The National tribune., 1903-10-08

chentleman like Solomon Rosenbaum, who
could help you when you most needed it
81 had yoost vinisked signing, and get
ting vull directions as to where de cotton
vas, when one of old A. Us Aids came in.
1--WE wound at last. I've had such a
wants you to gone right to him. Something
very imbortant is in de air.
Il vent nit him to o. A. ].
when | came to where de Cheneral vas,
he skinned me alife for apOut fife minutes
for not peing around when he wanted me.
didn't mind dat. Nopody did. He cussed
worst de men he liked pest, but dere vas a
way in his cussing dat We understood. 1t
vas very different from his way when he
caught somepody dat needed keehauling.
Den de hide came off. and no mistake.
When he stopped to take preath. l said:
Now Cheneral. you've got dat off your
stomach, vat is it you want of me-
Il want you to go outside and get me
some information as TO who is out there,
and how many men Dick Taylor has.
can't Wind ont nothing vrom headquarters.
Parks and Franklin, and Stone. de Chief
of Staff. are all at loggerheads. scarcely
on sbeaking terms, and nOpOdy knows
nothing. | want to know something's
Pretty risky going out dere. Cheneral.
You know. I'm getting too veil acquainted.
1t hasn't peen n week since | vas so near
hanging dat it makes me sick yet to see
a coil of rope
".VelI,' roared old A. J.. with fire.
stream of Oaths. What Inference does dat
make? Amt peter men dan you risking
DER lifes effery day for de country? What
you are an American, and man, you
should pc glad to take risks to serve your
country
Dat settles it, Cheneral. I'll go right
out
Il vent pack to Zimri's. studying What I
should do. After dalking nit him, I de-
cided dat l should dress up like one of de
'Cajans. and chance it dat way. Zimri had
Cajan pony in his stable. which
mounted, and rode out through de lines.
NIT pag of meal on my saddle and a side
OF pacOn hanging vrom it. l looked as if
| vas apout 60 years old. had de ague for
apout 50, had peen lifting on muskrats and
catfish, and not getting half enough of
dem, and didn't hat sense enough to puild
fire out of dry brush. | vas to pretend
dat lifted down on Cherokee Bayou, and
had peen to Alexandria to get provisions
for my vanity. 1 logged along de road.
meeting occasionally some reppel scouts
and soldiers, who'd wire questions at me.
but I'd shrug my shoulders, look at dem
stupidity, and say:
Non gOmbvend baw de Anglaise'
"Dey would curse ME for a stupid musk
rat 'CaJan. and go on. Vinally | burned
off de main road, and dock one which l
thought would probably lead me straight
Offer to where I'd Wind de main pody. l
came to little shack Ply de side of deep
bayou, but dere vas no one in it. Vrom
de looks of things I guessed dat de man
who lifted dere ferried people ACROSS de
bayou, but dat some officers he had set
Offer had TAKEN him along NIT dem avays.
to show dem de way. l hitched my horse
in de bushes. where he could not pc SEEN
and PECAN exploring de blaze. Directly 1
heard hail vrom de other side for de
poat. l vent down. united it. and padded
agross. | found dere two young Gonfed-
crate staff officers NIT DER horses. Of
course. L couldn't understand word of
English, but they managed to make me
know dat | must take dem pack Offer. and
den dey dalked before me like | vas a
pump on log | wound out dat one vas
an officer on Gen. Dick Taylors staff. who
had peen sent down NIT orders vrom Kirby
Smith himself for Greene's Texas Tivi-
sion, Walkers and Churchilrs to come
pack, and march up de other way, to meet
Steele, who vas coming down vrom Little
Rock, Ark. De other belonged to Church
ills, and vas going NIT him to Wind dat
brigade, and order it pack. Dey vas poth
hopping mad apOut Kirby Smith ordering
dem pack, yOOSt as dey vas going to COB
BILE up de Yankees. Dey vas sure it vas
jealousy of Dick Taylor dat made Kirby
Smith do it. He didn't want Taylor to
make so much glory. 1t took me a long
time to pole de poat pack. and kept my
ears open. Taylor's Aid dock de order out
of his pocketbOok. and read it ofer to de
other. 1t directed all de troops but Polig
macs Prigade. to pc sent pack. Den dey
svore some more at Kirby Smith.
"'If We had effer got as far as de Huff
power Bayou said Taylor's Aid. taking
another baper vrOm his bocketbook, we
would hat made things lifely. l dell you
A lot of dose plOated arstocrats. like
Powhatan Seiden. hat de bayou yoost lined
nit cotton. dat dey intended to run
through to New Orleans, and sell to de
Yankees. Selden has two steampOats al |
ready loaded. and de others hat effer so
much more piled up along de panks. Dey
laf peen mighty quiet apout it. but we got
into it, at least. and de pOys would hat |
burned it. sure as guns. Here is list
If de piles and der owners Cuss de old
pis-pugs. Dey brought on de
,ar, and now dey stay at home and lif
rat, while We fight and starve. But veil
wen up NIT dem yet