The daily Alaskan., 1904-03-12
A FAMILY AFFAIR
LconrrLchL I9ll ly '. !. LeNIsI

Hordman. and he was Che only man among ms who kept close mouthcd obout his identity aud his family his- tory Some of he men thought thcc was good reason for JhIs. but N -.dI { tronspire that Hmdmau had anything to be ashamed of The truth wm' ou one day as he was marchng and ~'um bling over bad roadl and when us Daticnce had become exhausted uc said.
 .Gaul dum Daurs hide but if ] had him here I'd wallop him tin he couldn't borler What on earth did be go and do it for and bring all this trouble on meT
 Some of the boys asked him who DanI was. and chen the mystery was solved. uanl was a brother who had gone south and enlisted in the Confed crate army and was then known io be in among che troops confronting us. 1T Reuben was 90 good Union man Du1 was no less good Confederate, ond if Reuben cus-cd uml for tle war his adiccuyos were supposed to be re- turned with interest
 We wondered Ir itwou.d SO happen tbat the two would mge, m ba,uc but time went ou until we got around Co perorsbure As our regiment took the ras pits in tuc center of Grants lines one day Reuben was one of the men detailed for thp pits Al this point l-ufop and Confederate pits were not more than hundred feet apart and to show head above the earth was sure death Reuben had high pitched .of.s and any one having heard it .onld identify him in Jhe darkest night Ii began raining soon after he and .onrlde had reached the pit and the brorncr soon began the same old trade aslm~t Daniel
 Suddenly a voice from the Con.edef- ate uit opposite shouted out.
 .Srv now. but shuok my hide if ] don't know the crIter who owns that yoicc,"
 "Who be you over ,hcrct called Reu- ben as hc started up.
 "Um Danl of course.'
 .You don't mean it.
 .Y,s. ! do. and you are Reuhe. I'd know uat voice of yours if ] heard lt in CImy. Say. o'l man. how are y' and how arc au tae folks 1t home:
 .Im well 'uuT. and 'he folks are well .nrr bout im powerful mad What did you go and turn r.he. for rand make an hi- trouble: You mmt got a spark of deceny about yaa. bml UarlmUu.
 -Tm as good a~ amy o'd Yankee" TO- piled Daniel
 "You aiu't cl.hcr Just let me git holt Of you. and youn sing a diuerent tune ] want you to come right over here and surrender and behave your self. Do you hear met'
 Their conversation iu the pits was heard by score of men on either side. and first one would chcer and thon the other. When there was a break in the ttk. a Confederate would shout across.
 "Hey tn0r Bcubo come over to the house and see Danl'
 "You bad boy DWL come home and he Ii.sed" Federal would shout m answer And for am hour the firing from halr a dozen rifle pits was sus- pended. When Reuben took his src- oud trick .u the pit he was so eager tc open communication that he exposed his head. and bullet sent his cap tT- ! ing ten fee, away
 "Dun your hidc but that was you ! DauI" he shouted as he crouched ! down "Yos I'll uat it was You haInt got no more sense in your head than tu SO and shoot at your brother though ! you couldn't hta barn ten feet away
 "Tlat you. Eouhat" called Daniel
 "Of course irs me- What you ash.n' such silly questions for; You never did know ham- c,u before you mu away and ioIu.J tIom rhels"
 "uuut sit mI" -Hd Daniel "I ! thor-h. if was some other Yank. Say Heuhe did y1l say that an the folks at home was wcI: mu. heard from ! them in a huh yoar
 "Noue o your business how they arc Anybody mean nun to go o1 and ! join tHo ro1a army needn't .he aslu' about decent folks. Two 4al a heap O things n.Im a-'m yol young man. and yoI'u jo a 'o. ot ho2-u when ] ! git hoIcor y.1"
 "But youH mower 2. uoIt" replied Daniel wM.e aI those around him raised a eHoor
 "Ycs. wHL Grant Is eoln' to cap- ture.yom oid army for sure and then me am you win -aU. things
 "Tcl General Grant to go to grass"
 Itwas funny what influence that it- tle thing had ou Che opposing rifle pits. ltcame to he known to hundreds | of men an each side that Reuben and Daniel were brothers. and their names became household words They were on duty only three times before their respective regiments were relieved, but the men who came after them had something to talk about. An of sud den there would come a uu in the murderous firing and a Confederate would raise his voice and caiI outs
 Say, yo' Yuuk over thar. what has become of DauTs hr0.her
 "Oh, he's all right" would be an- swcred "Aud how's D0nl getting