The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-10-19

me morning, a few days later,
III ri Bascom Truitt came down the
bs Es main street Of Darley wearing
~ long. dingy oFercoat and
blowing a roll call on an old army
bugle. Under his arm was tattered
Confederate flag.
"What's up today" Kenner asked him
as he came into the Office and stood
towering over the stove.
"Nothin' but a meetin' O the veter-
ans of our camp-the Joseph E. John
ston, sir. I'm goin' up now to stick
the flag OH the gate at the courthouse.
We intend to see about who's goin'
to the reunion in Atlanta next spring;
thar's a sight O. the boys that want
to 80, but cayn't'raise the scads. Wen
chip in an send the most deservin', af
our women folks go hungry tais win
ter. Thar was g lie afoat in the
newspapers awhile back that some mig
ger went off after the war an got rich
en- come back home jest in time to
buy his old master q suit O clothes an
pay his way TO a reunion. Eff thar was
a man in our camp that I'D go that
away, we'd send i'm in tar an feath-
ers, an on rail at that"
"Oh, come of, Bas," Kenner laughed,
as he looked around at George and
Hillyer at their desks. That's q old
Yankee army overcoat you got on
right now. You've had it dyed with
logwood, but I'd know it by that long
cape"
Eyes, that's what it is" admitted
Truitt sheepishly. The Yankee that
owned it died at my house while 1 was
off in the war. 1t was the only thing
he left mat was any account, an my
women folks had fed an pampered i'm
up with all they could rake an scrape
in the neighborhood, goin' without
themselves beca'se he was so bad or.
After he died they put this coat away
In camphor to keep the moths out of it.
The blame garment eat up quarters
wuth year fer ten year, an ever win
ter I had a row with my women folks
beca'se l wouldn't wear it. Finally,
1 agreed eff they I'D dye it so none O.
my crowd I'D fergit the war was over
an shoot me, I'd put it on. Ny women
folks tuck me up, but they wouldn't t
make a fortune runnin' a dye house.
This drafted thing has spilled twenty
Sunday shirts fer me. T'other day,
when I went in the meetin' house out
Of shower O. rain, I left a streak O.
black ink from the door to the amen
corner
s.Whar did you git that bugle?' Ken
ner questioned. II know you never
blowed it in the army
''No; Tired Langston had it when he
was bugler in our company, an be give
it to me to use in our veteran camp;
he said his boys hadn't sign O. re-
spect fer what it had been through, an
used it to call the dogs to go possum
huntin'. He said his gals tied gray
ribbon about 1t an hung it up on the
wall, but the boys wouldn't let:it stay
thar. They treated his canteenijest as
bad. They toted it about with. moon
shine whisky in 1t till it sprung a
leak, an then they hung it up on q
tree an shot more holes in it. l reckon
I am q sight, totn' a reb' flag an
bugle with a Yankee overcoat> on, but
they tell me the wars over"
''I reckon you went through:the thick
of it." said the cotton buyer tenta-
lively.
II got as much fight as + cared fer
at Bakers creek" answered the veter-
an. "Our boys was about starved to
death on short rations, an we bad
jest got.hold Of lot O. fresh beef when
we got the call to arms. Our colonel
told US we'd better take some Of the
beef with US, an me n another feller
was a-fllin' our knapsacks when the
feller all at once said to me, Look y
here, Bas, the odds is agin US, an /
hain't a-goin' to let no bluecoat ketch
me with q passle O. raw beef in my
knapsack,' an he th'owed the meat
down. I followed suit. Jest then, In
all the hurlyburly O. gittin' ready,
man rid in with big basket O pies
to sell US. We wanted the ipies: an. he
wanted money; we didn't have no