Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-13


| 1say IL with all calmnesl
SMK(y& fAM and robustness a
&EA lumb looking 12-pound
| HIN6i s1N.yfy1 cannon held lengthy
s&Yz~-Al conversation with me- and
~-~ S@---- his, or rather its, converse.
ton showed it to DO cannon of good instincts
and correct morals. / had boon undergoing the
hospitality Of ths cavalry troop in their armory
In the old rink one evening recently and had
simply walked back into the big drill hall ia
escape the four hundredth repetition of one OF
the corporals stories about 'that fight" This
room is also used by the light battery, and here
in majestic repose stand their guns and wagons.
In an entirely laudable endeavor TO make
myself comfortable I seated myself ON
one Of the gun carriages and tried to bring up
the shadows OF some few OF the people who
used to fly around that room on the seductive
roller skate; or at an earlier day fell splashing
from the sides when the building was u swim
ming school. In my mind arose the picture OF
pretty little maiden with curly chestnut hair
whom used to play hockey from school to
meet at the rink. All! how lovely thought
| her. We loved truly and well for nearly two
months but alas! one day those treacherous
skates went back on me and let her fall and
at the same time performed some gymnastics
OF my own, marked moro by vigor than grace.
We parted; another boy played hockey to meet
\
attentive to school duties. Then there was a
rcd-headed boy who had ducked me in that
very room three times in one afternoon. That
| red-headcd boy is a man now and has a little
wanting to pump about gallon Of river water
| down his throat
| VOICE.
Ihad reached this far in my shadow hunt
when gruff voice close by remarked: "Hello
there Are you going to sleep?" Now. did
not consider it anybody's business il did go
| to sleep. but before saying go looked to find
out how big the owner of the voice was There
wasn't anybody there. This was startling and
| had just decided that the corporals story
wasn't half bad after all, when the voice
broke loose again: young man, don't look SO
| scared; you give me the cold childs. It's me
talking to volume. the cannon; you're sitting
on me; yoa ought to understand" arose
| from that cannon very suddenly When say
suddenly mean the word to carry every ounce
OF force that 1t is possible to press into eight
| letters. l did not hit the ceiling; but then the
coiling is very high What! can guns talkY'
remarked when struck on my feet.
| Talk! OF course we can talk" 4rowled that
old slayer of human beings; haven't you
| heard OF guns announcing the going down OF
| the sun and OF Others hurting loud-voiced de-
| hance at the enemy, and didn't you over hear
| OF that gun at Fort Sumter that called an en-
| tire nation to arms3 II guns can do all these
| things an old veteran like me can certainly
talk to dunder-headed loon that's afraid OF
| an unloaded cannon oven when he's behind It.
Sit down. young man, and tell me if there il
not some chance OF war pretty soon"
| NOT HAPPY PROSPECT FOR GUN
| overlooked my friends q suppose must
call that cannon my friend, although it ceems
very strange,) complimentary illusions to my
courage ana seated myself rather gingerly. Ho
seemed greatly grieved when I told him the
chances for war were very dismal indeed and
| his voice shook with emotion as he pleaded for
even little riot 1t was really very sad to
have to tell him there was no present prospect
OF riot and could see ne was deeply disap-
pointed. That bloodthirsty cannon was Just
dying for chance to kill somebody and sighed
| dismaly when he realized that he was doomed
to an indefinite firing off of blank cartridges.
| The old times are gone for good" he re-
| marked plaintively; ''these boys that have me
now do fairly well at times, but they can't
swear like the old timers It's O lost art Why.
during the Mexican var knew q sergeant who
| could swear in five different languages, and do
it picturesquely, too In one of the battles our
| battery was kept continually fighting for six
hours, and during the entire time that ser
geant kept up a steady stream OF good honest
| swearing. and what's more he scarcely re-
| peated himself once, and then when the guns
would get mired that was the time to
| hear the strongest part Of the language used
with vigor and effect Those we're great DAYS,
| my son, and fight why the boys that marched
down through Mexico never knew when they
| were licked, and when they did know it they
called themselves liars, and proved it, too. Ten
| times in day you would think We we're whipped
| out OF our boots, but when evening came on
| there would be the Mexicans skeedadinQ like
mad and our boys after them like dogs after
| fox.
MEMORIES OF MEXICO
| II was young and giddy cannon in those
days and 1t was my first real view Of life. I
remember the first battle was in and how
dazed was. They kept firing me off, but
| could not see where the shots were going and
didn't want to hurt anybody anyway Pretty
| soon the Mexicans came charging up the hill:
| there seemed to me as il there were million
OF them. In front was mighty handsome
oincer, DARK and herce looking, who was waving
his sword and calling for them to come on,
saw some OF our men dropping under a con
slant rain OF shot; some grooming as they law
1 others quito still and with such cold white
faces. Then got mad. They could not load
| me fast enough and J. blazed away at those
rascals until saw them fslter and at last scat
ter back down that hill as II the devil was
| after them, and how chuckled to see the num-
Der Of them left on the hillside, their hands,
even in DEATH cutching the soil as if to hold 1t
sword still in his hand, lay the dark officer
| who had led them ON the charge
After that wanted to fight all the time. I
watched each OF my shots where it fell aud felt
| ulSdppOiutou Wn6n NO marin was done. Dead
| men didn't bother me any more and didn't
worry at seeing strong and vigorous men cut
down in q second
FAvoRITR ouNNRn.
| "Of all that died during that war the remem-
brance Of only one remains, and his face will
stay with me until the end. He was a nom
commissioned officer and was his special
charge. Every morning, rain or shine, out he
| would come and look ME over and pat me and
tell me l was the boy to fix these bloody
heathen. His name was Dick, and he was one
| OF the chirpiess men you could meet In o
month, always happy and always gay. When
| everybody else was down in the dumps and
was thinking Of home Dick would commence
| to sing or tell some droil story and the boys
would brighten up, and could even feel the
horses pulling away in o fresher manner. I
| was always looking for Dick, and felt better
and IN pleasanter temper when he was
around. One battle our battery had been
having terrible time. Two or three times We
had beon obliged TO change positions, and
another change We were charged.
THE CHARGE
Talk about confusion, you could mot even
think around there for few moments. Horses
were charging and plunging. the rattle Of the
| muskstry was mixed with tho clash Of sabers
| and the hoarse shouts Of enraged men This
was what you could hear, but AZ for seeing any
| thing more than foot from you, that was
different thing, on account OF the smoke aud
dust Pretty soon saw like lightning stroke
the nasn OF Dig saber and the next moment