The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-31

ems. into heavy iron pan which was IN
the fireplace. On top OF the pan she put
an iron lid. on which she piled hot Goals.
| II seemed TO me the cooking consumed
/ at least two hours. but twas only ten
| minutes by my watch when the woman
| took OF the lid and lifted out an immense
| loaf OF what In Summerton would have
been called baked chicken feed. but which
| In the south Is called corn pone, some
| times hoecake.
And how good II wasl How. as I ate
! one fragment after another, l felicitated
the ghosts OF past generations OF my
| fathers chickens on tho enjoyment they
| must have had IN eating just such break
| fasts! IL was solid. q little OF IL occupied
| great lot OF room inside my belt. but
| that was just what wanted. There was
| neither salt. eggs nor baking powder In
| IL, as there always was In corn bread at
our house I'm summerton. but the taste OF
| the raw meal was delightful fdr It's own
sake. And the loaf was so easily made
| tool / then and there resolved never 10
go on another scout without little bag
OF meal In my haversack.
As ate, the old woman told me of the
trouble she had in keeping In the house
anything 10 eat. The Southern soldiers,
she said. stole everything she had when
ever they came that way, as did the
Northern soldiers so she had learned 10
keep her chickens pigs and corn In the
woods far back from the road. where
nobody would be likely TO find them and
her husband always watched them when
any soldiers were In the neighborhood.
l wondered what the people In theNorth
would think about such treatment OF the
colored people. for whose benefit some "f
them seemed to think the war was con-
Quoted. but my thoughts were interrupted
by the sound OF n bugle
Take de res along. honey, said the
old woman, IAN here she looked un-
der the foor again-"hyah's some yams
(sweet potatoes). Tuck EN- In yo' pock-
cts and roas' em In de hot ashes wheh
yo' gifts hungry"
| hurried away with profuse thanks, a
full stomach and an entire Willingness
to face single handed. the whole south
ern army I'm battle array. Many months
later, when had some soldiers under my
own command. ! gave more attention 10
tho cookhousc than to my other duties
combined And how grateful were the
smiles which Brninard, Hamilton and
Cloyne gave me when l divided my sur
plus hoecake among them! Brainard said
that bit OF hoecake saved his life. SO i
had done the government as great ser
vice az IL | had brought new soldier into
the neld.
Again we started, and as We rode the
captain and lieutenants looked frequently
at the horses heads TO see that curp
bits were not chained too tight or hang
ing too high or too low and that the
horses were not worried by being ridden
with too tight reins. Most OF the recruits
wanted to make their horses arch their
necks like soldiers horses In statues and
military pictures. and when the captain
made theme stop they muttered that war
wasn't much fun. Big Pat Callahan said
"A soldier was not only a dog, but he was
expected to let his horse be a plug, which
proved that the government was con-
demncd fool and deserved to be wiped
out by the rebels He did not get much
sympathy from Mick McTwyny, for Nick
was trying to carry the dignity of his
new ONCE, and II was such a heavy con-
tract that he had no mind for anything
else. His recruits. however. agreed fully
with big Pat Callahan and cursed the
government fluently. and the captain
didn't reprove them, which seemed to me
gross neglect OF duty.
We rode nearly all day. but nobody
| could tell us where we were or what We
| were expected TO do or when we wouio
| do II, all OF which, when prolonged for
| hours. began 10 be enraging In the ex-
treme. When We halted at noon to feed
the horses, / complained to Cloyne that IT
we never were to know what we were TO
do we might as well be so many ma
chimes
That's Just what we're expected 10
ize II and live up to II the sooner you'll
be a trustworthy soldier"
This was depressing. 1t was simply
awful. Could there be mo way of re-
lease from a mind which could not help
working? / asked Cloyne how high IN
rank a soldier must be to do some think
Ing for the government. and he replied
General In chief OF the army, as a
rule, though before you've been long In
the cavalry service you'll have occasional
chance TO use all the brains you own and
wish for another headful to help you
through"
This was encouraging for little while,
and then II wasn't. During the day I
found something besides the conduct OF
the war to think of. The dust raised by
more than thousand horses In front, our
company being next to the last column,
was binding and choking besides getting
inside my clothing, and making me feel
unspeakably dirty. How / wished
might take I'm rapid succession all the
baths I had with great effort avoided
when l was small boy! The water in
my canteen became disgustingly warm.
for the midday sun was hot, and ! had
not learned how to cool cantetn, Yet
my mouth and throat were parched. My
legs ached intensely from the steady
pressure on the saddle. yet the horn OF
the saddle was so hih, with the roll or
blankets strapped TO II. that I could not
get relief by riding woman fashion" for
few moments, as was the custom with
farmers boys at Summerton. Poor
Brainard. who never before had done any
riding. said he was sure his legs were be-
ing so bowed that they would have wiu-
er spread than his shoulders, which would
be extremely inconvenient as well as un-
slightly. But there was onn comfort
Mick McTwyny insisted that his legs were
that bad that when he reached camp he
was going to the hospital and remain
there for life.
Suddenly. an hour after the afternoon
march began l was given new subject
for thought. a bugle call sounded from
the advance. which was passed down the
column by successive buglers. IL was
call l had rot heard before, so asked
the lieutenant what IL was
Its CHARGE That's what II is"
(To be Continued on Monday
Some Matrimonial Prizes.
n would soem that at times matrimony