The National tribune., 1902-06-05

''Drat my eyes, believe they air. VIVA
moonblind maverick let them Yankee
slip up on us? Ill bust his head. sure
I'm alive. Hits jest the way with thes
ere slung calves of clay-eaters. Can
trust 'em for nothin'. Here, you Yanks
come right acrost here, an surrender to
wunst, afore let daylight through yoall.
| He started splashing through the mu'
and water toward the fence-corner, agains
which the guns were leaning.
Say, old Quilting Bee. you amt catch
ing on the right way" laughed Pete
We've come up here to make you sur
render. Hold up your hands, there, ever.
lone of YOU"
The boys felt so sure Of their game tina
they were slow and careless. They wer,
aStonished to see the green-and-red quill
vault over the fence with amazing quick
ness, and the man kneel down behind
stump i'll the corner, and draw one of tht
guns after him. Instantly he cooked th'
piece and pulled the trigger, but the we
cap snapped.
why. did you ever see an old snoozel
act that way, Sandy Indignantly asked
Pete, and both of them fired, only to hi
the stump.
..Snipcs. come at wunst: pick up Vel
gun and shoot en-" shouted the Corporal
picking the cap on his gun. Come and
shoot aforc they kin reload
Il guess not" shouted Sandy. Take
| that; and that The boys each fired two
more shots in the stump.
''Dod-gast hit, they air Yankees. fer a
fack, an they've got them new-fanged
guns, that they load on Sunday to shoot
all week." wheeznd Corp1 Nope Green
with a mixture Of disgust and resigna.
| ton. Il love the Confederacy as well as
AIRY other man, though hits bin nothin
but n worriment to me ever since hit was
started. But | s'pose I've got to give in
for they've got the drop on me, shO'. an
them bullets sound as if they'd splatter
me all over the Saluda swamps, if they
hit me, which wouldn't be nice for the
father of a family. Bud. you an the rest
haint nobody depending on you'all. Make
rush fer yer guns, an drive them fell
lers away"
"'Scuse me-" answered Bud, holding up
his hands. Don't want my funeral on
as mean Il day rs this"
Il hain't no more call to die for my
country than the rest O you has," added
Snipes, lifting his hands. Il promised
Becky to be sho' to come back in the
Spring in time to put crap i'm
Young man, we air South Caroliny
gentlemen, an demand the treatment
given prisoners of war; said COrp1 Nope
with dignity, as Sandy and Pete dashed
across the creek and up to him.
"Haint no time to talk politics with
you,' answered Pete, as the boys made
for the guns to hastily break them across
the fence. There comes the Sergeant
Chin him.
81 appeared across the creek, at the
head of the squad, plunging through the
rain and mud.
A Ia, q oil ~ a.
ton of Lecsville, as if coming out to in
quire the cause of the firing. Pete and
Sandy were anxious to get away and in
tcrview them.
81 and Shorty rode across.
Air you the officer in command Of the
enemy?' wheezed Corpl Nope Green with
as much dignity as a man with two front
teeth gone and the rain beating in his face
could assume.
''I'll answer for him, for the present"
said 81, wiping the rain off his own face.
Very well, sir" returned the rebel,
throwing his head back, to allow the ac-
cumulated water to run off the back of
his hat. I'm Corpl Nope Green, of
kunnel Stanforths rijimint. We air
South Carolinians, soljers an gentlemen,
an we demand treatment as SIGH"
20, We'll treat you all right" answered
ST, indifferently, with his eye following
Pete and Sandy IN their ride out to meet
the new Corners. 1.-The best treatment we
could give you would be to run you
through clothes wringer, and hang You
up somewhere to dry" ventured Shorty,
impatiently shaking some of the cumbrous
moisture from himself. "If there was a
lime-kiln around we might put you in
that"
'Sir," Indignantly wheezed the Cor
poral, u say again, that veal air soljers,
South Carolinians an gentlemen. an We