The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-27


hereabouts, more's the pity"
Praise the Virgin, ~ murmur ed Dinah
Shadd. But Mnivaney did not hear.
"Whin was about three-qusrters av
mile off the rest camp. powtherin' along fit
to burst, heard the noise av the men,
an. on my sowl, sorr, ! cud catch the
voice av Peg Barney believing like bison
wild the belly-a You remember Peg
Barney that was in ID comp'ny--a red,
hairy scr asin, wild scar on his jaw? Peg
Barney, that cleared out the Blue Lights
jubilee meeting wild the cook room mop
last year?
'sThin knew ut was draf' of the ouId
rig'mint and was conshumed wild sorrow
for the boy that was in charge. We was
hard scrapin's at any time. Did !
liver tell you how Horker Kelly
went into ciink nakid as Phe BUS
Apollonius. wid the shirts av the
corporil an file undher his arrum2 An ne
was q mold mani But I'm digreshin'.
IT'S shame both to the rig'mints and the
army sendin' down little OFFICER bhoys
wild draf av strong men mad wild liquor
av India, an nIver a punishment
that's fit to be given right down an away
from cantonmits to the dock, lis this
nonsince. Whin / am servin' my time I'm
undher the Articles Az War, an can be
whipped on the peg for thin. But whin
I've ser red my time I'm Reserve man,
an the Articles av War haven't any houid
on me. An orf'cer can't do anythin' to a
time-expired sarin' confnin' him to bar
ricks. lis q wise rig 'iation bekase time
expired does not have any harricks. bein'
on the move all the time. IT'S Solomon
av rig'iation. is that. I wud like to be
introduced to the man who secreted ut.
lis easier to get colts from Kibbereen
horse fair into Galway than to take q bad
drof forl az
quintly that rig 'iation-for fear that the
men wud be hurt by the little
OFFICER bhoy. No matter. The
nearer my throlly came to the rest
camp the woilder was the shine, an
the louder was the voice av Peg Barney.
IT'S good am here thinks / to myself.
for Peg alone 10 employment to two or
three He bein', well knew, as copied as
q dhrover.
Faith, that rest camp was sightl The
tent ropes was all skew-nosed, an the pegs
looked as dhrunk as the men-tifty av
thim-the scourin's an rinsin's, an divil's
lawns av the ould reg mint. | tell you,
s0rr, they were dhrunker than any men
you've ever seen in your mortal life. How
does drat' get dhrunk? How does frog
get fat? They suk ut in through their
shkins.
There was Peg Barney sitting on the
groun' in his shirt-wan shoe off and one
shoe on-whackin' a tent peg over the
head wild his boot. an singin' fit to wake
the deads Twas no clane song that he
sung. though. Twas the 'Divil's Mass"
Whats that?p asked
"Whin a bad egg is shut ay the army. he
sings the OWLS Mass for good radiance;
an that names swearin' at ivrything from
the Commsnder-in-Chief down to the
Room Corp'ril, such as you niver in your
days heard. Some men can swear so as TO
make green turf crack! Have you liver
heard the Curse in an Orange Lodge?'
The Owls Mass is ten times worse, an
Peg Barney was singin' ut. whackin' the
tent~peg on the head wild his boot for each
man that he cursed. A powerful big voice
had Peg Barney, an q hard swearer he
was whin sober. / stood forninst him, an
twas not me OF alone that cud tell Peg was
dhrunk as coof.
".Good mornin', Peg seq. whin he
dhrew breath afther cursin' the Adj'tint-
Central I've put on my best coat to see
you, Peg Barney SEE /.
"'Thin take ut off again. seq Peg Bar
ney, latherin' away wild the boat; take ut
of an dance, We lousy civilianv
Wild that he begins cursin' ould Dhrum-
sthicks, being SO full hesclean, misremem-
bers the brigade major an the Judge Advo-
kit Central.
".Do you know me. Pegs' SEE /, though
civilian
IAN him decent married mani" walled
Dinah Shadd.
81 do not SEE Peg. but dhrunk or
sober Ill tear the hide off your back wild
shovel whin I've stopped singin'.'
Say you So Peg Barney I? SEE I. ''Tis
clear as mud you've forgotten me. I'll
stretched Peg Barney, boot an all, an
whit into the camp. An awful sight ut
wasi
Where's the OFFICER in charge av the
detachment?' SEE ! to Scrub Greene-the
manest little worm that ever walked.
There's no orf'cer, ye ould cook, SEE
Scrub: we're bloomin' Yepulic.'
Are you that p SEE I; then I'm O'Con-
nell the Dictator, an by this you will larn
TO kape civil tongue in your rag box
"Wid that / stretched Scrub Greene an
wint to the officers tent. Twas a new lit
tie bhoy-not wan I'd liver seen befo re- He
was sitting in his tent. purtendin' not to
ave ear av the racket.
II saluted-but for the life av me mint
to shake hands whin / whit in. Twas the
sword hangin' on the tent pole changed
Cant help, sorr7' SEE / ''tis
strong mans job they've given you. an
you'll be wantin' help by SHUTDOWN He
was bhoy wild bowels. that child, an
rale gint!eman.
" sit down, SEE he
Not before my orf'cer,' SEE /; an /
touid him fwhat my service was.
I've heard av you.' SEE he. you tux
the town av Lungtungpen nakid.'
Faith thinks i, that's honor an
glory for twas Lift'nint Brazenose did
that job. I'm wild We, sorr,' SEE I, If I'm
av use. They should never ha' sent you
down wild the draf'. Savin' your presince,
L L. I III
in the ould rig'mint can manage a home
draf'.'
I've niver had charge of men like this
BEFORE seq he, playin' wild the pens on the
table; an | see by the rig'lations-
"'Shut your OIL to the rig'iations, sorr,' l
seq. till the throoper's into blue walher.
By the rig'lations you've got to tuck them
av my coolies an maxim a shiverarium
half through the country. Can you trust
your non-coms, sorr?'
Yes seq he.
"'Good. seq /; 'there1l be throuble be-
fore the night. Are you marchin', sorr?'
ITO the next station, seq he.
Better STILL SEE 1; 'there'll be big
throuble.'
Cant be too hard on home draf', seq
he; the great thing is to get thin in ship
Faith, you've iarnt the half av your
lesson, sorr,' SEE i, but ay you shtick to
the rig 'iations you'll niver get thin in ship
at all, at all. Or there won't be rag OF
kit hetune thin whin you do
Twas dear little OFFICER bhoy, an BY
way av kapin' his heart UP tould him
fwhat / saw wanst in draf' in Egypt"
What was that, Mulvaney?" said l.
"Sivin an fifty men sittin' on the bank
av canal laughin' at poor little squid-
gereen av an orf'cer that they'd made wade
into the slush an pitch the things out av
u kHa g. -
nesses. That made me OFFICER bhoy woild
wild indignation.