atics awful bad," clapping
at the same time one hand on his hip, and the other on his right
shoulder, "the last day or two, and then the chronical diarrhoear."

"You had better go in on rheumatism, Bill," broke in the first speaker.
"The Doctor will let you off best on that."

"That's played out, isn't it, Bill," chimed in another; and to Bill's
disgust, as he continued, "It don't go with the little Dutch Doctor
since Sharpsburg. Every time his Company's turn would come for picket,
while we were at that Camp, Bill would be a front-rank man at the
Hospital, with a face as long as a rail, and twisted as if he had just
had all his back teeth pulled. The little Dutchman would yell out
whenever he would see him--'What for you come? Eh? You tam shneak.
Rheumatism, eh? In hip?' And the Doctor would punch his shoulder and
hip, and pinch his arms and legs until Bill would squirm like an eel
under a gig. 'Here, Shteward,' said the Doctor the last time, as he
scribbled a few words on a small piece of paper, 'Take this; make
application under left ear, and see if dis tam rheumatism come not out.'
Bill followed the Steward, and in a few minutes came back to quarters
ornamented with a fly-blister as big as a dollar under his left ear.
Next morning Bill didn't report, but he's been going it since on
diarrhoea."

"He wasn't smart, there," observed another. "He ought to have done as
little Burky of our mess did. He'd hurry to quarters, take the blister
off, clap it on again next morning when he'd report, and he'd have the
little Dutchman swearing at the blister for not being 'wors a tam.'"

Bill took the sallies of the crowd with the quiet remark that their turn
for the sick list would come some day.

The Review on that day was a grand affair. The fine-looking manly form
of Old Joe, as, in spite of a bandaged left ancle not yet recovered
from the wound at Antietam, and that kept the foot out of the stirrup,
he rode down the line at a gait that tested the horsemanship of his
followers, was the admiration of the men. In his honest and independent
looking countenance they read, or thought they could, character too
purely republican to allow of invidious distinctions between men, who,
in their country's hour of need, had left civil pursuits at heavy
sacrifices, and those who served simply because the service was to them
the business of life. With hearts that kept lively beat with the
regimental music as they marched past their new Comm