The National tribune., 1900-03-01

your blanket. Here. Shorty. you take
hold o that end, and I'll take hold o this.
Now. pardner. show us where you want
this dumped and we'll take it there. You
foller along close. and you'll see that your
blankets all right"
Tears came into the boys eyes.
yes. you're all right" lie said. relinquish-
ing his hold on the blanket. 'I kin tell that
by your voices. You're not rebels. and
you're not raiders. You talk like decent
Western men. There's so many burned
mean skunks, rebels and whites. loafin'
around this camp, that one never knows
who to trust"
well. you kin trust us every day~in the
week. said Shorty. I'VE don't purity
much, and aint great on style. but for
honesty and trustfulness we Just beat the
devil Where d you want this stuff
dumped?"
There's an open space a little way
ahead, TO your left. | Was a-goin' there.
| 1t haint had none on it for day or two"
Here" complained a weak voice from
inside the tent i'll front of the space; are
YOU fellers pilin' up more dirt out there? |
told you not to. ! can't git out o my tent
purity soon for the dirt. Besides, you'll
! have the guards Shootin' in here, and
| KILN me-"
Don't mind him." said the boy. Hes
dyin', and he's only citizen. anyway
He's suffers clerk"
Ihat settled IT.. A citizen had not any
| rights that need be carefully respected
Don't worry. pardner." Shorty assured
| the inmate of the tent, as he and ST got
| down on their knees and spread the sand
| out with their hands. "This'Il only make
the ground around your tent fresller and
cleaner, and smother some o the gray
backs that's swarmin' here. It'll help
| YOU"
The mrIsket of the guard nearby sud
denly roared out, and the heavy charge of
| buckSfot tore up the ground behind them.
but fortunately without hitting any of
| them.
There. There. What'd tell you?'
complained the man inside. You've
drawed the fire o the guard. Just as | ex-
pected. Go away, or wen all be killed"
Guess that was meant for u.s." said ST.
looking at the rift in the ground made By
| the buckshot. Wed better scatter. Saw.
pardner.' he continued to the boy. as they
drew off little, they're onto that tunnel O.
yours Better drop it for awhile. at least
We was talkin' TO rebel who was inside to-
day. and we know that they're watehin'
YOU
The boy sat down on the ground, his wan
| face picture of abject despair.
MY God. what will we do?" he groaned.
Eve must finish the tunnel, and git ont.
| 1t is our last hope. It's our only hope.
Well all die in a week if we don't"
Take us to Your tunnel. and let's see il :"
said 81. pityingly.
The boy was so weak. and his Joints so
| stiffened by Scurvy. that 81 had to almost
| lift him to his feet. With painfully hating
steps he led them to poor. rude shack
against the dead-line. lt had been con-
strlIcted when the prisoners first entered.
| by bending over poles like hoops and fas-
| tening their ends in the ground. and then
waiting and thatching with piue-tufts.
But the shack had not been looked after.
and the thatching was falling into dis
| repair, with holes where the tufts had dried
and fallen out.
There was four bows in here" the boy
explained. as ST and Shorty looked over The
Wretched habitation. Captured at Mine
Run and among the first prisoners that
came i'll. They all died but one. We
| traded him all our blankets and clothes for
this house, except this blanket. He laid
ont on the sand and traded them for grub,
until they took him to the hospital. Meand
nv partners was taken at Ringgold. before
the campaign really begun. We've bin in
| here nearly two months now. and have got
the scurvy awful bad. We must git ont o.
here right away. or we'll die. There's one
o my pardners settin' there. Look at him,
| and see the condition he's in"
They looked and saw n tall boy, clad
only i'm ragged shirt and pair of drawers.
| The latter came scarcely below his knees.
| His skin clung to his bones everywhere.
|
swollen and livid from an advanced stage
OF the scurvy. With his bonY hands he
/ was reaching inside to catch and bring out
the dirt dug by another comrade working
in the tunnel. He stopped and looked up
at them with great eyes. full of the mex
pressible pathos seen in those whose lives
were rapidly sinking under the fatal scor-
butte corruption.
THAT boy" whispered the first boy to
them, lis the son Of the Judge in our place.
MY other pardner, the one who's inside
diggin', is the son Of widow, whose hus-
band was Presidin' Elder of our circuit. Ii
he dies it'll kill her the minute she hears
of it,"
| Tell your par,ar come out and let
us see how murl, tdnnel you've got"
said ST. - -s....
| Come out. Scot" called the first boy.
and another emacia.ci boy in the advanced
stages of the scu-vy. craWled slowly out
of the hole and gazsd with feverish. flashing
| eyes on the newcomers. He held in his
hand the half-canteen with which he had
| been digging.
Whats the matter, Hank? What did
you stop me for?' he inquired impatiently
Il was getting along fine. I've dug more