Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-02-09
CHAPTER xxI.-continued

CITAF Elk N&I.--COnetnucd,
With the ardor of young manhood
looked forward to the coming battle,
when ! knew the mighty armies of
North and South would once again
contest for the fertile Shenandoah It
was to be American pitted against
American, a struggle ever worthy of
the gods. Slowly rode back down
the files Of my men. marking their
alignment and accoutrements with
practised eye, smiling grimly as
noted their eager faces, war-worn and
Eroazed by exposure. yet terminated
by hope Of active service. AS i
watched them thus, thought again
Of those many other faces who once
rode as these men did now. but who
had died for duty even as these also
might yet be called upon to die One
hundred and three strong, gay in
bright new uniforms, with unstained
banner kissing the breeze above our
proud young heads. we rode hopeful
!! forth from Charlottesville scarce
three years before. untried, undis-
SiPA3hSus ohh1AOW II, W PldC0 Oui lives
willingly upon the scared altar Of our
native State, What speechless years
of horror those had been; what his
tory we had written with our
naked steel; what scenes of
suffering and death lay along that
bloody path we travelled To-day,
down the same red road, our eyes still
set grimly to the northward, our flag
d torn and ragged remnant, barely
forty men wore the 81 between the
crossed sabres on their slouched
brown hats, in spite of all recruiting.
The cheer in my heart was for the
living; the tear in my eye was for
the dead.
Colgate" / said gravely, as L
ranged up beside him at the rear of
the troop. the men loox exceedingly
we'll. and do not appear to have suf-
fered greatly because Of short ra-
tons"
'Oh the lads are always In fine
fettle when they expect fight" he
answered. his own eyes dancing as he
swept them over that straight line of
backs in his front. They'll scrap the
better for being bit hungry,-it
makes them savage Beats all, Cap
tain. what foolish notions some of
those people on the other side have
of US Southerners. They seem to
thinkBwe are entirely different from
themselves; yet reckon 1t would pug
zle any recruiting officer up yonder
fn ch 1nf ~ firb+j
than those fellows ahead there"
rode slowly forward to my own
position at the lead of the troop. AS
l swung my horse into our accustomed
position | was too deeply buried in
reflection to be clearly conscious of
much that was occurring about me.
Suddenly. however, became aware
that some one. nearly obscured by the
enveloping cloud Of dust, was riding
without the column. In an independ-
eDce of military discipline not to be
permitted In the state of mind was
then In this discovery strangely IT.
ritated me.
Sergeant" questioned sharply. of
the raw-boned trooper at the end of
the IlFSt aIOOn, what ASlloW 10 tHdt
riding out yonder?"
tits Their pesky little cuss as come
In with We yesterday. sir he returned
with grin. He's confiscated muel
somewhat an says he's goin' back
hum long O. we uns."
Curious to learn how Jed had
emerged from his arduous adventures,
Nspurred my horse alongside of him.
The little man. bending forward
obviously, as If fearful of accident.
was riding bareback on gaunt. long
legged mule. which, judging from all
outward appearances. must have been
some discarded asset of the quarter
masters department,
Going home. JEDI" asked. as he
! glanced up and saw me.
'Jist as durn quick as | kin git
thar he returned emphatically. by
gum. Cap. Amt bin way from Marian
long as this afore in twelve year.
Reckon she thinks I've skedaddled fer
good this time, al Ill be a takin'
up with some other male critter lest
! gil back thar mighty sudden. Wom-
ems odd Cap. iurn nigh as ornary