The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-06-04
CRANDALL'S MARCH.

Company !, was a fine soldier and a fine
fellow as we'll, but he was something Of
o martinet-hardly popular among the
members of his own company. "
When orders were issued to have the
men thoroughly drilled, Orderly Tom
obeyed most literally. From reveille to
tattoo it was drill, drill, drill for the
boys of Company / till they would have
welcomed marching orders for the north
pole as o release from the manual of
arms and evolutions.
Nothing less than q surgeons order
would serve with Orderly Tom as nm ex-
cuse from drill.
One afternoon, when the company had
fallen in, the roll call revealed the alb
sence Of Thomas Higgins and William
Stapleton A rigid examination of the
company quarters failed to discover the
delinquents, and with "absent without
leave" against them In the orderly book
and q big black mark In Toms memory
the company marched to the drill ground
without them
The quarters of the men were the
stables of Sneidiker's hotel With 10
full companies to drill, the stable yard,
which was the only parade ground with
In the regimental lines, was totally in
adequate; hence all drills In company
movements were conducted In . field
outside the guard lines.
Sentinels were duly instructed 10 per-
INIT all squads or companies I'm charge
Of noncommissioned officers 10 pass out.
but under no other circumstances 20 al
Low nm enlisted man to leave the camp
without q pass, though al soldiers
might enter unquesttoned
Tom marched his company about q
hundred feet from the lines and had
Just changed direction by the right flank
when his quick eye detected the stwo
skulkers stealthily emerging fromrthe
quarters Of Company 81
Company, haltl' instantly shouted
Tom "You, Higgins and Stapleton, get
your equipments and fall I'm for. dill
Do you hear?"
Evidently they did hear, but instead
Of obeying both started ON the double
quick toward the cockhouse. o.
''In place, restl'' shouted Tom torhis
company. Halt, therei'' to the sknlk-
ers. But they quickened their pace. 4
Dropping his rife into the hands Of q
corporal, Tom started in pursuit Across
the guard lines he sped to the cook
house, into which the two fugitives bad
disappeared. and into which he also
quickly vanished II
Now, a large portion of the members
Of Company I were young fellows rang
ing from II to 23 years of age, httls
used to military restraints while the
deprivations and duliness which they
were experiencing made them peculiar
ly eager for some sort of fun. 10
1t can be easily conceived that Order
ly Toms unexpected deviation from irk-
some drill was hailed by the boys Of the
waiting company with delight They
hoped the race woud last long, and that
the fugitives would escape.
So they did. After an absence of some
10 minutes Tom reissued from the cook
house alone, and with an ominous frown
upon his brow approached his SOM
mand. At the same time the two fugi-
tives were seen far down the road, max
ing their way rapidly toward the town,
having left the cookhouse by some way
Of which Tom knew not.
The almost simultaneous appearance
Of the defeated orderly and the victori-
skulkers was greeted by the boys OF
the company with first a shout of jeer-
ing laughter and then q ringing cheer.
Attention, company" shouted the
orderly sergeant. But the only attention
paid him was another shout of Laughter
that deepened his frown.
"Stop that laughing In the rankst'
again commanded the orderly.
"Halti'' cried the sentinel, bringing
his piece to a charge and confronting
Orderly Tom, who had now reached the
guard line. you can't pass here.
81 cannot passp' gasped the aston.
ished orderly. why not?''
Orders. I" CURLY replied the sentry.
"Ordersl Well, what are your or.
ders?''
"Oh, you know the orders well
enough" answered the sentry-'to lei
no enlisted man pass ont OF the camI
without . pass except noncommissionet
officers in charge Of squads for drills
WELL exclaimed Tom triumphant.
~, II am q noncommissioned officer IN
command Of o company ont for drill,
and there il my company, as you well
know
Don't know nothin about that com
pany. It's outside the lines, and yours
inside. Don'tl look much like o company
anyhow"
Indeed the sentinel's sarcastic alln,
sion 10 the company was justified, D.
the men danced and roared and fairly
Rugged M another to zee the dificuIts
into which their stern sergeant had fall
en-. He made nd further attempt TO eros
the lines, but turned and strode swiftl5
toward headqnarters, followed by q fresl