The National tribune., 1900-07-19

eve GOT SOME YANKEE
that old jerkwater thrashing machine
could make it. I've got some Yankee
togs in my box on the engine, which 1
| can put On,'-
"Yes," chimed in 81, whose mind was
acting quickly, for be saw the Lieutenant
sauntering down toward the engine, prob
ably to see why the train did not start.
Your names Tom Radbone; you belong
to Co. O., 2OOth Iniianny Volunteer In
you was taken at the charge on Kenesaw,
9th of June, and you belonged in An
dersOnville to the First Squad o the Four
teenth Detachment, Got all that?"
Tom Radbone, Go; 9, 2oOth Indiana
saw, June 81; belonged in AndersOnville
to the First Squad of the Fourteenth De-
| tachment," repeated the engineer, slowly.
| That's all right. Say it over and over
agin, till you git it pat, and kin rattle It
off without batting an eye. Well work
you through if there's a quarter chance.
Mind your eye, now. Here comes the
Loot"
The engineer, who had cut hickor,
sprOut while he was talking, trimmed it
as he deliberately walked toward his en-
| gine.
why amt yo' a-gwine on, engineerr
| asked the Lieutenant, rather GROSSLY.
| Seems ter me y're alters takin' water,
an a long time doin' hit every time"
81 don't know of no way o running an
engine without giving her all the water
she needs responded the engineer, cOolly.
1.-The niggers've bin totin' the water up
as fast as they could. They amt no
steam force-pumps."
"What're yo' doin' off yer injine, any
way, and down thar in the brush, foolin'
| away yer time!"
Il wasn't foolin' away my time" re-
| sponded the engineer, sharply. I've got
link on thar that's bound to give away,
and likely to do it any minute. l was
huntin' a good withe to hold things to-
gether until we kin git through"
| 81, oyerhearing the conversation, no.
ticed how the engineer, when speaking
to the Lieutenant, instinctiyely adopted
| the tone and pronunciation of the South,
while when speaking to him his nrticula-
ton was that of his native Indiana.
We'll, git on yer injine, and let's start,
"Weuns won't git nothin' ter eat till we
| 'uns git back, an we'unsll starve ter
death at this rate
1T seems as if we are certainly going
| right straight to our lines, Shorty" SAID
81, after they had talked over the mat
and means of working him through the
lines with their squad. I've never felt
dead certain of it till this minute. We've
bin disappointed so often, that it seemed
to me something might turn up to block
us. But now it's as sure as anything kin
be that if this train keeps on running
well land with old Sherman before many
| hours. l have to catch hold o myself to
keep from just jumpin' up and down and
hOllering. L wonder what part of our
| lines we'll come into? l wonder who'll
be there? Wouldn't it be just too great
| 10 cho,,II ctriLa oI lixyicinpS
be too good if we should strike our old
brigade the first thing, and find the 1st
Oshkosh, or the Maumee Muskrats, or the
kankakee Railsplitters, or even that new
Michigan regiment that just came in"
Anybody in blue clothes who carries a
gun III do me-" answered Shorty. But
what I've bin thinkin' of is that we're n
mighty sick looking gang to go around
where there are any decent soldiers. We
wouldn't allow sich n raft o scarecrows
as we are to even so back among the
| teams. Just look at us, won't you?"
We'll, l confess l haint bin thinking
much about looks" said 81, taking a real
| ly comprehensive survey for the first time.
| But | should say that if we WIZ put up
| at auction on our looks, we wouldn't bring
constable's sale prices. In fact, l don't
think ! ever saw a tougher looking gang
| . roustabOuts anywhere"
Shorty had long ago lost even the apol-
|
prison. and with them had gone nearly
| all of his pantaloons up to his knees and
of his shirt sleeves to his elbows. His
generous-siZed feet and hairy limbs never
| were pretty in their best estate, and this
was far from being their best estate His
| shock of red hair was tangled and mat
ted, and on it lay n ragged hat made of
the boughs of the longleaved pine. The
skin of his face was pecinG off from the
poisoning, and the fringe of red beard on
his face ragged and bleached by the sun
| into discOrdant shades. ST had the REM
nants of what had once been shoes on his
| feet and held on by strips of bark, but
as to the rest he was a tattered and di-
lapidated match for his partner. He was
only worse frazZled than the rest Of the
squad because there was much more Of
| him to fraZZle.
| They had lost so much time that the
| Lieutenant was told to stop his train on
a switch, a mile or two out, to get out of
the way of the train expected from the
front with exchanged rebel prisoners, and
wait there till morning.
"You 'uns kin git Outen the kyars. an
lay down on the ground if y'd ruther,"
| said the Sergeant of the Guard to the
boys when the train finally stopped.
''But amt you going to give us some
thing to eat?" asked 81. I'VE haint had
nothn' since yesterday, and we're almost
starved"
THAR haint nothin' fer you 'uns. We
expected ter make yer lines ter-day, an
no ratiOns WIZ allowed fer you 'uns. You
uns III jist have ter tucker hit out until
you 'uns git ter yer folks ter-morrer."
While ST and Shorty were yet digesting
this dismal announcement, the expected
train from the front came along, loaded