serg't Klegg," said he, "the Quarter
master says that he's got train load of am
munition TO send forward but he's scarce of
guards. | thought of your squad. Don't
you think you could take charge of it? l
don't imagine there is much need of guard,
for things have been pretty quiet down the
road for some weeks. Still, it isn't quite
right to send off so important train without
any protection"
"Only be too glad of the dooty, sir, :"
| answered ST, saluting. "ltll give the boys
something to think of besides hanging guer-
rillas. Besides, they're just crazy to git
hold o. guns. Where kin l git muskets for
| emp"
March them right over to that shed
there" said the Major, land the Quarter
master will issue them muskets and equip
ments, which you can turn over again when
you reach Chattanooga. GOod-by. l hope
you'll have pleasant trip. Remember me
TO the boys of the old brigade, and tell them
I'll be with them before they start out for
Atlanta"
'Purty slouchy bizniss that, givin' these
kids guns before they've had any drill at
all,-don't know even the facin's, let alone
the manual Of arms" remarked Shorty
doubtfully, as they marched over to the she'd
They'll be shooting holes through each
others heads and the tops o. the cars, and'll
waste more ammynition than a six-mule
team kin haul. They'll make regler Fourth
o. July from here to ChattynOogy."
Don't be worried about them boys" 81
reassured him. Every Che of 'em is used
to handlin' guns. Then, we kin keep the
cartridges ourselves, and not issue any till
| they re needed. which they maynt be-"
The boys were In buzz Of delight at
getting the guns they had so longed for, and
Sis first duty was TO end an exuberant
hayonet fencing match between Gid and
Harry which was initiated all along the line.
"Stop that" he called. Put your
minds to learnin' to load and shoot first.
lt'll be some time before you git chance to
/ Ill ~