The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-07-07
THE FREE soILER.
Bill Hemenway's Story or HIS IAN
with Abraham Lincoln.

showcase anu NNht :" Wv a, .
stood looking out across the puohe squ"''
with It's many trees. and the tall nagpoie
and he white statue OF Commodore Perry
blaming IN the distance, II Was 2 sunny
morning in the early autumn OF leot
The boy was -, and this was ms hIs'
business experienee. He was clerk ~ =
cigar store. a narrow storeroom liohllht
on the square, neatly htleu sto'.i 49,
with matted floor and a shining sno"
. lease and white shelves, ana IN the iest
lounging room where the shoA.Ia sV 49,
sit and talk. In the daytime the lfe n W.
light, but in the evening the ~ DV' In
smoking parlor was popular l,ae' o,ber
the daytime, the proprietor having o'.s,
interests, left the care OF the plhe' !" Wv
boy 80 - ,,bilc
the INV was light too he was glad 70 tail'
! the money. He added a little 70 NJ W,
! come by keeping a supply OF oranges ull
ltbe showcase, fruit which did not eilt''
Into rivalry with the cigars and the too"''
The boy noted among the pedestrians on
the square. a dingy blue uniform heic
and there. The dingy blue uniform Wa :
common sight at that time, hegilheii'e
were being mustered out ana many ais
charged soldiers were on their way hoiiie
Numbers of them stopped IN the clly lol
a few hours, the place being point Nht ~
railways met and Il was natural lor W
wcarers az the blue TO wander up iron the
station 10 the square. There were benches
.itbere and fountain, and the change from
close cars 10 the open air was an agree
able one. .. i.
As the boy fingered in the doorway he
noted a soldier who paused on lhe OF
lposite side of the roadway and stared az
the III Dorado As the man started 10
cross the street the boy retreated hehihu
the showcase. -.-.-....
The lad had good look at the stranger
as he hesitated a moment AZ the threshold.
He was a wild looking fellow OF perhaps
30. tanned and unshaven, his very b,aek
and crinkly hair hung over his coat c9llaI'
and his right hand grasped a curious look
ing gun The boy-like other wartime
Iboys-had seen many guns. but never one
like this II was short and squat and had
queer copper chamber that carried the
lock
The quick. mild gaze Of the, stranger
roamed about the place and settled on the
5Howdy. SON" he said as he came for
ward III YOU don't mind III 81 here
bit an take a wifi at tn pipe. Pass out
somethin with a good smoke TO 1t. q,
His voice was horse and had hollow,
ring. and the boy noticed that he seemed
tired as he dropped into the big spiin'
bottomed chair.
"Killickinicb:" the lad asked.
TOO ladylike,' the stranger answered
"Somethin' stronger, son, somethin' that
bites"
The lad brought him a package OF tohac'
co. and he drew a blackened wooden pipe
from his blouse pocket and filed It, and
| thrust the package back in the same peck
Iet.
The boy went behind the showcase.
Haven't any change. SON. the stranger
presently said,
That's all right, sir, the boy quickly
answered. "Th' boss said mustn't be
particular with tn soldiers
yours truly said the stranger with
little nod that set his wild hair shaking.
And then he suddenly fell to coughing. II
was sharp, quick cough that racked ms
chest and hurt him sorely, az the boy
could see.
The lad came from behind the showcase
with one OF his oranges.
Eat that. sir" he said. ut may stop
your cough
The man. still coughing, tore a section Of
the skin from the fruit and put the. lulcy
pulp to his lips 1t smoothed the irrita
lion The cough stopped
Does tn boss hand out tn oranges to
tn soldiers, too?" the man asked.
That's my treat said the boy little
shyly.
garded him more closely. Come around
here, can't you, boy, an let me show you
tn gun | saw YOU EVEN it,
The boy passed to the front OF the show.
case.
Its a queer one, amt it," he said.
The man gave a little gasp and put his
hand to his side.
Got hole in my lungs, son, he ex,
planned. "Sharpshooter bored me at Cold
Harbor. But | got him, too. I'm some.
thing of a sharpshooter myself. It's on
account of this cough that they pushed
me out O. tn service Ny oil captain says,
Bill he says, you 60 home to your OF
dad in Kansas, an git that cough fixed up.
An if there's any war lett when you're
cured why, then come back an finish it.
He paused a moment and his head dropped
1T was pretty hard, son, to have to give
abruptly and picked up the gun. Il found
that KILN machine on tn field in tn
wilderness" he said. There was a dead
man lyin' across it." The boy drew back
suddenly HE was confed black hair
ed youngster, but the gun amt confed.
It's English-see, there's Sheffield on it
an it's what they call magazine gun.
Look here. This copper chamber holds 16
cartridges and the gun will shoot 10 times.
1t amt tn gun for sharpshootin,' being
too heavy, but it shoots true an, mighty
frequent. I make my own cartridges, but
I know they're all right when | get EN-
done, an ] reckon they've left their mark
in many places. TIL boys laughed at me
I'm keepin' it for a souveneer, an my old
dad will stick it up on a couple O hooks
Just under tn OF rife that his grandad
used against tn Injuns.'
The boy took the gun and looked it over
with a critical eve.
"You could clean out a crowd with
that pretty quick, ! guess" he shyly ven
tured
II reckon YOU could the stranger an
swered. AN those you didn't kill you'd |
scare to death"
He pulled slowly at his wooden pipe, and
the boy leaned against the showcase and |
watched him. He looked SO wild. so un,
kempt so gaunt, and yet he had free and |
almost gallant air. and the heart of the
boy warmed to him.
'fDo you think the war is most over,
sir?" he asked
The stranger nodded.
II know it. boy" he answered in his
quick way. when OF Grant begins to
tighten his grip tn whole thing is at an
end There amt no hope for EN- When
tn springtime comes the secesh will be
moseyin' back to their fams.'ceptin' those
that won't mosey back no place" He
stared around at the boy "Yep, son. tn
Jig is up I know it cause Father Abra.
ham told me so"
The boys eyes opened wide
Il, D,ar.ln,aI IL