The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-08-04

ne OWeu Oucie GAIN bBOuJ AOuI IlOu-
sand dollars; and as he ruefully
scratched his head, Dick guessed he
would be ready for the soldiers home
by the time the bill was settled. He
began to grow uneasy and was about
ready to skip, when the blackboard
from Santa Te brought ease to his mind
and balm to his soul A letter came
from the adjutant generals Office stat
ing that the attorney general had given
q decision. that wiped out old scores and
gave the deserter a chance to begin
again with clean record. II
That evening after retreat" Dick
and sat on our hunks, polishing belts,
cleaning brasses furnishing our saber
scabbards and getting things ready for
guard mounting next morning, for
Dick was a great fellow ito run for
orderly"
AS we smoked and talked and pol
ished I wormed some of Dicks ex-
perience out of him.
"Say, Dick" asked; what was your
first enlistment?"
"Well," said Dick, with laugh, 'my
first soldering was sailoring. l listed
in the marines and was sent down to
hyblown hole in Florida. The heat,
the bugs and the style of the marine
officers sickened me, so resigned.
"Resigned?" queried.
'Gave them French resignation,
you know. struck New Orleans in
Cuban banana boat, dead broke, and
joined company of 'doughboys' at
Baton Rogue. That place was worse
than Florida. The first pay day set
tied me, and took trip up the river.
They charged me with two rifles, a
dozen brooms and wheelbaTow on
my muster roll, when skipped. Handy
thing for deserter, wheelbarrow! /
often wondered that they did not charge
me with Tom Germans wife, who lit
out with a coon about the time re-
tired"
"Where did you go, Dick-St LOUISE"
"Yes Thought I'd take flyer in the
cavalry. Got sick of old Bully WEIGH
there, and was glad enough to go with
detachment to the Third in Arizona.
Well, that's a lovely country to get
away from. If there's hell on earth,
Arizona is the place. l was stationed
at Verde, and the malaria, bad grub
and Apache chasing changed my views
of the cavalry. Three of us skipped
the first time the paymaster got round,
and we worked down through Apache
pass into New Mexico with our hair all
right We struck the settlements, sold
our horses, and separated. l worked
down to Ell Paso and went broke on a
monte game Invent over to Fort Bliss
and took another blanket. / liked
soldering there first rate and got the
chevrons; but the captain broke me
for raising row down town and
humping greaser. That made me
mad and went on the retired list once
more. That quartermaster sergeant
was a daisy, and, as l was chum of his,
he socked it to me-charged me with a
: siX-mule harness, grindstone, two
spades, q long Tom and a hundred
rounds of ammunition. just think Of
me hoofng it across desert between
Quitman and Davis with grindstone
5 under my arml Must have thought
wanted 1t to sharpen my appetite.
5 got job as teamster at Fort Clark, but
: l ran across a fellow knew at Bato1
r Rogue, and he was always hard up anC
; had an idea that was a bank, and
. concluded to go east"
, sand thenP" / insinuated.
"Then," resumed Dick, ~ guessed
9 had all the west wanted for awhile, 81
, honored the artillery made mis-
. take. / was in fort where you coul,
4 see nothing but sea and sand, an,
: where it was cold enough to freeze
brass monkey. Lord! but the artiller,
4 is tough and dull, all guard duty ant
> polishing; no mountains, no plains; al
a buttons and drill. That heavy artil
e lery made flying artillery man of me
r waited for pay day and left withou
d leaving my address. Well, my music
o roll caught it. They landed me on tn
: pay roll for caisson and fifty round
o of fixed and strapped ammunition an
other trihes."
It "Draw it mild, Dick" I suggested.
/, swell, if they didn't" said Dicl
n earnestly, may be 'bobtailed.' 1 pu
o out for the west and listed in Covine
3 ton in the 'doughboys' again, like
n fool. was just in time to be rounde
is up for batch of 'Johnnies' going I
2. Montana, the worst lot of fresh fish
g. ever got into. Tough? Well sayl W
t. hoofed it all day and stood guard ever
1t other night. We had chap just al
pointed from civil life in comman'
le and he was scared to death. And IL
1t grub Well, let that 60 We got
e, our post and had to build new stabl,
or for the cavalry. Fatigue duty ever
IN day and dress parade every night mac
y life hardly worth living. Then / w;
" detailed to guard railroad surve
is That was exciting, for the Sioux had
" spite against us, but I concluded thi
10 faop dollo,c a month xxac too small