he graybacks is
gittin' in their work on us."

Shorty smiled faintly at what he seemed to consider a rather feeble
joke, even for Si.

The 200th Ind. had now been in the field for many weeks, but it had been
continually cantering about the country, and the Generals had kept it
particularly active on Sundays. Probably this regiment did not manifest
any more than the average degree of enthusiasm and fervor in religious
matters, but there were many in its ranks who, at home, had always sat
under Gospel ministrations, and to tramp on Sundays, the same as other
days, was, at first, a rude shock to their moral sensibilities. These
were yet keen, the edges had not been worn off and blunted and battered
by the hard knocks of army life. True, they could scarcely tell when
Sunday came, but they knew that they kept right along every day.

"Shorty," said Si, after they had curled up under the blanket for the
night, "'pears to me it'll seem sort o' nice to keep Sunday agin. At
the rate we've bin goin' on we'll all be heathens by the time we git
home--if we ever do. Our Chaplain haint had no chance to preachify yet.
The boys of Comp'ny X, w'at knows him, says he's a staver, 'n' I b'lieve
it'll make us all feel better to have him talk to us once. 'Twont do
us no harm, nohow, I'd like to be home to-morrer 'n' go to church with
mother, 'n' sister Marier, 'n'--er--I mean the rest of the folks. Then
I'd jest eat all the afternoon. I ain't goin' ter git homesick, Shorty;
but a feller can't help feelin' a little streaked once 'n' a while.
Mebbe it's a good idee fer 'em to keep us on the jump, fer then we don't
git no chance to think 'bout it. I don't suppose I'm the only boy 'n the
regiment that 'd be glad to git a jest fer to-morrer. I sh'd want ter be
back bright 'n' arly to fall in Monday mornin', fer I'm goin' to stick
to the 200th through thick 'n' thin, if I don't git knocked out. Say,
Shorty, how d'ye feel, any way?"

But Shorty was already fast asleep. Si spooned up to him and was soon,
in his dreams, away up in Posey County.

The sound of the bugle and drum, at daylight, fell upon unwilling ears,
for the soldiers felt the same indisposition to get up early Sunday
morning that is everywhere One of the characteristics of modern
civilization. Their beds were hard, but to their weary limbs no couch of
down ever gave more welcome rest than did the rough ground on which they
lay. But the wild yell of the Orderly, "Turn out for roll-