The National tribune., 1903-11-12


has long ago given me up for dead. and
is making the inery for some other fel-
lows wedding" :.
Nonsense. said Maria sharply. Don't
talk such fooIishness. 'Taint nice, even
for a joke"
do you think so?" asked wills Hol-
comb, with a brightness coming into his
eyes. 'She never got that letter, and it's
been an awful long time since she's heard
/ from me. Think of how many thousand
died in Andersonville, and she must be
sure / was one of them"
All the same. she's waiting for you,
and will walt for you, that Is, il you've
been open and abeve-board with her, as
a young man should, il he really cares for
a girl"
Another look at Shorty, who seemed to
find the monument to the Tripolitan
heroes in the Naval Academy grounds sud-
denly very interesting. and was studying
1t intently.
"Well-now-I must admit that
didn't say all that wanted to. You see
was SO afraid of her that
| What fools men are" said Maria
tart!y:
and so much-superior to me-" con-
tinued Wills HoIcomb, who found his far
away love an infinitely more interesting
topic than his adventures, and would have
gladly gone on indefinitely talking about
her, but 81. who knew Maria, took pity
on Shorty, and broke In:
| "Yes, yes. We all understand that. But
what we are anxious to hear is about your
capture. and your stay In Andersonviile
Go on with your story. Did you get any
| recruitsY'
| well, Larry was much more interested
about them than anything else. He dearly
| wanted to be Captain"
No more than you wanted to be
Major, you hypocriticaI spaIpeen Didn't
you talk me to slape the night before, tell
| ing me where you'd get your Uniform
that you'd get one Of these new stoyle Of
| jackets, worn by mounted officers, with
no end of gold lace curly-cues. and that
You couldn't help being Liftenint-C Colonel
soon, and probably gather up enough COM
panies to make you full Colonel, with
silver buzzard on your shoulder, and
thin y6d'd show some people how to run
a regiment that you would"
mo, You Irish bOg-trOtter. You talked
me to sleep telling me how you'd drill Co.
A until the Regulars would look like raw
recruits alongside Of it, and Gen. Thomas
wouldn't be satisfied until he had it for
his headquarters guard. You know you
did. You curly-headed son Of Brian Boru.
Well, Larry hadn't anybody expecting a
letter from him, and he slipped down on
to the road, to look for Elijah Sand
breaker, coming in with batch Of long
haired recruits. to staff our regiment. He
found the road clear, and walked up it a
little ways to rise. which would give
him long look ahead"
Just before Oi got there" Larry broke
in, "Oi happened to notice that the brush
on my roight was broken little, and
looking in. Oi saw SOLDERING Swack-
hammer lying there apparently dead His
old white-rumped roam was standing near,
with saddle and bride on, nibbling at the
brush. In spite of the bad character Civ
the poor divil and. bad luck to it, Oh step
ped up and put my hand on him. 1t was
the worst step OF ivver made"
Don't know about that" said Wills |
81 think he had already suspected u.s. The
biggest mistake was in not letting, Sand
breaker kill him when he wanted to-
''The sloimy baste's body was warm, |
and he opened his little, rat-like eyes when |
he felt my hand, and begged me for some
thing to ate. Oh happened to have a |
cracker in my pocket, which Oh gave him. |
and while he nibbled it, he looked me |
over sneakingly out OF the tail of his eyes.
Oi didn't think Of it thin, but OF after
ward REMEMBERED that he was thinking
out that il OF was there without my horse
or haversack. Oh was stopping not far
away. He began to beg me to take him
with me, which, the more fool Oh, Oh re-
fused. vi was only anxious to get him |
away before Sandbreaker or Throckmor-
ton should come along and kill him. A
mans softness is usually his ruin. OF
finally got him on his white -hanchcd crow
bait, and started him down the road He
was scarcely out of soight whin Sand
breaker came over the rise with three as
foine-looking recruits you as you ivver
saw-sons of Union min-young, to be
sure, but very loikely-who'd bin in Joe
Browns Georgia Reserves. but stint home
with the rest, to gather in their crops Oh
was presinted to thin as Capt. Brannigan
and Sandbreaker directed thin to 90 on
up to where Capt. Wills Holcomb was.
Sandbreaker stood minute by me, look
ink uneasiiy down the road
az thought done seed something
white moving over thar apiece, and /
feared it mought be Slobberin' Swack-
hammers white britches roan,' he said. 4
wonder whar he's at?'
Probably he's gone home to get well
of that lick you give him. Oh answered.
No. he hain't got no home he said.
No more'n n woods-hoc has. He's Jest
as much at home one place as another.