The National tribune., 1900-03-29
The Tunnel is Opened outside the stocksde.


and his squad to work i'll the tunnel, and
of ST and Shorty to stay away from it,
which was the Sevcrest of all tasks for
them. for they Were burning with eagerncSs
to do more on it, and with curiosity TO
know if the rebels had any suspicion.
ST tried to busy himself with improving
their tent, but the tent had lost all interest
in the near prospect of liberty. After
dark he slipped off quietly. aud wandered
down to The neighborhood OF the tunnel.
He found everything going on smoothly.
| The guards appeared TO be interested in
| things farther inside the prison than the
| tunnel, the carriers were slipping quietly
| i'll and out, and wading far into the creek,
before allowing the contents of their bags
| TO dribblc noiselesSly into the water, and
Shad Graham was lying; as usual, among
| the sick, where he could have Il view OF
| the entrance to the tent
What are YOU doing down here, No.
| 16! he asked III a sharp whisper. on We
| been around here enough during the day.
| You mustn't be seen here too much, and
You mustn't be too much away from Your
Detachment. Somebody III he wondering
what YOU are up 10, and following YOU"
Il couldn't stay away" said ST. apollo
getically. Il got to worryin', and had to
come down."
! well, You needn't worry. Everything
is. going on all right. No. is now digging
directly under the stockade, and we've
struck il in exactly the right place between
| two timbers. was afraid that we might
| come squarcly under one, and II would
slip down on us. But now both are held
up by the dirt on each side. and were all
right. You'd better go back to Your
quarters and get good rest for tomorrow
evening"
Shorty received the same intelligence
and iniunctions when he came down.
| Shorty was getting worried about Scrg't
| 1lbbettS, who was becoming entirely top
4,
stockade. The sight of Tibbetts prowling
| around with a ranrOd i'll his hand, to
probe for tunnels, had given Shorty cold
chill. He wanted to kill Tibbetts much
worse than ever, bat could .iiInk OF no way
OF doing it that approved itself 10 his Judg-
ment.
How'd it do, ST, he inquired tentatively,
so foller him around, and when he found a
| tunnel, catch him and ram him away into
it, and then ram dirt in behind him, SOS he
couldn't git out?'
'',That'd be great" said ST refleciively;
ourselves / wouldn't just ike to stay in
here, near him. while he was smothering TO
death; It'd be.all right if we were then
outside. on the Jump for Sherman, and not
thinkin' about him"
srao%cag HS% T9nd beSa eh s ssseTfd r: sHory
| like me. II would There's nothin' /
| would enjoy better than settin' on the
ground right above him. and thinkin' Of
| him down below, clawing the dirt, and
gaspin, and yelling. and thinkin' of all the
mean things he'd ever done, and how they
were iraggin' him down TO the hottest
place that The devil could heat up for him.
I'd want lin to be about week dyin',
and Starve'as well as smother. | tell you
there aint a thing / wouldn't do to that
offal of secession. / wake up nights to
think over what I'm goin' to do him, and
q. Il Il.
around here and see-There he comes,
now"
BY the Pickering glare of bit of pitch
pine. kept burning to give some likelihood
Of light and chcerfulncSs to the place.
they saw that Tibbctts was dressed in u
turned away in loathing from the rebel,
but Shorty greeted him civilly:
Hello. where did you come from? What
re You doin' with them Yankee clothes on?"
80, jest done come IN ter take a turn
around. an look for tunnels. The ole
Dutch Cappen thought I'd have better
luck if / had on blue close, so he done
ordered me ter strip the fust Yank that
was about my build, an had close Ter suit
me. The Yank was awful sassy, an
didn't want ter give up his duds, but ]
done stuck gun in his face, an he pulled
He didn't need his close, nohow. He'd
only wore 'cm out in here"
And Tibbetts chuckled at his fine humor.
'Say, did You bring me in them beans?"
Shorty inquired. The principal paliation
of the rebels visits was that Shorty could
use him to procure small additions to their
scanty rations, i'll return for money and
| for instruction in card-sharping.
Tibbetts produced a little bag of stock
peas from inside the blouse, and handed it
| 10 Shorty, saying:
"Now, yo' know, yo' done promised ter
larn me how ter slip a jack or an ace from
9. t1,,
done tried hit last night, the way yo' showed
me aforc, but Wad Greene done cotcled
me at hit, an lost a pot o S15O slick as a
whistle. Yo' must larn me sho, tcr-night,
afore | go away"
"All right" said Shorty, hefting the bag
of peas. "You haint brung me as MANY
as you promised. You never do But ri
show you all right. Hands clean? Used
| that conjurc agin?'
While Shorty was conducting his lesson.
ST crawled in with the other boys and went
| to sleep.
BY the time the guard near called ont
post numbeh fo'-'leven o'clock, and
a-I-rs we'll" Tibbctts thought he had
acquired proficiency enough to cope with
Wad Greene, and declared that he must
now attend to his duty, and go on a tunnel
hunt.
Come along with mo. he said to Shorty.
'Mebbe well find something that | kin
| leave yo' ter watch ter-morrow, while Pm
out"
| Shorty gladly accepted the invitation,
| though he feared it would bring him upon
scenes when he would have all that he
could do to keep from jumping on Tibbetts
and strangling him then and there. Then,
he could not help feeling that his associa-
ton with the rebel was exposing him to the
contempt and hatred of such of his comrades
as noticed it. But eagerncss to find out
lust how much Tibbetts might know.
oyerpowcred every other consideration, and
''y They hey waikesdii up the street along tho
south side. To as near the dead-line at the
corner as they could get, and then turned
and made their way east, along the south
end. s4-.f
@Srhar's a story gwine around said
| TibbettS as they walked, about a hull
string o tunnels together, somewhar here,
| by which the prisoners is done gwne ter
throw down lot o the stockade an make
a gap through which thcy'uns III all run
! out like hogs through a gap in the fence !"
The thing sounded so preposterou5 to
Shorty that he thought it would be good
thing to encourage the belief in 1'ibbetts's
mind. 1t would keep him off things that
might be hopeful.
"Yes, I've heard a good deal of whisper
ing about ito he said There seems TO be
something in it, Lots o signs o diggin'
around here
Shorty had previously scrItinized that
locality, and knew that there was not a
tunnel on the whole south end But