The National tribune., 1900-10-11
corprl Shortly wsv. tsteh.d you Al

| slip off, and leave US behind You cou18n,s
do IT. smart as yoN think yourselves. We
read the papers just as well as you do"
81 and Shorty looked, and saw Pete
| Skidmore and Sandy Baker. with blseh
and grimy faces and hands. leap from the
| engine and run toward them
| Why. boys, how did you get here?,
l 81 asked.
Why answered Pete: "we had to 20
back with the Sunday-school excursion.
| The Superintendent is mothers cousin.
| and she made him keep his eye on us
| But me and Sandy found this freight
| train coming along. and we made friends
| with the fireman and engineer, and agreed
| to help If they'd take us along on the loco
| motive. l tell you it was great fun We've
| been. oiling. and rubbing. and pitching
wood, and sometimes the engineered let
| us blow the whistle at crossings Me and
| Sandy's both going to be engineers when
we glt out OF the army. Amt we. Sandy?"
You little rats said Shorty. twinged
| by his own homesickness; why didn't you
stay where you were well of? You
could've stayed at home two weeks
| longer"
We wanted to go with the boys, same
| as you did, protested Pete Its Just as
much OUT fight rs theirs. or yours, and we
, wasn't going to let them hog it all, and
then blew oyer it to us ali the rest o.
| their lives. No, Stree"
at she nKt station Harry Joslyn and
It'd Naekaii got ON. Gid was clearly far
from well yet, and Harry was as helpful
to him as woman. There was none OF
the old battling between the two. Harry
| insisted on carrying the things, and he
was on the point Of assaulting a man who
pushed up on the platform in front Of
Gid.
He really oughtn't to've come" Harry
explained aside to 81. "And I tried my
best 20 keep him back. But his heart was
q ar hat n
| setback if he was disappointed. I'd let
the Surgeons at Indianapolis take the re-
sPonsibility of letting him go or sending
him BACK
At the next station Montgomery
Scruggs and Alfred Russell came aboard.
Alf had "Gray's Anatomy" under his
arm, and fell to study OF its descrip-
ton OF the mysterious machinery of man
as soon as the greetings were over.
Arriving at Camp Morton, 81 went up
to headquarters to report.
Hello. Serg't Josiah Klegg. Of the
2o0th indiana" called out the Sergeant
iii the ante-room, as he entered Awful
glad to see you, and then again amt"
Why, Ike Deeble." said 81, with a
gasp Of pleasure, as he seized the Ser
geant's hand. I'm very glad. too, TO see
you, and know that you're out of Ander-
sonyilie: Why, amt you glad to see me?"
We'll. was sort of In hopes that you
Il I,
erai promised me that / might take Jour
detachment on. That's all. I've been
rather calculating on it, and been over
there TO the barracks licking the crowd
into little shape. You've got a fine lay
out there-something over 90. They're in
q ID barracks. Great Peter, but I want
to go with you. After l got homo and
reported here from my furlough they gave
me soft detail, as one of the Sergesnts
on duty with the rebel prisoners.
jumped at the chance of a feather-bed
duty this Winter at home, but the news
Of the boys starting off for another big
campaign stirs me all up. 1 want to 60
with 'em. I'm awful tired Of these sec
ond-hand rebel prisoners around here.
They're old and stale. 1 want to go down
South and capture a few fresh ones for
myself. But you've got to hustle for your
life If you get away in TINA. The dis.
patches say that the roads liable to be
cut any moment. Old Sherman himself.s
given orders to cut the road and tele-
graph, if the rebels don't. There's whole
lot o traps you've got to draw for your
men. including three days cooked rations.
I've got all the acquisitions made out and
ready, SO you'll save that time. All that's
needed is your signature where intended
to put mine. Here they are. Rush, now,
if you know what's well for you"
Full of eagerness 81 signed the requisi.
tions, sent Shorty over on the jump to 8 D
barracks TO bring the recruits to the Quar-
termaster's shed for the supplies, and
started thitherward, piloted by Serg't Ike
Deeble. The camp was in fever Of ex-
citement with other squads trying to also
get away. For few hours Si and Shorty
worked with intense activity in providing
that every man should have his canteen,
haversack, blanket, good and sufficient
shoes, and three days cooked rations In
his haversack. They got their detachment
ready earlier than any other, aud marched
proudly up to headquarters for inspection
and orders to take the train.
Your men seem all right, Sergeant"
said the Colonel, after he had walked
down the line and carefully scrutinized
each man. II must compliment you upon
the completeness of your outftting and
the rapidity with which it was done. I'll
go in and sign the order for your trans
portation. Hello, what's this?"
He tore open a telegraph envelope
which a messenger had handed him, and
read:
Communications interrupted. Send no
more troops until further orders"
'Too bad" commented he. I'm sorry
for your disappointment, Sergeant. but
you'll have to march your men back to
the barracks. I'm afraid this is tine last
chance. If so, I'll issue arms to you and
put you on duty guarding prisoners
1.-The devil you will,' muttered Shorty,
savagely, under his breath. We'll have
to say about that ourselves"
ITO be continued