A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



doesn't look like the place I fought over during the 

 Civil War." "Billy" came alive like an old fire 

 horse. "Fought over! Were you in that battle? 

 I belonged to the Kansas regiment that turned you 

 fellows back." The lights faded. Mrs. Hastings 

 and I were no longer there; the house was gone, and 

 these two old veterans looked out over fields and 

 lived again on a battle ground, with questions and 

 answers flying fast. "Where were you when we 

 came up the slope? Did they take you to the old 

 Wornall house? We filled our canteens at the spring 

 down in the draw." When the lull came the Blue 

 and the Gray arose at attention, hand met hand, and 

 stood In a silence too sacred for us to break. After 

 the old fellow had gone, "Billy" grew reminiscent, 

 and one of his stories was so good that I want my 

 readers to share it. 



Regiments on both sides during the Civil War did 

 more or less foraging along the line of march. The 

 captain of the company In the Kansas regiment, to 

 which "Billy" Cummlngs belonged, had a peculiar 

 code. He held his men down to a strict observance 

 of decency In their foraging, but, when they got 

 into trouble, backed them to a standstill. "Billy" 

 said that one day on the march they noticed a farm- 

 stead at which there were forty or fifty beehives. 

 That night, with five or six others In their company 

 he sneaked out four mules with wagon equipment 

 and drove back to the bee-farm. They closed the 



[47] 



