Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-10-10
LARRY'S BAY MARE.

2 lAdIAJ dDAO ChA S
war he brought the bay mare will
him. She had done good service from
the day he captured her from Blu
chanan, the confederate spy. In Lar
rvs life that was a day never to b.
forgotten. He was serving in thu
Eleventh Illinois on detached duty
acting as scout for Grant and Sher
mar outside of Vicksburg.
Buchanan, disguised as a woman
had entered the federal lines ant
gained valuable information. Making
his way out, he found his mare hid
den in a thicket and started for the
confederate headquarters. Larry wa:
sent to overtake and capture him. HI
rode a black stallion.
The two men met on a yellow, wind
ing southern road. Buchanan fired
twice at Larry and missed him, ant
then jumped the bay mare over {
fence, into a cornfeld, and headed
for a distant crib. Larry followed
Buchanan rode round and round the
crib, Larry pursuing.
Suddenly Larry whirled his horse
about so as to come face to face with
his foe. They met on the corner
Larry's bullet killed Buchanan; the
latter's ended the life of the black
stallion. Larry mounted the bay
mare, put the dead mans body in front
Of him and rode into camp. That's
how he won the mare.
Oh - 49,. a. I.-1 To oil the
wild riding that he did for three years
scouting for Grant, she never com.
planned at any hardship put upon her
When he was shot down on Pearl river
and sick almost to the death hung
over her neck, she took the water and
carried him to safety.
On his return to duty she turned
her soft eyes on him and welcomed
him in true beast fasion. One night
he left her in a corr brake with the
one injunction:
"Stay here, grille, until l whistle
He was gone &c hours and then
came back hard pressed by cavalry
men. He whistled as he entered the
brake and she came to him straight
from the spot where he had left her.
Now he was in the saddle and off for
the fence on the far side. Twice he
turned in the saddle and killed a near
pursuer. Twice the mare was hit.
But she took the fence and brought
him out of danger.
With the war over, Larry and the
no., x1ora oo,aa~+n rbfooOn and larry
married.
He drove the mare to a cart now
through the stockyards district and
she was the pet of the family. AS the
children were born, they were taken
to the barn to make her acquaintance.
Their earliest childhood recollections
were of playing in her stall and OF
watching her lift her delicate limbs
so that they should not be trampled
upon.
Every family event-entertainine
the parson, having relatives come
birthday parties, christenings-the bay
mare took part fh. Freed from her
stall she would stand al a front win
dow and be fed with dainties by all
the guests. Yet she kept her nerve
and strength, answering to every cal
for work Larry put upon her, just
as she had in the old war days.
Decoration day was the proudest one
of the year to her because then. gay
ly caparisoned, she moved in the
parade with Larry, heard the bugles
call, saw the cleaning bayonets again,
recognized familiar uniforms. TIC
horses that had not lived what she
had she seemed to say:
1--WE lived the real thing. | was
a companion of war-to me belongs
as much honor as to the dead"
One day Larry was taken sick ano
he realized that flights out" would
soon be sounded for him. He went
to his end as a man of soldierly spirit
should, his affairs arranged, himself
unafraid. But as he weakened he hac
the mare brought out each day to 9
window by the side of which stood
his bed and she would stand there by
the hour to take his feeble caresses
her eyes mutely questioning as tt
what he suffered.
So one morning while he ran hi
white, knotted fingers through he
name, he said to her:
"Girlie, the bugles are calling from
the other side; I've got to leave you
But I'll be watching for your coming.
The wife came in later and foun'
him asleep at last, the mares bonn,
head close to his stilled lips.
Now Larry and his wife had mad
a love match and through the year
they had kept tender n to the other
so with his going, although she CAV
to the children all the great good il
her. she chung most to the bay mare
1t was pathetic of an evening to Sc
her go to the stall where the shadow
were already deep and talk to tn
bay mare of Larry.
Eve miss him, don't we, grille?
she would whisper. 1--WE want hir
back badly, don't WEI"