The National tribune., 1900-12-20

w HtH tIit lsib phSn'u A''4N-N
port. Ala, and was approaching the
mouth of the Sequatchie. Jim Bainbridse
uncuried himself from around the smoke
stack, and began TO make preparations
for going ashore.
Awful sorry to have you leave us,
Mr.. Bainbridge," said Shad bringing up
to him a sack containing twice as much
coffee as the pilot had promised "4ou
have been the greatest possible help to
us. In fact, / do not see how we should
have ever got through without you"
That's so,' echoed 81, heartily. eve
never could've brung the boat through
without your help. You were like the 10
fingers-always on hand when wanted
Come along with us, JIM" urged
Shorty. Sherman II reward you 10y
brevet of some knd--brevet Admiral of
the army's fleet of prairie schooners, or
brevet Commodore of the Fourteenth
Corps ammunition squadron. You don't
know what fun it is to manuver n feet
of prairie schooners in siX-mule breeze.
Beats steamboating all holler. Don't have
to cut wood nor heave on the capstan.
All you've got to do is to ride around and
C'iSS. Il ue iltuHlIs the Iislihig
the infantry, do all the rest"
I'D like powerful well ter go along
with yer" drawled Jim; ''fer likelier
passed. o gentlemen never seed. Yo'ns is
all perfect gentlemen. Thar haint a
stuckup enc among you ALL yo'uns don't
take no sass from nobody. an spriei
crowd with their wepuns don't breathe.
Eff yo'uns WIZ gwine ter run up an down
the Tennessee I'd stay with yo'uns till the
last dog was hung. If yo'uns want ter
turn round an go right back through the
Shoals I'll 20 with yo'uns, an gladly
Thanks, awfuily,' interjected Shorty.
"But no more of it in mine. I'm giddy
yet from -mill-horsing around that
capstan. went round it enough to've
wound up the war"
But l won't go 10 mile from the Ten
nessee, on no airthly account" continued
cambridge. 81 wuz born on hit, I've done
lived on hit all my life. an I'll die on hi
when my time comes. But low ter have
a heap o. fishin' an coon-huntin' aforc
then. I've already done had more fun at
that than airy other man in the country,
an l amt more'n half through. | reckon
I'll hang up round the Sequatchie till ar
ter Chrissmus at least. Thar won't be
nothin' fur me down at the Shoals. Hood 5
army has skeered away all the fish, an
done ct up everything that goes on four
legs. Much obleeged ter yO', gents, fer
all this grub yo've give me. Hill last
me long while, mebbe till I see youns
agin. If yo'uns ever come my way agin,
give me q call. SO long, gents
lie labored ashore under all the rations
he could possibly carry. 1t was not until
the boat was swinging out again that
Mrs. Jinkins suddenly discovered that in
some mysterious way he had taken one
of her dogs with him, and she set up a
shrek of anger and dismay.
Hi, yo' wuthless runnygade Jim Balm
bridge" she yelled, as soon as the could
what air yo' totin' off my best coon-dog
fur: Yo' po', orDery, lowdown, white
Niger trash; would yo' steal Iady's
boss-dog, right afore her own eyes? Bring
that thar hound right back hyah, this
very minnit, or I'll done tell Smoot on
yo', an he'll make yer heels break yore
varmint neck when he ketches yo. Bring
know what's good fer yo'."
But Jim bumped his bag of provisions
further up on his shoulders, and walked
stolidly on, with the dog following close
behind.
Make him bring that ere dog back.
Mister Captain" she sternly demanded of
81. Shoot him if he don't"
Scarcely" remarked 81. "Let him
Ike all the dogs he wants. Wish he'd
taken the rest"
''Well. then, I'll shoot him. she said,
furiously, Snatching up n musket. Evil
IDENTIFY she was no stranger to guns, and
handled it in a way that BODIED trouble
for Bainbridge, had not Shorty wrested il
from her grasp.
30, what'll Smoot say when he comes
home from the war;" she walled. His
hearth be done broke, and he'll just skin
me alive fer not takin' better keer o that
thar hound. l didn't mind hit so much
when Sal run off with a teamster an
Lie with a hoss-dOctor. He couldn't
blame me fer that, fer gals is as sho' ter
skeet out as bees is ter swarm, an he
didn't think so much on them, nohow.
They leaned ter be peart. an sassy, an
no count jinerully. arter they growed up.
But i orter tuck good keer o. the dog no
matter what happened. The country's
full o gals like Sal an Lie, but thar
haint another SIGH a dog fer coons as
Punk on the hull Tennessee River Deed
thar haint. The last words Smoot said
ter me when he went away wuz that if
| vallered my life ter take keer o Punk
while he was off foutin' fer our liberties.
We must lose our liberties, but if | lost
Punk he'd sho'ly bust my head when he
got back. An now Punk's gone, arter
al my worritin over him. Yo' must put
me right ashore till foller up Jim Balm
bridge, an git Punk back. Put me right
ashore"
Nonsense" said ST. 1--WE haint no
time to fool around landing. We're in n
hurry to get to Chattynoogy and Sherman
The army's waiting for us. We wouldn't
stop for all the dogs in the kingdom, and
especially for as NANCY lick-skillet as
that one"
IF yo' don't stop the boat an put me
off this livin' minnit," said Mrs Jinkins.
'I'll done throw fit, an make yo' wish
yo had"
"Throw fit or n. ,misit," said 81, irri-
tably. THROW nything you dumbed
please. except throw away our time. This
boat simply can't stop till we get to Chat
tynoOgy. That's all there is of it."
Shorty looked apprehensive. He remem-
| bered his experience With the woman on
the banks of Btk Rive, not far away as
the crow flies. 4,
The woman'sg eyes suddenly seemed
starting from her head: she began TO froth
at the mouth, and her limbs to twitch and
! comfort. Presently she fell to the deck in
apparent mortal. agony, with her daugh-
tiers screaming. Isl ran for ALI Russell, but
| that callow medic's arr, which reveIed in
gunshot wounds and manly maladies.
swooned at the Thought of anything so
awfully mysterioils asa woman, and one
| in commissions. ALI turned so pale Mt the
sight that theyethousbt he was going to
faint. and 81 hdnied him away again.
All was wild cominotion on the deck
| incomparably more excitement than had
been oecasioned by all their previous ex-
citing experiences. The girls shrieked
and walled, the dogs hOwled, Pete and
| Sandy burst into uncomfortable tears, and