house
steak and some fried potatoes." Well, nobody ever saw a couple of men
fall over themselves and turn pale, as those fellows did. Before I
had given my order for breakfast, the two men had fallen back over
the stretcher and the two others were backing on as though a ghost had
appeared. But finally they came toward me and I convinced them that I
was not dead. They seemed hurt to know that I was still alive, and one
of them went off after the doctor, to enter a complaint, I supposed.
The doctor soon came and he was the only one that seemed pleased at my
recovery. He ordered some sort of gruel for me, but wouldn't let me have
meat and things. I took the gruel under protest but it did strengthen
me. I told the doctor I wanted him to send for my horse, because I
wanted to go out with the boys, but he said he guessed I wouldn't go out
with the boys very soon. He said I might sit up in bed a little while,
and when I did so I found that I did not have my clothes on, but was
clothed in a hospital night-gown, which was also used for a shroud for
burial when a fellow died. He said Jim and the girl would be in about 10
o clock, as he had sent for them, and some of my comrades. I told him
if I was going to entertain company, and give a reception, I wanted my
pants on, as I was sure no gentleman could give a reception successfully
without pants. The doctor seemed sort of glad to see me taking an
interest in human affairs again, and so he let me put my pants and
jacket on. I got a butcher to shave me, and when ten o clock came I
looked quite presentable for a skeleton. I was sitting up in bed, with a
little round zinc frame looking-glass, noting the changes in my personal
appearance, when a door opened and Jim entered, dressed up in his best,
with the rebel angel on his arm, and followed by six boys from the
regiment. They came in as solemn as any party I ever saw. The angel
looked as sad as I ever saw anybody, and I thought she had probably
heard that her brother was dead. It did not occur to me that they
had come to attend my funeral. They stood there by the door, in that
helpless manner that people always stand around at a funeral, waiting
for the master of ceremonies to tell them that they can now pass in the
other room and view the remains. I finally caught Jim looking my way,
and I waved a handkerchief at him. He gave me one look, and jumped over
two cots and came up to me with tears in his eyes, and a package in his
hand, an