Crittenden And The Rattlesnake

Whon Louis Napoleon took Lis sou with him in a great campaign mul sent telcgrams to the düscribiug tkc enthusiasm of lus soldiers over tlio conduct of the Prinoa when ürst uuder our people laughed, and aecused the EmperoT Of inclultting in a fooi.sh pitea of exa,ggtmtioü tor effect. .'ot. niany soldiois who had u pet drammer-boy or, uny othcr boy in thi -t thought ko. Thoy feit in tbeir heartethat I rcr was right - that the very fact that a boy was ander flre would rouge tho enthusiasm of soldiers les improssiblo than ure tho Pronoh. During one battle a frail littlo fellow hung to tho regiment liko o frightened child to its mother - siiuply beeause ho knew not what elso to do. Whon tho noiso of battlo becamc groatost ho boat his drum without reoson, in this v.-ay woiking off his tt. -iln Berambled about in tho woods aa intent on beating his drum as tlio soldiera woro in firing thoir guns. Tho vóry faot th did this made him a hero in tbo eyoa of tho Boldiersa They forgot how thcy scoldod him for " whimpering," and how fiorcely they ordorccl him to tho rear in the beginning of tl: ment, and saw only the gleauiing oypd, hoi ! follow beating lii:i drum fuiiously when bulle ts wtru iiying and mon f;illing. Genoral Crittenden, on the march that resultcd in tho capture of Chattanooga, was aooompanied by his son, a b littlo boy, who woro the gtrapa of a . nal and rodo a fino horse. Tho eight of this boy rarely failed to cali out oxprossiona of enthuaiasio from ti; 3 soldiers, ulthouc;li he was Bimply an ttnm ure in t'ic (cene. Ono diy, wh( □ t visión waa bivouackod on the mountain eido for dinner, the corps eomniandorand ofliccrs with him stop . Tho boy, fatiguod by his long ride, throw hi on a bright-colored blanket that bis father lilaced on tho ground. As tho General was preparing to lio down siso, the boy naid, with boyish exoitement, " Seo the enake, papa - seo him squirm !" A doznn m'n n;t i'l "Great God ! '. and stood as if paralyzod. Within a few foot of the boy a large rattleanake was coiling for tho fatal spring. Hundreda of men wero on thoir leot in an instant and ill eyes were turned to thu father and hia boy. Thero was a í!ush of the ': cid, ríchly-made, ofnomentnl gword of ral, iiTid it bcemod thut the rattlesnake, as it sprang, liew into a es. Tho fathnr pnt hia whcie strength into ono blow to savu lii.s t:oy, nná as thu tall Kentaokian pfusgered bnck, bloody sword ir h:nd,' u shout, 9 ovor a viotory won, went up from tho mountain ..Ir-, pw hutjflretls of men bont him. The !oy hil not : ition - hid not rea ngcr - ana he sni'lv wito suddqn awe, " What mko you ao white, lapu? Iknew you woñldhit him." ïhis was younj? Orittenden's "baptism of fire,"aqd it brought moisturo to muuy a rough yos. ii, when somo poMipr?., with bodies "scalded" and ebafed y march iu tho hot Tvoadier, drojpped out of tho rfmka, and tho General, cu riding hy, said i-iítrn]y, " i ind, mon,"' tho by said, " Seo, papa, tlioy oan'i maroli; they aro sore all over." The corps oom', r at thÍ3 stepped hia horsi-, looked at liis inoD, spoke somo enoonragioig vrordi, aml BUggestêd n coarso of treatmont. Añer Ihis the interests ot' tho boy wcro lookod aftorby tho wholo diviaion.