The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-10-03

Il -
beauty. Twas finally informed that il
had any use for my clothes l could
put them on.
''Am sound?" / asked.
BY that time / was weary of soldier
life, and prayed inwardly that they
had discovered enough diseases about
me to start clinic Unluckily, l was
healthy.
was next given over into the tender
care of an orderly. who was instructed
to conduct me to the cadet barracks at
the other side of the square. AS we
started to cross the yard, he looked at
my glossy plug" and chuckled.
IF I'd "a been you, wouldn't "a
worn that hat up here" he said, COM
miseratingly; that hats going to get
you into heap of trouble.
1t did. We had not proceeded a rod
before nearly every window of the
huge, three-sided barracks was filled
with bowling cadets, who had spotted it.
Take that thing away and drown it.,
orderly"
"What kind of bate did you use?"
Don't want any! Come around next
weekr'
Block and runr'
''Get on to the kid under the pipeyr'
"Pa, please kin 1 wear high hat?''
These were some of the salutations
that greeted me and l realized that l
was in for it. i shivered, but the or
derby never moved an eyelash. He was
accustomed to such pleasantries. He
led me upstairs to the second floor,
front room. He tapped upon the door.
a voice said: Gomez and he left me to
my fate.
want to say right here that have
not exaggerated in the least, and that
am giving my actual experience for
the benefit of prospective cadets. II
they succeed in obtaining appoint
ments, they will bear me out in my
statements.
why don't you come when you're
invited?" yelled half dozen voices in
chorus.
came. found myself in room
about twelve by fourteen feet in di-
mansions. 1t was occupied by six
young men in cadet fatigue uniform.
They were the cadet officers who took
tender care of the verdant plebe and in
stilled into his Budding mind the first
principles of warriorship.
had scarcely entered the room when
my hat was landed in one corner of the
room and my grip in another. Two of
them caught hand apiece. jerked it
down the sides of my legs, jammed the
little finger of each hand along the
seams of my trousers, fiattening out the
palms full to the front.
Another grabbed me by the shout
ders, placed his knee in my back and
pulled me out straight until l cracked.
Still another was busy dislocating my
chin, while the fifth was jerking my
feet into ~" shape. The sixth was
driving a tack into the wall at about
the height of my nose.
After they had gotten me fixed to
their satisfaction, and SO that looked
as if was ready to be conveyed to the
chamber of horrors in the Eden Musee,
l was informed that that was the first
position of soldier. Then pitied the
soldiers, although had never seen one
look like that, and wondered what
the last position of soldier must be If
the first was as hard to do as that.
Compressed into this state of being,
was marched over to the tack and
commanded to place my nose against
it and to move at my peril Then, in
order to divert my attention from the
tack. so that they might be able to jerk
me out of the first position of q soldier
and thus have more fun with me by
fixing me up all right again, thay
hurled such questions as these at me:
whats you nameg'
sAge?v
SLOWS yuur mother9r