The squad arrived before Headquarters, and the officer dismounted and
went in. Early as it was he found the indefatigable Rosecrans at work
with his staff and clerks.

"General, I've found your cow, and got the man who took her," said the
officer.

"Good," said the General joyfully. "Now we'll have some fresh milk
again. I can give up anything cheerfully, rather than fresh milk. Say
you've got the thief, too?" continued the General, relapsing into one of
his testy moods. "Put the rascal at the hardest labor you can find. I'll
give him a lesson that stealing from Headquarters don't pay. The rascals
in my army seem to think that I and everything I have belongs to them as
much as it does to me. But I'll draw the line at my cow and my horses.
They can steal everything else but them. Hold on a minute. I'll go out
and see if it's really my cow."

"Yes, that is she; glad to see you back, Missy," said the General,
patting the cow on the back. "Take her back and give her a good feed, if
you can find it, for probably she's pretty hungry."

Then turning to the Deacon:

"You old rascal, you'll steal the General's cow, will you? Fond of
thorobred stock, are you? And a citizen, too. Well, I'll see whether a
month of hard work on the fortifications won't cure you of your fancy
for blooded cattle."

"Look here, Gen. Rosecrans," said the Deacon firmly, "I didn't steal
your cow, and I won't allow you nor no other man to say so. I'm an
honest man, or at least I've always passed for one at home. I was out
over the river yesterday, tryin' to git a hoss back to his owner, and a
Captain of a cavalry company come along and took my hoss away, and give
me this cow in exchange. He said his men'd got the cow down the road
apiece, and that's all I know of her."

"A very likely story," sneered several of the staff.

"Let me see," said the General, who prided himself on remembering names
and faces. "Haven't I met you before? Aren't you from Indiana?"

"Yes, sir; from Posey County."

"And you've got a son in one of the regiments?"

"Yes, sir. Corporal Si Klegg, Co. Q, 200th Injianny Volunteers. Him and
his partner Shorty wuz badly wounded, and I come down here to take care
of 'em. I've bin moseyin' around out in the country tryin' to find
something for 'em to eat, and the other day I--borryed a hoss, which I
was tryin' to take back, when this cavalry Captain come along, and tuk
the hoss away from me and give me this cow instid. I hadn't n