Veal on the Hoof

We returned to Kansas City, and shortly after that we went to Pleasant Hill, a days march south and a little east. A funny thing occurred there. We were encamped on the prairie, without tents, just south of the little town. Several calves about four months old, were in a field nearby. Thinking that some veal would make an agreeable change from fat bacon, we soon had them dressed. The next morning two citizens came into camp looking for calves. Upon inquiry at headquarters they were told that they could search the camp for them. They began at the south side of the camp, going down along one company and coming back along another one. Company "A" was on the north side, and was the only company which had any of the veal left. When they heard what was going on, they took what they had of the veal and laid it in a long pile on the ground and covered it with a blanket. It looked much like a man lying there. As the searchers came to the head of their line, a couple of the boy's met them and ask them if they had ever had the small-pox. They answered with evident alarm that they had not. "then, " said the boy's pointing to the suspicious looking blanket, " you had better get out of here quick as possible for their lies a man who has just died with it. " that ended the search for the missing calves, and the boys saved their veal.