The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-24

W AAACA AN oAeos -
erected fanwise have been dashed together
at the top, and over these a heavy gun tar
paulin, imperyious to the wind, has been
drawn like the covering of ar Indian tepee.
A warm fire on a thick bed of Goals is
burning red against a huge log facing the
open side of this temporary home of key
and the buglers, and it throws q huge
shadow of our complacent hero upon the
rail ribbed canvas background. There are
other patches and blotches of shadow be-
hind the saddles and knapsacks disposed
for seats by day and for pillows by night.
There are cleaning lights on the pendent
bugles and on the polished brasses stud
ding the festoon Of brides swinging from
a peg driven into one of the rails.
Bugler Ohld Is coming his everlasting
arithmetic in the mellow half light to one
side, stretched lazily on his blsnkets-the
same arithmetic that has gone through
more battles than one in the fat sorrel
horses swinging nosebag. The second
bugler is sleeping TRANQUILITY in his corner,
and everywhere from under the scarlet
and gray blankets is scattered the advance
guard Of the pillows upon pillows of russell
and brown leaves, heaped up and pressed
down upon the earthen floor. Leaves swell
up in fragrant masses behind the rawhide
saddles; leaves are blown into fantastic
eddies in the hollows of the stiff canvas;
leaves with smoking and blackened edges
rim the hot ashes of the fire, and other
leaves Sitting down from the nearly naked
branches of the tall trees are visible by
the light of the fire, if only key cares to
raise his black eyes from the fascinating
glow of the Goals.
The smell of leaves and the smoke of
leaves burning is the pungent perfume.
sweet and drowsy, that envelopes the ru-
minant Isaac, and the studious Ohld, and
the plucked form of the Christmas turkey
hanging, for safety, in the apex of the wig
wam.
Bugler Ohld keeps one wary eye on the
face of his watch, and now he steps outside
in the freight, and facing to the camp
blows the clear, precise notes of the "taps."
Lights outi Lights out! Lights out over
yonderl Mechanically he hangs the
shining instrument in it's particular place,
while through all the batteries far and
near the same sweet refrain rises and falls
and swells and dies over the fields and
melts into the soft chorus of distant drum
beats like an endless chime of muf1ed
Christmas bells.
key listened to the music of the camps,
and cast a scornful eye on the methodical
bugler spreading his blankets and pulling
off his boots. Bangl went a rifle in the
nearest infantry camp, and the "Haltl
haltl' of the surly guard mingled with the
smoke and the curses down by the creek.
"At it again, the fools!' sneered the
bugler, crawling into his bed.
who's a fool?" cried Ikey, losing his
temper at the word and scrambling onto
his feet. who's a fool, you lazy, hulkin
son of a turtle? Them fellers slippin guard
in the Sixtfeth has forgot more'n ever you
knew. You'd lie an rot in camp. you
would, an starve yer bloomin belly on
wormy hard tack afore you'd jayhawk a
later. Come off; you make me tired,
you do"
"Aw, give us a rest, Ike" growled the
ever tempered Ohld, rolling over in the
blankets, his face to the canvas and his
back to the tempest. "Who picked the
turkey?''
"Who picked the turkey, is it?'' cried
Ike. whats pickin one turkey to goin
five mile outside the line to snatch it? ]
wisht the CUTS an feathers was showed
inter yer blasted bugle. Who's goin after
the flour for the plum puddin? Oh, I be,
of course" sneeringly. "S'pose ye don't
think Pm tired, don't yer" By this time
the obdurate bugler was snoring comfort
ably, and keys anger and enterprise rose
at the sound.
"Blarst his sniveling bugle," muttered
the little guidon, at the same time admin
istering a kick to the secondhorn.
In fifteen minutes thereafter two raiders
after keys w heart were gathered
with him by TIE fire-Teddy Gregan, leat
driver of the first gun. with his brains
seething in his cap at the Opportunity
and Snoopy Schley, who, if he couldn't
blow "the general" on parade, could jay
hawk the shoes off the guard and make
the guard think he had done it himself.
rs it raidin the mill We are?' says Teddy
taking a reef in his belt. "Oi'm wild yez
me byes; but, begorra, it's not lawn thai in
nocent turkey suhpinded in the moonlight
10 be timptin the drivers ye'd be. Sur,
bed fly away afore the mornin, an divil
shtraw wud that trumpetin bla'gard la,
in his way. Bedad, Ofll fix the two of UNI
Yer a family man, Bugler Ovid" say
Teddy as he turned down the blanket
and laid the turkey in the arms of tn
sleeper and disposed the red, wattled heat
lovingly under his chin. "We'l max,
some use ay yez shlapin."
Then up spoke Snoopy. "Say, chappies
volts der matter wild disguisin ourselves d
Infantry Dere's tree short cape coats il
de. extra horses. A blouse is a blouse, al
plain pants gives nobody away. De crCs
guns an letters goes in 'ur pockets; seeP''
Good" said Ike after they had acted OF
Snoopy Schley's suggestion; "ther's nothil
to catch US by but the 'A' on the buttons.
"Anthe shcruff av the neck" said Teddy
feeling the shortness of his W hair il
that locality.
"Faix, liftinant, y says Teddy a week aft
erward, 1--WE was takin the Dist o. care a,
the ripetation o. the batthery an the goot
name " the ARTILLERY altogether fur tina
matther. There didn't be so much as
o. or a crossgun betune us, an that wa
Snoopy Schley's idee. The only dab O. ret
on US was the Maltese cross on 'ur caps
sor, and beja5ers we chalked that to favo
the Second division. That Snoopy is
daisy, he is, sor, to be wastin fust elias
talents on q brass horn-cool as a COW.
curnber an %shlippery as an ecl-that's
Snoopy"
It was somewhere between taps and 10
by the second bugler's watch. when the
three hastily improyised infantrymer
crawled out of camp. The moon was al
the full, sailing high through the lighi
clouds, and now and then plunging like {
ship into a darker bank piled up by thu
Christmas wind, that nipped noses ant
futtered capes as it rustled on its way ovel