The National tribune., 1900-02-22
The Boys Make a Purchase of Some Hard


don't it Shortly" said ST. lying back on the
floor and contemplating the result with
great satisfaction. Il only wish that every
boy IN the pen had one Jest as good"
And leave To come and go just as he
pleased, without ugly brutes i'll butternut
clothes, and carrying big guns. stopping
them at every STEP" suggested Monty
Scruggs.
And each fellow had his own nice Spring
field rifle. with plenty of cartridges
added Harry Joslyn, with a sigh of regret
over the treasured weapon he had had TO
lay down.
And could draw every day good
Government ration of hardtack, pork.
sugar. coffee, salt, and SOAP" mourned
Gid Mackall
Lord. boys" CALCULATED Shorty. i'm
patiently. You want to be III heaven at
once. don't you? You mustn't talk that
way You mustn't let your minds run
that way. You mustn't think o the good
times we'd have if we was back in
the army with Sherman and the boys.
If you do. you'll git homesick and die, like
these other poor boys. Keep busy at
something. SOS you won't have chance
to think"
That's true. Shorty" said ST. But
what KIN we do now, that our house
Is up. and we can't git out no more on
them writs? We've got some o the papers
| left ylt. but we won't dare use EN-"
Well. we've got TO do something" said
Shorty, as he adjusted the pine tufts
at his end to make comfortable lying for
him and Pete. Twont never do to lay
around and think: we'll die sure"
They guarded their house again through
| the night, but hoped that soon its newness
Wolid pass off, and it become so much a
part OF its surroundings that nobody would
think of stealing it,
After roll-call Serg't Jeff Tibbetts came
| in. very eager to get his first lesson in the
| art and nUStarV nf StnoLinrr cards hIIt mot
| eager enough to obscure the fact that he
was in an ugly temper. To clear his way
| from the gate, he knocked down, quite
| unnecessarily, a number of poor boys,
so grievously sick and weak that they
could scarcely stand who We're crowding
there in the vain hope that the rebel sur
geons would come in and give them some
| thing To alleviate their pains and stop the
horrid ravages Of the scuryy.
When he succeeded in finding the tent
| 81 was driving down a stake at the corner
with the precious ak. Here was a chance
for Tibbetts to exercise his baleful au-
thority
'Hyah, you Yankee scalawag, gil me
that thar AK. ifnmejitly. You haint got
no bizniss with hit, and yo' know yo haint.
Orders is all agin yo're having axes.
3rter buck-and=gag yo'. Gi' hit ter me,
/ say,
81 might be slow-motoned at times.
| but never when quick thinking and acting
were necessary. He turned around slowly.
as if to respond to Tibbetts's demand,
but somehow the ak slipped to the ground
behind him. while he was asking with
affected stupidity:
What d you say. NIister?"
THAT AK" yelled Tibbetts, coming tIp
closer TO catch it. Il want that thar AK,
to-wnnst. Gil hit ter me-"
What ax?" asked ST, as if his horizon
was filled with those useful implements
The had not touched tba Dro1pI
when il was silly seized by Harry Joslyn.
who slipped it back into the tent to Shorty.
At a glance from his eye Monty Scruggs
whisked around to the back of the tent.
the, ak was slipped through under the
thatching, and with it under his blouse
Monty sauntered carelessly off toward
the center of the prison.
That thar ak yo' have" said Tibbetts,
roughly, catching ST to turn him round,
and look for the implement.
lurch that brought his shoulder against
Tibbetts with such force as to knock him
from his feet Il did have one that I'd
borryed from boy over there in the other
Detachment, but he come up and slipped
it out o my hand, Jest as wanted it most,
and aYs now W.; he's wen went ,ay away g With it." n
regaining his uprightness. and hunting
around for the tool. But yo' can't fool
me. I'm bound ter have that thar ak.
and I'll buck-and-gag yo' fer havin' hit
Io've slipt hit inter yer tent"
81 tell yo' haint got no AK" stolidly
mans just taken it away"
I'ibbetts fumbled through the pine
tufts on the ground, and searched every
nook and Granny, without success.
Come: Tibbetts,'" said Shorty, don't
make three-story fool O. yourself. There
aint no ak around here, and you can't git
it. You're wastin' time, and my times
valuable, whatever yours may be. You've
done your part, fair and square, in passing
us and our stuff inside, and I'm goin' to
do my part. But make it a rule TO tend
to business in business hours, and these
are my business hours. Drop hardware
and cutlery, and come to cards Did you
bring deck with you?"
Yes; hyah they air." said Tibbetts,
producing well-worn pack in very
dirty hand.
Great .Tehosephat. man" gasped Shorty.
when did you wash your hands,"
Wash my hands?" said Tibbetts;; dunno
when. Hain't had EN- in nothin ter ne d
washin'"
Great Jehosephat; don't you wash
your hands every monring?"
Nah. Why should waste time wash
in EN- when | haint had 'em in nothn?"
Why, wash my hands regerly every
mornin'. and some times durin' the dav."
why. what a dirty runnion yo' must
be. I'm glad l aint 50 ALFRED dirty as
yo' Yankees is i"
"Why, your hands looks like they was
dead and mortifyin'. If dirt was trtInps
you'd have fall hand. You never kin
handle the pasteboards with hooks like
them. Just asI soon think o gaumin'
over 'em with !jffrtio' rotten pork Git
piece o. soap and go down to the crick and
give 'em good scrllbbin' before we begin.
Use plenty o spap:'
"Soap?" echoed 4 Tibbetts. yacantIv
'Whar'll ] git soma?
Great JehosAphat! Out in camp, o.
G@dpSt haint yons fSu IS '"'S =" /" out there
mary mite that knows on. Hain't
seed none nowhap,sence I've done bin in
camp" gEgI
didn't you bring some with you? Don't
your Quartermastsr issue soap?"
Nah What's the use? Amt a-gwine
ter tote nothin,, that we'rns don't need. |
Got more'n we kin do ter tote vittles ter |
eat. Hain't no room for gourds q soft |
soap that'd be spfllih' over everything. and |
spilin' yer grub. What's the use, any
way? Soaps women's doin's Hits what |
they Use ter wash clothes with. Men |
haint no truck with hit? Great soljerin |
thatd be. totin' gourd O. soap around all |
the time fer no good at ALL"
WELL" said Shorty firmly, I amt |
goin' to tetch cards that yon've been bin |
Elummickin over with them mud-hooks |
I'd he afraid they'd give me old-serious-
final al-come-and-git'us. or something worse
sicli paws as them. They'd hoo-doo the
best cards that was ever dealt. You could
mt see a mark, after you'd passed them
ar-StickS over 'em YoIl cant feel a mark