s was a nickname my
brother was pleased to call me by.

"Jinks, I wish you had brought more. Why didn't you try and get two?"

"Well," I said, faltering, "you--you see, I--I didn't have time enough."

"Well, how did you get it, anyway?"

"Oh! I got it on tick." And then I walked over to a stump, thinking I
would get away from his questions and all the time revolving in my mind
whether I should tell him the truth, or say I had lost it. I felt ashamed
of myself and thought what a darned fool I was. I concluded I wasn't a bit
smart--the idea of giving a watch for a pie! Finally, Charley came over to
me.

"What time is it, Pod?"

"I--I don't know!"

"Why, ain't the watch going?"

"Yes-s. No, it's gone."

"Gone! What do you mean?" And then divining the truth, he exclaimed:
"Gor-ram it, did you sell the watch for that pie?"

"Yes, Charley, I did, but I couldn't help it; I knew you wanted the pie so
bad."

"Gor-rammed little fool; didn't you know better than that?"

Then I saw the great big tears come into his eyes, and I couldn't stand
it. I patted him on the back and said: "Never mind, Charley. I'll go and
get the watch back if I have to kill the pie man." So off I started on the
dead run, caught the fellow just as he was ready to go. I asked him if I
could ride to the rear with him. He answered, "Yes, and you can show me
how to get into that turnip watch." So I climbed on to the seat beside him
and we started. I took the watch apart, showed him how it was wound, set
and regulated it, and was about to hand it back to him, when a shell burst
a short way from us, which frightened his horse so that he cramped the
wagon and upset it, and in the confusion I got lost with the watch. On the
next day I gave it to my brother and told him how I had obtained it. He
laughed at me, and said he "guess I'd better keep it myself," and so put
it in his pocket. That night the regiment went into action, and my brother
was slightly wounded several times. One shot would have proved fatal, but
the watch received the bullet and the wound proved fatal only to the
watch; it was smashed all to pieces. But my brother prizes the pieces now
more than he ever did the whole watch.

The next day my regiment was ordered to the front again. I made up my mind
I would not go with them. I concluded I needed rest in order to
recuperate, so when the regiment started I bade my brother good-bye, gave
him a parting kiss and God's blessings, so off I