Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-08-02

ourselves as we'll as we could from fly
ing bullets, waiting under terribl/
strain. From the front came a storm
IF musket balls. screeching shells and
bounding cannon balls, and to our right
and rear roared the thunder of terrific
battle going against us. AS we lay
there, fearing the worst, ready for the
worst, a great flock of scared things
from the forest came leaping, running
toward us and over us. There were rab-
bits and squirrels and; all the creatures
of the woods and field. Birds were fly
ing low and rabbits and squirrels were
acting as though their eyes had just
been put out.
This was a fearful thing to see. 1t
scared men more than the bullets COM
ing from the front. 1t was so uncanny.
so suggestive of disaster, of supernatu-
raj fear, that men shivered and were
dumb in the presence of the scared ami
mails that ran over them or nestled
among them. l felt something run up
my leg, under my overcoat, into the
pocket, and felt it squirming and
throbbing over my own throbbing
heart. 1t was no time to give attention
TO trifes or to give way to sentiment.
| lay there like scores of others, ap-
pailed by the noise, by the terrors OF
the situation, but with my eyes fixed
on the lines coming in front. Like hum
dreds of others, L shouted in relief and
gladness when the order to charge gave
us something to do.
''An hour or two of hard fighting fol-
lowed. Then two or three hours of de-
sultory firing. In all these hours
never thought of the something in my
overcoat pocket, but when I saw the
squirrels tail sticking out of the
trousers pocket of a comrade 1 was
moved to inquire as to what had in
my own pocket. l found a full-grown
squirrel, with seemingly too little life
to care what happened. 1 put it back
in my pocket, and that night as I
rested by the side of a comrade 1 felt
it str. The next morning it acted Like
a squirrel-and, to make long story
short, it became great pet, not only
in our mess and company, but in the
regiment. / do not know whether the
moment of supreme fear changed the
nature of the animal or not, but it was
easily tanned, and it stuck to that over
coat pocket as refuge. and when I
didn't weaf the overcoat it ran into nv
laverSack.
That squirrel became the most COM
panionable pet we had in the service,
but months after that while on the
march we were attacked with such fury
that there was great confusion in the
ranks. In the melee the squirrel dis
appeared, and none of us ever saw it
again. A dozen of US went back the
next day to look through the woods
and to call plaintively for Skip in
every tone of pleading that soldier
could use. We did not find Skip, but
We came upon a group of confederates
who had apparently been watching our
operations for an hour. We were in
their power before we realized that
they were confederate soldiers.
Then came a surprise. When we told
these fellows of our loss they explained
heir presence there by saying they
we're conscripts who had been forced
nto the confederate army, and they
were waiting All opportunity to return
to their homes in the mountains or go
north. They abused us for not coming
to their part of the country sooner, say
ng they had waited for US until the
conscript officers of the confederate
government came with their strong
guard and carried them of to fight
against the flag. ! knew from the way
shese men talked they were as stanch
friends of the union as myself. I have
often wondered what became Of them.
Pay n You Go.
The man who pays well fares the
best.-Chicago News.