The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1922-02-22


"What?" The boy was astounded.'
weren't they all just reglar ole cow
ards GrandpaT
mo" said the grandfather. "They
were pretty fine soldiers"
"They were? Well, they ran away
whenever you began shooun' at 'em,
didn't theyT
Sometimes they did, but most times
they didn't. Sometimes they fought
like wildcats-and sometimes we were
the ones that ran away"
But the Johnnies were bad men,
weren't they, GrandpaT'
no"
The boys forehead, customarily va
cant, showed some little vertical
shadows, produced by a struggle to
think. "well, but" he began slowly.
'Listen, Grandpa, listen herel You
said-you said you never got scared
the ole Johnmes were goin' to win"
"They did win pretty often,"' said
the grandfather. "They won good
many battles"
II mean. you said you never got
scared they'd win the war"
"No, we we're never afraid of that"
"Well, but II they were good men
and fought like wildcats, Grandpa,
|, and KEEP winning battles and every
thing, how could that be? How could
you help bein' scared they'd win the
WARP"
The grandfathers feeble eyes twin
killed. brightly. "why, we knew they
couldn't, Ramsey"
At this, the little vertical shadows
on Ramsey's forehead became more
pronounced, for he had succeeded in
thinking. well, they didn't know they
couldn't, did they?" he argued. "They
thought they were goin' to win, didn't
they?"
YES; l guess they did. But you
see they were wrong"
well. but" Ramsey struggled.
Listen! Listen here, d;andpa. Wen.
anyway, If they never got scared we'd
win, and nobody got scared they'd win
well, don't see"
You don't see what?"
But Ramsey found himself unable
to continue his concentration. "Oh,
nothin' much" he murmured.
81 see." And his grandfather laughed
again. "You mean: If the Johnnies
felt just as sure of winning the war
as we did and kept winning battles.
why shouldn't we ever have had any
doubts we were going to win? That's
1t, isn't ft?"
II guess so, Grandpa"
swell / think il was mostly because
we were certain that we were right"
81 see," said Ramsey. The Johnnies
knew they were on the side of the
devil" But at this, the grandfather's
laugh was louder than 1t had been be-
fore. and Ramsey looked hurt. "Well,
you can laugh If you want tol" he
objected in an aggrieved voice. ANY
way, the Sunday school sup'intendent
told us when people knew they were
on the devils side they always"
81 dare say, / dare say" the old man
interrupted. little impatlently. But
In this world mighty few people think
they're on the DEVILS side, Ramsey.
The South thought the devil was on
our side, you see"
"well. that kind o mixes II all up
more'n ever"
Suppose you look at 1t this way:
The South was fighting for what II
believed to he its right to be coun-
try by itself; but We We're fighting for
Liberty and Union, now and forever
one and inseparable' There's the rea-
son we had the certain knowledge that
we were going TO win the war. How
plain and simple II isl"
Ramsey didn't think SO. He had be.
gun TO feel bored by the conversation,
and TO undergo the oppression he us-
ually suffered in school. The earnest
old voice of the veteran was only Q
sound In the boys ears.
Boon" The veterans had begun
TO fire their cannon on the crest of the
low hill, out at the cemetery; and from
a little way down the street came the
rat-a-tat Of toy drum and sounds Of
a fife played execrably. A file Of chill
dren In cooked hats made Of newspa-
pofs tuiut HuiNHihk importantly UP
the sidewalk under the maple shade
trees; and in advance, upon a veloci-
pede, rode a tin-sworded parsonage,
shrieking incessant commands but not
concerning himself with whether or
not any military obedience was there
by obtained Here wars reyivifying
effect upon young Ramsey; his slug:
.ard eyelids opened electrically; he
capped TO his feet and, abandoning his
'randfatLer without preface or apollo
y. sped across the lawn and out OF
ae rate. charging headlong upon the
commander Of the company.
'you get on that loclpede, Wesley
;enderr he beloved. lyon gimme
lat sword What rights you got to 20
elm captain O my army I'd like 10
nov, Who got up this army, in tie
80 place I'd IKE 10 know | did,
sseli yesterdy afternoon. and You