The Red Cloud chief., 1879-06-05

sold a Uncls Sam b livery vsSy shasey
H. bius. vsry tarnsh~d The gcsd. aassr
IL lone sum0er cs8p>iEn oasas dasss
p-rslrses and the grtmy He'd Lands ~
he fierce wina hosled aruund b hsils
log cabin. arring ths sacw sAroaeh sAs
loose vindow~fzmes annl u lay IN msni-
ssure smhAnkm<n,s on The socr. tss ~
tie company drvw ail closer o tse
frseadly Stove. ard N and asosnss
ted bis tale 81 past a4vvasnre
stress of Circumstances. uani he Old
porsps, whose Srsy hssrs might ssvs
earned for Aim some more cAeesfns
home than Q frontier ou;poss IN whsch
70 pass his ~evsdsn,iy hale old aes. s~aa.
in bis loo. qaiss vsy; -,
"weli, my boya. you've each bad
roar s.y. and no, asked ,he old msn fns
bis anccaose yet: bat yccNrc Tvsisas
,rif.c talked The iAss ball boar. I've
seen SONS queer things IN my day. and
maybe eoald tell . story M vel a. any
one IL Was urge hard enough"
.I.sy on, Docior; ne ave ,hs ecss
ill The lass, always"
"None of us can tell such yarns ~
you, when you're once Set going. for
you never spoil . good s'ory for waas OF
adding . ,rihs here and there last Ia
make /, complete and round Il OF axe
w." murmufcd. scssD rooe, sssnry strip
ping.
.While you've been talking here"
said the old doctor. "a odd melAn.
choiy sor, u feeling came over me, and
vouli own that's q weakness I'm not
yery subject ,o, boys, but somehow my
thoughts seem 10 run on a poor isiiow
who's dead nov, 80 there's no harm IN
talking about him, IL 700 ca,e to listen.
A sharp order to the ianior Lacasrn-
ant To hll up The stove with wood add
..be quick about H." flliog Of pipes, =
slipping Of glasses. . fitting back OF
wooden chairs 10 miraculous angles, sx'
pressed the approval q the Company.
and. drawing . long whiS from his pipe.
the Doctor began
"up NJ Camp X. not many years
ago, there WAS . soldier who excited
! considerable curiosity among the OH
GERS and men by his queer ways. Host
II you know how IL Is I'm these little rat
holes where the troops are housed Tor
the winter, shut up like tears in = pit.
with nothing to do bu, look q, each 9th
or, till spring starts them Oh on the war
path again. Each persons PECULIAR
lies undergo a searching analysis. and
any one who refuses n, once io disuige
his whole private history and an,ece-
dents, for the beneit of his comrades
curiosity, is considered a social fraud.
The idea that the proper study Of =
kind Is man. Is carried to It's furthcst
limits, both among officers and privates.
This soldier l MAS telling YOU about was
promp, and exact about his duties, no
fault could be found with his conduct,
but his face wore always q look OF ex-
IRENE depression. lie was seldom
seen a. the suffers store, never ~
the soldiers dances or thcatricals,
never spoke IL he could avoid IL, but
spent his spare time lying idly on bis
bed or wandering alone over b bleak,
frosty prairics. IL was NJ last decided
by his comrades that he had committed
some crime and enlisted % Escape th.
law, and q prejudice began 10 be felt
against the poor fellow, which resulted
in his being totally ostracizcd. ! pitied
the man. He came 10 the hospital ones
or twice for some trihing ailmcnt, but
any effort To draw him into conversation
only ended in the discovery that Tom
Gates was born nj Lynchburg, Va had
served through the last war. and Wa
now in his second enlistment in the
regular army.
"Spring came in, and the scouting
parties went out. From time TO time n
small detachment would come into Camp
X. 70 take out supplies, or 70 bring in
sick and wounded men, for mountain
fever and 'hosiiles' were both pretty
troublesome that season. One broiling
Augustdsy an orderly came 10 my room,
where / vas swinging In . hammock
and engaged in desperate comba, with
the flies and gnais.
"s ir,' said be, Private Gates, b Co,
is brought in, shot in the bre1t.'
"'All right; be down directly and
in n couple Of minuiesI stood By Ga.es's
bed, ia the cool, quiet hospital ward.
His tanned skin and close cropped hair.
the sunken eyes and hollsw cheeks gave
an odd expression TO bis face, bat around
the base Of the nose VA the pinchet.
dark look, which IL . sure sign OF death.
A short examination showed that his
days, il not his hours, were numbered;
i'm fact, from the L of the wound I
was surprised that he had lived To reach
the garrison.
my poor fellow, I can't help you.
except to promise TO deliver any message
you wish sent TO your friends
"Ga'es gave . short sigh, bu; the
look ia his eyes was more cheerful than
any one had ever seen in them before.
"'I have no friends who want 10
bear u me- he said, after pause,
but il you have = few minutes 10 spare
| would like TO tell you something about
myself, as you've once or tsice asked
me questions. It's hard 70 carry the
burdens I've had for years and die like
a sallen dog ~ last lie drew . pain
full breath and went on In . faint, hur-
RED voice:
eft was on the march through Penn
sylvania jus, before Gettysburg; the
weather fearfally hot. Men were con-
tinually dropping from the ranks, faint
ing from heat and thirst. When Ne
passed any spring or creek ih, regiment
would make . mad rush. and the cold
water and the heat together laid many .
fellow das on the road. Al last the Or
der was given that any man who Ief; the
ranks 20 fetch or drink waaer, without
leave from The Captain q his COMPANY,
should be instantly shot in front II his
regiment The men we're killing them
selves, you k3ow. by the way they were
going on About noondsy ~ got TO
K, where we were 20 half Tor IN
hour. Four houn ~ had been march
ing through the sand, under that
blazing sun. Just outside the town
was . little brook, running by the
roAdside. To march Along by tn ss
Wn3eY with dr lipa. swolseu tunDu~x