Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-12

quiry In lazy sort of way 10 some
one he called cap. and an officer got up
off the ground where he was leaning
his back against tree reading news
paper and came toward me. l looked
at him. and. seeing that he appeared
kind o. green
Cut that out" from lawson. and
the rest all laughed.
81 held my basket up to him. and
saw that he was thinking how good
those eggs would taste boiled or fried
or scrambled. He took up one or two
of them, weighed them in his hand
and put them down again. Then he
got hold of the egg with the sand and
the message in it, and it didn't seem to
weigh just the same as the others, so
he held il up 10 the light to look
through it If ever my heart really
stopped beating it did so thensE' I
thought surely my trick would be dis
covered. OF course he couldn't see
through it, and he put it down. saying:
There's a chicken in that one
"'You don't have to buy it. said.
putting it to one side. L don't be-
lieve you'll! find another like that. !
don't see how it got in there. The rest
are fresh. I'm sure
He bought half q dozen eggs, which
was all he could take care OF while on
duty. and l asked him to let me sell
the rest TO the soldiers inside the line
He said the general had given orders
that citizens shouldn't be admitted be-
yond the pickets, but I wheedled him
into letting me so just little way.
and after l had gone a little way I
went a little farther. selling my eggs
as | passed along. l worked my way
TO the other side of the camp, though
it was a long distance, and l thought
I'd never get there. l put the egg with
the message in it as far down as could
get it. though l was afraid I'd sell it
with the others by mistake. for didn't
expect TO find any one rs gullible as
the man who had seen the chicken
in it,
stop thatr' said Dawson, and the
vets all laughed again.
I'D been advised by the general that
| I'd have a harder time getting out OF
their camp than getting in there. and
! ! did. At least | took an awful risk.
! When I reached the other SIDE found
! n picket line there just the same as
! the side ! had entered, for our troops
! were north of them. l kind of thought
they wouldn't shoot a girl. so I just
walked out between two pickets as
though l didn't know any better. 1
was ordered to halt, but l pretended
| didn't hear, or if l did didn't sup
pose the order was for me and went
right on. making for a clump OF high
bushes ahead of me. A picket fired at
me. but took good care to send the
ball far above my head. When l
reached the bushes threw away al
the eggs but the one with the message
| In ii and ran like q deer. There was
| an occasional tree or bush or depres-
! sion In the ground behind which
could screen myself. but didn't stop
running on and lodging wherever I
could find protection.
Il surely expected to be followed, but
wasn't. l don't know why except
that l was nothing but a girk Any
way, / got through all right and kept
on until | came to the Confederate
pickets. Then | asked them to take
me to their commander.
"NOw, pop. you'd better tell the rest"
So Dawson took it up.
The force behind US was very small.
and unless the two Confederate forces
acted together they couldn't stand
against us. The note Jackson sent TO
the colonel commanding behind US was
for a simultaneous attack. 1t was
oY,1 fK,N@
cooked hat. | was wounded and taken
prisoner, and the first thing knew |
was looking at the girl who had passed
through our camp. She looked at NE
with n twinkle in her eye and snid:
Would you like to buy some more
eggs?'
she felt indebted to me for letting
her go through, and I was taken to her
fathers house. and she nursed me.
was two months getting well. and they
say that if girl can get Teller under
the same roof with her and she IS one
degree removed from a Gorgon she can
get
Cut that out" cried the old lady.
) There's not word of truth in it,
The boys laughed louder than ever at
} this. and all agreed that there could be
no doubt that Dawson had done the
counting. as he should have done. and
. was mighty lucky man to get such a
} smart woman. Mrs. Dawson set out a
small lunch. which was washed down
with some OF the same kind of stuff
they all used during their campaigns.
Dawson brought out his sword and his
pistol and his canteen aud even his
uniform coat. The last named article
be tried to put on; but. his girth having
, doubled since he was twenty-five years
old he couldn't button it within ten or
; q dozen inches.
At last the party broke up. the vets
. agreeing that II the Federal generals
had had o corps of girls in their secret
service like Mrs. Dawson the war
would have been ended in half the
{ time.
-