News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-06-25

wished. The only living beings wht
did not seem in the least disturbed
were the prisoners.
AS for myself, | think lost my
senses several times during that dread
full night. Only As hours before, the
| job of loading the revOlvers had rob
bed me of an entire night of rest Now
| l was doomed to another. | had t.
tramp the muddy road to keep myself
awake, but my head dropped asleeI
| once in awhile on its own account, an6
with wide open eyes | beheld many
strange visions in the darkness and i'm
agined many things ridiculous and i'm
possible. 1t seemed that the night new
err would end, and my gratitude was
unspeakable when at early dawn we
were ordered to feed, mount and re.
sumo our march. | tried to feel happy
when the prisoners were placed in
charge of new guard and my sense
of responsibility ended, but soon
found that sleepiness on horseback was
more dreadful than on foot No sooner
would | drop into a doZe than | would
rouse with start from an awful SEN
sation of falling from my horse. Every
body was cross, particularly the smok-
ers, for all the fires were out, and few
men carried matches.
Then it was that our captain leaped
suddenly and securely into the affec-
lions Of his men. Passing the word
for smokers to fill their pipes, be tore
long, narrow strip from his handker,
chief, moistened it the least bit, lit one
end with match, lighted his own pipe
and then gave the smoldering rag to
the first sergeant, from whom it passed
down the entire troop. After the pipes
were fairly started there was no more
grumbling, except from nonsmokers.
How | wished myself a smoker!
Often when in earlier days had asked
schoolmates why they took to smoking
| was told among other excuses, that a
few whiffs Of smoke would stop the
craving of hunger when a fellow
CHANGED to he playing truant for a day
or off hunting or fishing and having too
good luck to get home at mealtime
Well, had | learned smoking, the third
day Of our scout would have been a
good time to test it's remedial virtues,
for my hunger was so intense that it
drove everything else from my mind,
and the memory Of the bacon and hoe
cake of the night before almost made
me scream with rage. 1t seemed to
me the government was mean, des-
nin1 hln and STANDING in tie p,t
to give me as three days ration some
food which had eaten during the first
"a hours. If only had brought that
lump of fat pork which had seemed SO
loatlisome when it was dealt me!
actually longed for that bit of adipose
tissue, longed until saw it on the
ground just where had tossed it, saw
it as distinctly as if it were really be-
fore my eyes.
Really, when we halted about noon
my hunger had made me mean spirited
enough to go deliberately in search of
my friendly enemy who owned the ba-
con and frying pan. Fortunately for the
poor fellow, he was eating his last bit of
food apparently, for his haversack was
inside out and lying by the fire to dry.
He recognized me, and as the guard al
lowed me 10 speak to him he said:
at seems too bad to waste the little
fat that's left in the skillet, don't it?
Wonder eF thar amt an ear of corn in
that field that we could roastY
ITS all too hard" said /. shaking my
head sadly as | remembered my search
of the day before
"The harder the better" said he.
| never was more willing to be con-
vinced. In Il single minute | was back
from the field with several ears. The
Johnny selected the hardest, shelled it
in his pan. shook it little while before
he put it over the fire, then parched it
until it was deep brown and poured
K upon the top of his hat tn cool. Net
a bit of the bacon fat remained in the
pan, but each grain of corn was Us
glossy as if vanished.
Thar said he, after a moment OF
two, as he poured a full half of the
corn into a big husk and passed it to
me. Just hist yerself outside that
du see CI you WASH NIOuS luluhil |
the corn too hard"
Bless that rebel! / do believe that |
parched corn saved my life. 1 resolved |
never to go on a scout again without a |
little frying pan in one Of my saddle
bags and a lot of shelled corn in the |
other. But what was half an ear of |
corn to a raging hunger like mine? 1t |
was too late to parch more, for the call |
to mount had sounded. AS l hurried |
down the road to rejoin my company |
l met a veteran of the older troop on |
which l had been billeted when first
reached the regimental camp, and he |
hailed me kindly with:
"Well, young Teller, how does scout
ing agree with your" ~ng,-.,
well enough" l replied, IF wasn't
almost starving"
at always strikes greenhorns that
way" he replied. "Now, l amt bit
sharp set. Say, mebbe a piece of pork
would help you out. Here"
He handed me what looked like a
dirty wad of wet newspaper, in which
found about half pound of pork. 1t
was solid fat, dingy looking, and ON
one side, where the paper had lain
closely against it, several advertise
boH tro farrnd in |