The National tribune., 1900-03-22

Gl
"a THICK PLASTER OF RED MUD c.
perplexities of his count that he paid no
farther attention to him.
"This squad seems all right" he NUT
tered to himself, "and No. seems all right,
hull lot O. fiankin' done somewhar, an
I've gotter find out whar hit is. The ole
Dutch Cappen II skin me if don't find
out to-day. Hyah, yo' men o No. 1, yo'
stand right in yer places, an don't move
till go over and count the other Detach-
Don't one O. yo'uns stir out O. yer tracks
till give yo' leave. Hear me?"
He brought up guard, stationed him in
front of the squad of 80 men, and ordered
him to shoot any man that left the ranks.
He then hurried off to recount the other
squads. Ike Deeble. being Sergeant Of the
squad, was allowed a little freedom OF
movement. He could walk up and down
in front or the rear Of the ranks. He
sidled around to the rear OF the fourth
rank, where ST stood. and whispered:
whats the matter? Rebels found the
tunnel, and been pounding you over the
head? Raiders try to take the tent Or the
hole away from you?"
NO" said ST wonderingly. Hole was
all right when left. Why do you ask"
Because you're bleeding like stuck
hog No, you amt, neither" he con-
tinued, as he examined more closely the
| trickles over Sis face and neck. You've
got your head full of that red clay. and
then wet it and it's running down all over
you"
Great Scott, so it is" gasped 81. looking
at the sanguinary deposit on his hands.
Il thought I'd got it all out of my hair,
! though I've got about quarter section
under my clothes"
| Deeble was afraid to talk any more to
him then, and moved along the line in
| rear, pretending to count the men, Shorty
was at little distance from 81, and noticed
his predicament. and was worried to ac-
count for it, The rest of the boys were
serious having happened, while ST was
distressed at what might take place when
Wry-necked Smith should come back,
notice him, and make thorough investiga-
ton. He determined to brave it out, and
die rather than tell anything about the
him again, and gained, in a whispered
word or two, an inkling of what had hap
| pened, which he communicated in passing
| to Shorty.
The sun was broiling hot. and soon ST
could feel the trickling from his hair dry up
mud all over his body harden into stiff
cakes, which pinched and hurt him.
| When he rubbed them loose, those
| from his breast, shoulders and back fell
until they were arrested by his waistband,
and formed there bulky layer, which was
so uncomfortable that he loosened his
waistband, to be dismayed by feeling them
tumble down the legs of his pantaloons
and form very obvious little hillocks around
his feet. He silly mixed them up with the
sand, by working his feet carefully, but
every little while another chunk would
hraaly tpnca from hic hnHHy nd
tumble down, making ST feel as if whole
hillside had slipped away, with noise
and commotion that could not help at
tracing everybody's attention.
Wry-necked Smith was always weak
and slow in his arithmetic, and it took him
a couple OF hours to get his tangle straight
ened out. During all this time the men
had to stand rigidly in ranks under the
parching sun. ST kept up struggle with
| the slabs of real estate detaching them
selves from his person and coming into
view His anxiety as to what would
unnecessary. for that individual was so
glad or so tired when he finally got his
count Strengthened out that he simply
ordered the squad dismissed, called the
guard off, and hurried out the gate with
| out coming near 81.
Everybody has trouble when he has to
part with his; real estate, ST. said Shorty,
when his partner told his story in the tent.
If YOU had only got little more on you.
and it'd stuck to you tighter, we might We
| got you out o here on a writ of replevin.
| foreclosure of mortgage, or something of
the kind. | might We located a home
stead on you. and then demanded that
you be included in the limits O. the State o.
Injeanny, like they do sometimes with
islands that come up in the Mississippi y
| Decide took a stroll down to the region
| of the tunnel and studied the hole as well
as he could by giving it a seemingly care
| less glance as he passed. At proper
interval ST and Shorty did. the same. A
little later Shad Graham came up. and he,
ST, Shorty, and Deeble held a brief but
earnest consultation in the iatter's tent.
The conclusion they came TO was that
while the hole was not conspicuous enough
| to be likely to attract attention, yet it might
| be noticed, and if so would bring ruin
upon the whole enterprise, and probably
severe punishment upon those engaged in
it. Therefore, the sooner it were stopped
up the better all around, Graham would
devise plan for doing this, and Shorty,
who claimed that he had not worked out
his full stint the night before, claimed the
right to carry the plan into execution.
1t was really Deeble'S turn to go into the
tunnel, but it was decided that the situa-
| ton was so delicate that only those familiar
with the latest phase of the tunnel should
be engaged on it until it was put in proper
shape. Therefore, Graham started for the
tent by a circuitous route, after giving
orders that 81, Shorty and Deeble were to