Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-08-09
CHAPTER VIII.

16 CdluC 1uko ShS okASS eAA0 SsS~s~
towering over the stove.
'Nothin' but meetin' o. the yeter-
ans of our camp-the Joseph e. John
ston, sir. I'm goin' up now to stick
the flag on the gate at the courthouse.
We intend to see about who's goin
to the reunion In Atlanta next spring;
thars a sight o. the boys that want
to 70, but cayn't raise the scads. Wen
chip In an send the most deservin', ef
our women folks 60 hungry this win
ter. Thar was lie afoat In the
newspapers awhile back that some mig
ger went of after the war an got rich
an come back home jest In time to
buy his old master suit O. clothes an
: pay his way to a reunion. Ef thar was
a man In our camp that I'D 90 that
s-way, 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 a 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 1t is," admitted
Truitt sheepishly. "The Yankee that
owned it died at my house while was
of In the war. 1t was the only thing
he left that was any account, an my
women folks had fed an pampered I'm
ND with all they could rake an scrape
In the neighborhood, goin' without
themselves beca'se he was so bad Oh.
After he died they put this coat away
In camphor to keep the moths out Of 1t.
The blame garment eat up quarters
wuth year fer ten year, an ever win
ter had row with my women folks
beca'se wouldn't wear it. Finally.
I agreed eff they I'D dye 1t 80 none o
my crowd nd fergit the war was over
an shoot me, I'D put 1t on. My women
folks tuck me up, but they wouldn't
make fortune runnin' dye house.
This drafted thing has spilled twenty
Sunday shirts fer me. Tother day.
when went in the meedn' house out
Of a shower O. rain, left streak q
black ink from the door to the amen
corner"
"Whar did you git that bugleT Ken
ner questioned. II know you never
blowed 1t in the army"
"No; Tred Langston had it when he
was bugler in our company, an he 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 60 possum
huntin'. He said his gals tied gray
ribbon about It an hung 1t up on the
wall, but the boys wouldn't let 1t stay
thar. They treated his canteen jest as
bad. They toted 1t about with moon.
shine whisky In 1t till It sprung q
leak, an then they hung 1t up on a
tree an shot more holes in 1t. reckon
am a sight, totin' a reb flag an
bugle with Yankee overcoat on, but
they tell me the wars over"
II reckon you went through the thick
Of It." said the cotton buyer tenta-
lively.
II got as much fight as I cared fer
ut Bakers creek" answered the veter-
an. "Our boys was about starved to
death on short rations, an we had
Jest got hold of a 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-flllin' 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 q raw beef In my
knapsack,' an he th'owed the meat
down. followed suit Jest then, in
all the hurlyburly O. gittin' ready, q
man rid in with a big basket O. pies
to sell us. We wanted the pies an he
wanted money; we didn't have no
money, an offered to swap beef fen
the pies; he refused to trade. Then
we put i'm on his sway backed hoss
an loaded i'm back and front with
bloody beef an tor i'm ef he didn't
make tracks we'd shoot at the beef
But we didn't have time to eat the
pies even, fer the thing had begun
Folks has often a1ed me what battle
was like. l couldn't tell you. 1t jest
made q oo-ooo-ooo-lke
harrycane rippin' gullies in the earth
an sweepin' away trees, rocks. hills
an everything In its track, an on she
come! I hain't here to lie-I wal
scared clean down into my socks
When they hove into sight round the
hill in the sun, I couldn't see nothin
but solid bank O. silver. BY gum. II
looked like thar was enough bayonet
p'ints displayed thar to stab all the
flies In the universe. seed our gen
eral about that time; he was a-settin
On bis boss a chawin' tobacco an spit
tin over its head; he was as cool as a
cucumber; looked like he was jest
tryin' to study what would be the right
thing to do. He was daisy; part In
Jun, an not afeard o. God Almighty.
Seem him that Away made me sorter
ashamed, an l plunged in. At fust 1t
come awkward, but in minute 1t
wasn't any more'n shootin' ut rabbits.
1--WE plugged away an laughed an
made jokes an had good all round
time as long as It lasted, an then we
got ratified an begun to retreat. I was
shot through the left arm an side. an
fell In ditch. A Yankee run up with
ap'inted bayonet an yelled, 'Cuss you.
come out O. thar or I'll shoot you!
~ nj fn %
cussed i'm back, but I didn't. 1t jest
seemed part O. the game to me, an he
was winnin'. You come down after
..zc,sese-Fvryusf want me- N a
couple Of 'em did. an drug me up the
bank. They had ketched a few more
Of our boys on the wing, an they driv'
us up in circle an put some foreign
guards around us. Every one Of US
was cut ur had balls som'ers in us, but