A rapid ascent of a long flight of stairs was, therefore, a serious matter with him.

Five minutes after leaving us, he dashed rapidly up the stairs and entered our room.

As soon as he could speak, he asked, breathing between, the words-- "Have you heard the news ?" "No," we responded; "what is it ?" "Why" (with more efforts to recover his breath), "Price has evacuated Lexington!" "Is it possible ?" "Yes," he gasped, and then sank exhausted into a large (very large) arm-chair.
We gave him a glass of water and a fan, and urged him to proceed with the story.

He told all he had just heard in the bar-room below, and we listened with the greatest apparent interest.
When he had ended, we told him _our_ story.

The quality and quantity of the wine which he immediately ordered, was only excelled by his hearty appreciation of the joke he had played upon himself.
Every army correspondent has often been furnished with "important intelligence" already in his possession, and sometimes in print before his well-meaning informant obtains it.
A portion of General Fremont's army marched from Jefferson City to Tipton and Syracuse, while the balance, with most of the transportation, was sent by rail.