scanderlus fact!"

The newspapers got along at last, chock full of war, and the
patriotic fever fairly bust out in Baldinsville. 'Squire
Baxter sed he didn't b'lieve in Coercion, not one of 'em, and
could prove by a file of "Eagles of Liberty" in his garrit,
that it was all a Whig lie, got up to raise the price of
whisky and destroy our other liberties. But the old 'Squire
got putty riley, when he heard how the rebels was cuttin up,
and he sed he reckoned he should skour up his old muskit and
do a little square fitin for the Old Flag, which had allers
bin on the ticket HE'D voted, and he was too old to Bolt now.
The 'Squire is all right at heart, but it takes longer for him
to fill his venerable Biler with steam than it used to when he
was young and frisky. As I previously informed you, I am
Captin of the Baldinsville Company. I riz gradooally but
majestically from drummer's Secretary to my present position.
But I found the ranks wasn't full by no means, and commenced
for to recroot. Havin notist a gineral desire on the part of
young men who are into the crisis to wear eppylits, I
detarmined to have my company composed excloosviely of
offissers, everybody to rank as Brigadeer-Ginral. The
follerin was among the varis questions which I put to
recroots:

Do you know a masked battery from a hunk of gingerbread?

Do you know a eppylit from a piece of chalk?

If I trust you with a real gun, how many men of your own