The National tribune., 1900-08-02

''SEEMs TO Me THERE Is A BITTER 7
with each mouthful of food. Let me see
what you've brought for these men tC
eat"
He went over the viands presented anG
made selections, giving the breast of the
Gid Mackall, and q definite portion of the
more delicate food to each of the others
Great Scott, how good that tastes,
murmured 81, as he slipped his coffee. -
could drink a barrel of it if | could get it.
Yes, and you'd try to, if you could gel
a chance answered the Surgeon. That's
just the danger. Then I'd have a maj
ranged, and his digestion knocked out
and the Lord knows what else. nor wher
| could ever tinker him up again. But
here comes the ambulance. Put Mackall
Scruggs, Baker and Skidmore in. Yes
put in Joslyn and Russell. Itll hold then
all. Klegg, you and Elliott and this Other
man-what's your name. sirI'
Why, Tom Radbone. OF corrse," said
81 and Shorty in Il breath, forgetting tina,
the time for deception had passed.
Thomas Radbone, sir" answered the
engineer, following their cue, Go. q
2OUth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Capt
McGillicuddy's company-captured in the
q.
Andersonville to the First Squad of the
Fourteenth Detachment"
''J'hos. Radbone!' echoed the Surgeon
in surprise; why. he was
20. come off there, engineer. said 81.
laughing. I'VE forgot ourselves. That
little yarn has served its purpose, and
there's 10 need of it any longer. Drop it
Doctor, we didn't intend to tell you a lie
This is the engineer who brought our train
through. He's an Injianny man, from
Evansville, and the rebels wuz holding him
down there agin his will to run trains
for 'em. He wanted awfuly to git away
and me and Shorty smuggled him through
What is your name, anyway, Mr.. Engi-
neert'
mo matter what it has BEEN said the
engineer, decidedly. From this time on
it's Thomas Radbone. L turned over a
new leaf in everything as soon as l got
through the Union lines. There's a good
many things, besides my working for
them hell-hounds of rebels that / want
to turn my back on. Your Colonel called
me- Tom RadbOne, and | guess he's got
authority to give a man a new name if he
wants to. You all acknowledge him as
boss of these diggings, and what he says
goes, without any back talk. He called
me Radbone. and that settles it. You say
that Tom RadbOne was mighty good
man, and a good soldier, and died fighting
y
for Inc. I'll take his place in your COM
pany, and try to be as good a man as he
was, and make up for what I've had to do
against the Government, and against my
will. l want to get good whack at
them whelps whO'ye been climbing my
back so long. l owe them grudges that
it'll take long while to pay up"
We'll be very glad to have you in the
company" said 81. sit needs good men
like you. Wish there'd be 80 mere come
in. AS to your name, l guess that's main
ly your own business, since you're of full
age. and outside the jurisdiction of the
Courts of Injianny. There'll be no trOu-
bic about enlisting him, will there, Doc
tori"
Il think not" said the Surgeon. with
an estimating glance at the engineer s
physique. IN have to give him Il physi-
cal examination first. But he looks tough
and solid.'
You bet l am" said the engineer.
IF l hadn't been | never could've stood
three years. I'll bet you have mt better
man in your company than L am"
Shorty gave him the keen, challenging
glance that he always turned on men
who spoke confidently of their physical
qualities.
There's so blamed much of the game
cock in Shorty 81 used to say, deprecat-
ingly, that he can't never hear another
rooster crow without whoop-pee-ing
back"
They arrived at the hospital. and found
that the Surgeon had been making clab-
crate preparations for their treatment.
Surgeon Folsom certainly was liable to
the charge of fussiness in his thorough
attention to detail, and his determined in
sistence upon every minutia which would
contribute in the least toward the health
and comfort of the men. The men ridl-
culed his nervousness and fretful atten-
ton to little things. They were not un-
apt to allude to him among themselves
as "Grandma." All the same. they free
ly admitted to themselves that the 2OOth
Ind always had q smaller sick-list than
the other regiments serving alongside of
them, and that the sick certainly got well
sooner And down in their hearts they
all loved him for his tireless and gnselfsh
devotion to them.
81 and Shorty now looked at his prepa
rations with a cOmical expression of dis
may He had had sawed off some pork
barrels to make tubs to give them hot
bath. A couple of wash kettles, picked
up from some farm house, were suspend
ed from pole over a blazing fire, heating
water. All the hospital attendants and
cOnvalescents We're busily employed in
making preparations. Some We're cutting
wood to keep up the fires, some carrying
water, two We're picking chickens Which
had somehow been found somewhere for
broth, and others We're variOusly engaged.
The Surgeon. whose anxiety over the
boys condition was heightened by every