Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-22


with the capacity for gallons of sood
ale-but why? Do you know him2'
AYE, we'll! But Is he then of n fact
a minister OF the church," and my
wound and the old prison were forgot
ten as l waited for his answer.
True enough! 7 gh, God knows,
he does more homo to hell and its
king-the devil"
"Marvin-Jim Marvin"
AYE, lad, old jim Marvinl You can
see him any day at Gowan's Tavern
What is It? Is the cut paining ye?
The cut! What pain could touch me
just then? Pain or no pain, dead or
alive, one thing was sure. There lived
no longer on this earth a Deborah
Philipse. But a Deborah there was
aye, should ] ever see her again?
So the days passed on, one like an
other, except that the heat ended and
gradually the cold came on, first a
comfort to us all, then disagreeable,
and finally terrible. For we had no
sign of fire, except perhaps once a week
for our water boiling. This, too,
stopped when, as l inferred, the want
of wood in the town took what little we
were before allowed.
This cold got into my never healing
wound and 1 began to grow too weak
10 Sldtu ut All, anu 50 was 5llllIl6
against the wall one day, close to some
new-made friends, that we might keep
one another warm, when some forty
new prisoners arrived; and l., lying
back with my lead to the wall and my
eyes closed, heard one telling some of
my companions that he came from
Tappan.
when, MANI" asked, leaning for
ward quicker than | thought l could.
but three days ago"
Tell me then If you can, back two
months now, about the middle of Oc-
tober, did Clinton move on Newport"
That he did, but he got no further
than Huntington Harbor with all his
forces"
why, man, why?" | asked.
why, because the cOmmander-in-
chief, by some mean / do not know,
got wind of the thing before it started
and made q feint-I was with my COM
mand, and twas a stiff fight, too-on
Staten Island and Paulus' Hook, and
back came sCurrying the Johnnies with
their tails between their legs, thinking
the town was taken or going soon to
be-"
Thank God" 1 muttered to myself,
lying back as the man went rambling
on. Curtis and Acton must be safe,
then. And Hazeltine, too, dead or alive!
After all, we had not done so i'll, and /
had kept my word to the general so far
as man could. But l knew l must be
weak indeed, for the excitement Of the
new mans story had taken the life out
Of me, and l slid down to the cold ioor
all in a sweat that drenched my clothes
and then froZe upon them.
With that 1 sank back into a quiet
stupor that lasted l know not, nor
eve knew, how long; but happier
than 1 had thought to be since coming
to the Sugar House. From time to
time, as l walked a bit and looked about,
| would catch two or three of my COM
rades looking down at me as | lay not
uncomfortably on q little clump Of
straw, and, seeing me looking at them,
they would ask me how l did. And l
smiled and told them, t~ruthfully, as
we'll as they. once q young and big
fellow took off his coat and threw it
over me, and, try as l would, / could
not make him take 1t back; for just
then l could not seem to rise VI on my
elbow, and by and by l laughed and
thanked him and turned aside and
slept long, l know not how long.
SO l awoke once and found 1t light
in the old house, for the snow reflected
on the ceiling; and seeing the group,
larger han before, standing about me
l asked for a bit of water, and IT came
to my lips at once. Some one | heard
talking quietly M looking at me, and
l caught the word going" And l re-
member thinking then with some in
terest that perhaps there was q rumor
Of our going out of this frozen hell.
And on asking if twas so, they said in
their same Unconditional way, Yes,
man, some cf us-some Of us will go
shortly"
Then on a sudden the group slipped
away, why | could not see, till l caught
a CLINT OF red uniforms and saw an
officer and some men walking about the
room stopping now and then. l lay so
on my side idly watching them APP
proach, when the blood froze in my
veins.
Twas Captain Atherton moving
quietly along, pointing now and then
to n prisoner. He must not see me!
That l knew; and so l shrank back
into my straw and waited in a kidd Of
terror to see IL he would get by. So
he came on slowly, so slowly, looking
at each and every man and saying not
u word. But as he pointed to a prisoner
that n was lifted and carried out. l
could not keep my eyes from him. And
then he came by me.
on a sudden he stepped back. Then
quickly muttering that he had slipped.
| saw him point at me and walk on,
still studying each man. Two soldiers
leaned down and ook me up gently
enough, for l felt no pain; and then we
passed down the corridor, down the
stairs n into a light room. There
stood Anterior and pointed to a couch,
where they laid me and passed out,
and l turned my face to the wall, in
hopes he had not recognized me. But
in truth the couch being soft and COM
Portable | did not much care, but gave
something OF q long sigh and-Went to
sleep.