"I expect I ought to praise her socks a little more," said he, and wrote: "The SOX are jest boss. They outrank anything in the Army of the Cumberland." After this effort he was compelled to take a long rest. Then he communed with himself: "When a man's writin' to a lady, and especially an educated lady, he should always throw in a little poetry. It touches her." There was another period of intense thought, and then he wrote: "Dan Elliott is my name, & single is my station, Injianny is mi dwelling place, & Christ is mi salvation." "Now," he said triumphantly, "that's neat and effective. It tells her a whole lot about me, and makes her think I know Shakspere by heart. Wonder if I can't think o' some more? Hum--hum. Yes, here goes: "The rose is red, the vilet's blue; ime 4 the Union, so are U." Shorty was so tickled over this happy conceit that he fairly hugged himself, and had to read it over{135} several times to admire its beauty. But it left him too exhausted for any further mental labor than to close up with: "No moar at present, from yours til death. "Dan Elliott, "Co. Q, 200th injianny Volunteer Infantry." He folded up the missive, put it into an envelope, carefully directed to Miss Jerusha Ellen Briggs, Bad Ax, Wis., and after depositing it in the box at the Chaplain's tent, plodded homeward, feeling more tired than after a day's digging on the fortifications. Yet his fatigue was illuminated by the shimmering light of a fascinating hope. CHAPTER X. TRADING WITH THE REBS THE BOYS HAVE SOME FRIENDLY COMMERCE WITH THE REBEL PICKETS. THE 200th Ind. Volunteer Infantry had been pushed out to watch the crossings of Duck River and the movements of the rebels on the south bank of that narrow stream. The rebels, who had fallen into the incurable habit of objecting to everything that the "Yankees" did, seemed to have especial and vindictive repugnance to being watched. Probably no man, except he be an actor or a politician, likes to be watched, but few ever showed themselves as spitefully resentful of observation as the rebels. Co. Q was advanced to picket the north bank of the river, but the moment it reached the top of the hill overlooking the stream it had to deploy as skirmishers, and Enfield bullets began to sing viciously about its ears. "Looks as if them fellers think we want to steal their old river and send it North," said Shorty, as he reloaded his gun after firing at a puff of smoke that had come out of the sumach bushes along the fence at the foot of the hill. "They needn't be so grouchy. We don't want their river--only to use it awhile. They kin have it back agin after we're through with it." "Blamed if that feller didn't make a good line{137} shot," said Si, glancing up just above his head to where a twig had been clipped off the persimmon tree behind which he was standing. "He put up his sights a little too fur, or he'd 'a' got me."