News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-07-09


''Oh, go back to your AK" interrupt.
ed the captain. ANY logic that | have
! need for use upon myself. If you
live through the war and have a farm
and family of your own some day
and look back to this particular time,
you'll probably believe that I'm about
as unhappy over this work as the
farmer is at his loss"
was made so wretched for two days
by this sad eyed farmers manner that
/ tried to devise ways Of escaping it..
It wasn't long before / found one.
Many Of our logs had to be foated to
| the point where we were massing the
timber preparatory for use, and it was
not easy for men walking along the
shore with long poles in their hands to
prevent an occasional log from drift
ing out of reach and escaping us en-.
tirely. / suggested to the captain that
a single rowboat or skiff would help
us greatly, and the captain agreed with
me, but wanted to know if ] had never
heard that for military reasons all
boats on streams in fighting country
were destroyed
"If southern boys are as smart as
northern boys" said |, Il guess a boat
or two escaped and lie hidden away in
the bushes somewhere along the
shore"
! couldn't forget how many times
had stumbled over boats while roam.
ing along the edge of creeks and ponds
not far from our village up north
VERY WELL" said the captain, with an
odd smile, eff that is true and northern
boys are as smart as southern boys,
you may go and find one of those boats.
Take two or three men with you. Don't
go without carbines. And be in a hur-
ry about it. We do need a boat"
Hurrah! Here was to be an outing
that would bring back a taste of old
times. / wasn't long in selecting my
party. Brainard almost danced with
Joy when | asked him to come along.
and two other fellows about as old as
we begged to go with us. Just before
we started the captain handed me
canteen of whisky, telling me not to
use any unless some one fell into the
water, in which case was to dose him
frequently, a few swallows at a time.
We were on the search within a quar-
ter Of an hour, and | felt year youn.
ger in each successive Eve minutes.
Blessed be nature! There isn't much
dilferen e 'twiXt north anG south as to
the underbrush and dry leaves along
the banks of small streams during
winter 1t was almost as jolly trip
as if we were out chestnutting in the
woods about Summerton. Once in
awhile we would startle a squirrel and
long to fire at him. 1t was so hard to
be bound by the rule to fire at nothing
but the enemy when outside our own
picket linesl What enemy could hear
us, anyway? There was no road with
in three miles except that which was
broken by the bridge. The temptation
to shoot became still stronger when we
saw the head of a deer on the other
side of the stream, but Brainard re-
minded us that the deer would do US
no good unless we could cross the
stream to get him.
SO on we tramped. 1t was as good
as an excursion. We continued to be
reminded of old times at home. In one
place were the remains of a toy boat
such as each of us had whitfield from
sticks in other days. Then we came
upon path which cattle and pigs had
made in tramping to the river to drink.
A littla fort hpr al
such as northern farmers with water
fronts generally have. All of these dis
coveries had no suggestion of war
about them, and we all agreed with
Brainard when he said:
81 feel as if l weren't down south at
ALL"
Suddenly my heart bounded with joy,
and shouted 'Hurrah" for through a
screen of bushes I saw the side of
boat 1t was only skiff. made of
about four boards, but hadn't just such
boat often been as good as l wanted
at home? We surrounded it. in an in
slant and murmured a chorus of de-
light. The oars were in it instead of
being hidden a little way off, as they
would have been had the owner been
northerner and it seemed in as good
order as if recently used.
'The captain ought to make you a
sergeant for this, Frost" said one of
the boys.
Flat bottomed skiffs make up in
weight what they lack in grace, so we
laid our carbines in heap and began |
to lift and drag. The boat was fully |
80 feet from the waters edge, so we
had great lot of Juggling and shout |
ing of Now "All togetherv' "Again!
etc. before we reached the water. At
last, however, we got it where single |
shove would place it afioat; then we
Strengthened our backs and took anoth |
er admiring look, while one of the boys |
became ecstatic enough to spring in,
seat himself, snatch the oars and go
through the motions of rowing.
Don't fergit to take yer guns with |
ye," said a voice which none of us
recognized. We looked around quick
ly, and there, kneeling right by our
earbines, were three Johnnies, each |
with his own gun at the position of
aim. And two of those three awful |