Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-01-16


homeYard under the windows of the
officers quarters on the south side.
Others still, trusting I'D darkness and
n theory that all officers should I've abed
a. that hour, proceeded to wear Il parallel
path. and these two transgreasions be
ing occasionally repeated and the officer
Of the day having twice come upon the
trnnsgrpsSors without having captured
one of their number. for the dough
boys" were fleet Of foot, n second order
WIS issued. requiring all enlisted men
returning to the post between tattoo and
r.veille to enter their barracks from the
roar, and not to cross tho quadrangle
bounded by the fence. There was . road
AL around in the rear of The barracks
and quarters. but in the wet spring
weather it was often deep with mud and
general y dark as Erebus. What won
der, therefore. that many parties still
managed to slip III. not exactly in def
auce Of the order, but because the enlist
cd men had u fine appreciation Of that
principle of international law which pro-
vidos that Il mere paper blockade is not
entitled to respect: Then it was That
the odd man. rs the soldiers called the
colonel. ordered out his blockaders. An
extra sentincis post was established, a
sentry was ordered stationed at the
southwest gate from tattoo until reyeille,
and as all the cavalry were harrackcd
on the west side near their stables. and
as the infantry were mauifestlY the Of
Tenders $50 argued the colonel, the three
additional sentreS required We're ordered
taken FROM among their number.
This order made guard duty a trine
harder and the iufautrvmen IA trifc
madder. Ont Of sheer mischief some Of
them took to passing up the road be
tween the guard house and tho trader ;,
entering the northwest gate and stalking
across the parade in stealthy column Of
files from that direction. facetiously dec
Grating their trail With empty beer bot
lies, whisky TASKS or sardine boxes, over
which the police sergeant spent some
time and blaSphelny after reveille next
morning. Then the colonel ordered the
northwest gate locked at tattoo, and the
Laughing rascais climbed the fence. lie
would not order out more sentries. hut
h. gave the officer Of the day directions
to have a patrol in readiness at the flag
staff between / and / that night, ana
then some fine foot racing resulted, in
which the patrol c;une ont second best,
The colonel ordered the five infantry
men who happened to be on pass arrested
and brought to trial before a garrison
court, and the court promptly acquitted
every man. Ii Wao established that they
had ali obcdiently gone around the gar
Tison; they had even taken the trouble
to call the attention Of the sentry on No.
i to that fact; and then it dawned upon
the commanding officer that some OF
those infantry scalnps We're, as they
would have expressed it, putting up q
iO6' at his expense. and that hall d
dozen Of the tlceteat footed among them
were just for Il lark slipping out Of quar-
ters after II O'Clock and around to tho
northwest gate, vaulting the fence with
the agility OF monkeys, and then play
ing the old game of Tom, Tom, pul
away with his patrol. They had moi
had SO much fun III a year,
Col Morris had sense enough to know
that ii he lost his temper and got t,
clustering the men would regard il a.
victory. lie issued no new orders. Sus
picion had fallen on a squad Of rollick
ing young lrishInen in Company 7. al
Of whom were members Of the battalion
Dase bail nine. \ match game was T,
come of two DAYS later with the clui
from Fort Lawrence, and local inter7,
and betS-were running high. Alas
when the morning of tine tyentful ua,
came around. four of the lleatest ba ST
runners in the Rifle nine languislled il
the guard house. arrested at reveille b,
order of their own captain for absenc
from quarters al midnight. The colo
mel had simply LOT them get out, thei
ordered check roll call with doors barred
and they stood self eXilod. Fancy In
CONSERVATION among the lovers Of tn
national game! Even the cavalry ha
backed tho local nine against That frou
Lawrence, and well knew that if suhsti
tutes had to be put in there was II
earthly chance of their winning.
manifeStly, said the battalion, there
no man but Corp. Brent to get us out c
stop of the nine, and on INN they rallie
forthwith. Give me your word, mel
that there's to be no more of this mon kc
BUSINESS, and I'll go 10 the colonel my
self Refuse, and the game goes TO Fol
Lawrence, nine to nothing, for we can
play without Lynch and Cooney on tn
bases" 1t was case of unconditiona
surrender
The colonel had kindly received tn
young corporal, had listened to the Ia
Of woe, and sat siiently ponderins IN,
, ment. Then he looked up. "You 81
the game must 90 against you withol
these four men, h asked.
, YES. sir. Indeed | would not pla
without them. We would far better h
D the game go by default than have tn
9 record published, rs it assurediy wCul
. be, in the army as well as the local pi