The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-06-27

!Mo0ing Eo1th adieu. wayne makes a
dash for liberty. He encounters Bungay;
they they reach the Lee camp and are sent
with reinforcements to join Early.
CHAPTER xxi.-continued.
With the ardor of young manhood l
looked forward to the coming battle.
when ] knew the mighty armies Of
North and South would once again
contest for the fertile Shenandoah. 1t
was to be American pitted against
American. 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
tronzed by exposure, yet terminated
by hope of active service. AS l
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 end three strong. gay in
bright new uniforms, with unstained
banner kissing the breeze above our
proud young heads, we rode hopeful
I. forth from Charlottesville scarce
three years before, untried. undis-
ciplined. unknown, to place our lives
Willingly upon the scared altar Of our
native State. What speeches. years
of horror those had been: what his
tory we had written with our
baked 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
y torn and ragged remnant, barely
forty men wore the ID" 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" l said gravely. as I
ranged up beside him at the rear OF
the troop. 1.-The men look exceedingly
we'll, and do not appear to have suf-
Tered greatly because Of short ra-
tious."
T, "Oh, the lads are always in fine
fettle when they expect a 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
think we are entirely different from
themselves; yet reckon 1t would puz.
gle any recruiting officer up yonder
TO show a finer lot of fighting men
than those fellows ahead there"
:; rode slowly forward to my own
position at the head of the troop. As
f! swung my horse into our accustomed
position was too deeply buried III
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
ence of military discipline not to b.
permitted. In the state of mind wal
then In this discovery strangely ir
ritated me-
Sergeant" questioned sharply. o
the raw-boned trooper at the end o
the first p atoon. what fellow Is tina
riding out yonder?"
Its Their pesky little cuss as com
In with ye yesterday. sir" he returned
with a grin. Hes confiscated a niue
somewhat an says he's a goin' bacl
hum long o we uns." -...,.-.f
Curious to learn how Jed ha
emerged from his arduous adventures
spurred my horse alongside Of hin
The little man. bending forwar
obviously. as II fearful of acciden
was riding bareback on a gaunt. lonl
,egged mule. which. judging from a
outward appearances. must have bee
some discarded asset of the quartz
masters department.
Going home. jedi" l asked. as b
glanced up and saw me.
'Jist as durn quick as l kin g
thar" he returned emphatically. "B
gum. Cap. l amt bin way from Maris
long as this afore In twelve yea
Reckon she thinks I've skedaddled I,
good this time, al ill be q TAXI
up with some other NAL, critter le
git back thar mighty sudden. Wor
erso odd Con iurn n3Uh NJ orna