The National tribune., 1902-12-04
Organs $26 and Up


ward the sea. After having been cut off
for two months from all news from the
North and home, there was an inexpressi-
| BILE gladness in the sight Of anything that
hinted of highway to Gods country.
Look there. Shorty said 81. That's
running right down to Wilmington, where
our folks are, not more than 100 miles
away. Don't it look gcod!'
1T certainly does. 'Taint as big as the
| Ohio, or even the Cumberland or the Ten
nessee, but for present purposes l wouldn
trade it even for the Mississippi. If we
had our old fatboat we could just ftoat
down to Wilmington, and get our letters.
.Mebbe we can find a boat. But the
Adjutant said the other day that Sherman
had sent men through with word to the
General in command at Wilmington, who'd
send boats up the river with mail and sup
plies as soon as he found out we were in
Fayetteville"
.Well, give due notice I'm not going
to wait very long. If our mail amt up
here pretty soon I'm going to walk down
the river bank and meet it,
Il think We had better be looking up
| those wagons, just now, and seeing to their
getting safe into camp. Then we can
come back and look at the river as long
as we please"
| Sis thoughtfulness was none too soon.
| The teams of the whole Corps were being
|
permanent camp.
The commons at the edge of town were
a turbulent sea of wagons and mules, In
which officers and men, teamsters and
negroes yelled and swOre. Everybody
wanted to get his wagons to his camp first,
and wherever one road cut across another
there was battle for the right Of way.
81, with his usual swift grasp of the
| lay Of the land, turned back into the town,
and skirted rapidly around the head Of the
| lthrOng, toward the northwest and the eS-
treme left, where the brigade and its
teams would be naturally coming in.
He presently discovered the 200th Ind.
stacking arms in a pleasant spot, on high,
dry ground, with wood and water con-
venient. He yelled his greetings to them,
which the boys answered with cheers. No
wagons had yet come up to them, how
ever, and he turned off to the left into the
ruck of trains, to search for them.
Its going to be job, Shorty, picking
out our wagons in this blamed caravan
sary," and 81, with a puzzled look at the
maze Of moving teams. Il didn't really
lsee enough of them to become acquainted
with them, nor the mules, nor to really
know the culled gents who was driving.
"Well, the first step is to discard all
that have the Corps badge" answered his
partner. Ours hasn't no acorn painted
ON 'em anywhere"
|
wagons that have been picked up on the
way"
Look out, then, for the newest and best
wagons in the lot, pulled by fresh young
mules. drove by Uncle Neds. who look toe
respectable to ever come within a mile of
an army teamster, or say anything worse
THAN NV Gracious and .Sakes Alive to
the mules One of them has high rough
beaver hat, white side whiskers, and a
Thursday-evening prayer-meeting counte.
nance and the other wears tall leghOrn
That and black tail-cOat and an eXhOrtel
face. He looks even piouser than the fel
How with white whiskers, and shouldn't
wonder il he's regularly ordained minis
tier Shad picked them out for the best
istyle of family cOachmen for a refined
widow with two young children. They're
Idandies as to looks, but about as much
lout of place in this jam of outcasts as a
lpussy cat in hyena cage"
Il know Otterbein Kramer, anyway
remarked ST. Hes with the wagons, and
we ought to catch sight Of him some
where"
"Yes," returned Shorty, watching some
lstragglers, land about as much account as
a rabbit in bear-hole. / don't see why
the Adjutant didn't send back a guard
Ito bring those wagons into camp"
"The -Adjutant very properly wanted ev,
cry man with a musket in ranks today. II
looked as if they'd be needed. The Ad,
ljutant likes his stuff as well as anybody,
Ibut he likes to do his duty whole lot bet.
tier, and he wouldn't abate one jot of that
for all the stuff between here and King
dom Come"
Hello, there's that Chief Quartermas.
tier down there, sorting out the wagons
from the regular trains" exclaimed 81 in
d:smay, as he caught sight of very large
land very authoritative man. with com
manding voice, sitting on his horse at a
crcssiBg, and ordering the wagons about
as they came up.
Here. all you First Division wagons
go up that road there" he commanded
1.-The Second Division take that one. Third
Division goes over there. No; you cant
belong to the regular trains. Turr
that wagon out to the left there
at once, and give me no back talk. II
tie you up, if you open your head again
The orders are positive that all but Gov
ernment wagons shall be weedcd out ~
, back talk, / tell you. Sergeant, knock tina
: believing man off his mule if he dom
/, turn out. No; l don't care if they wer
4 headquarter teams, 40 times over, the,
: can't go along with the regular trains
S You've heard me say that. over and over
; Turn out there at once. or I'll tie you up.
"He seems TO be little tin Gen. Gran
!, on wheels" said Shorty, "and there com
y
: In the interval after the last wago
n which had turned off. came Otterbei
/ Kramer, riding sedately ON an old, bon
g gray horse with couple of camp-kettles
u u filled with minor kitchen necessities, slun
a over his crupper. Except for these
$ might have been taken for Methods
y tinerant on his circuit. He was payin
J. no attention whatever to the struggles an
Il bad language on either SIDE but lookin
e straight ahead for some sign of the reg
: ment. In the saddle of the next team Dc
e e hind him sat the very respectable famil
, coachman, with the white sidewhiskers
l. and battered though still dignified hat G
y rough beaver. In the saddle of the mex
lie team sat the clerical-looking man with til
d high leghorn hat, and the black broadcot
u frock coat. In that wagon, wearied OF
e by the excitement and anxisties of th
r day, lay Mrs. Wimple and her two chi
=, dren.
,e The unusual goodness of the wagon
: and mules caught the Quartermaster's ey
re at once.
ID Turn those teams right out here, an
ltake. them down into that hollow" he con