Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-08-29
anu INDIANS SO unused TO haste tnaJ pa
tienca and waiting Uera instinct hard

Hodgson, the Junior subaltern of the
cantonment, now galloped through the
group of tethered ponies and flung the
reins of his hot horse into the midst of
a pack of painting greyhounds that fol-
lowed and were soon crouching in the
scant shade of the adobe wall against
which the Mexicaus were lying. Hodg-
son was clad in service cords, jersey and
sombrero, for he had been chasing jack
rabbits with greyhounds Oh the mesa.
He entered the traders store brusque-
ly. "Mail not i'll yet?' he asked. cut
is not, lootenant, ~ answered the trad
er's clerk from behind the lattice where
he sat working at the month S postal re-
port. Coggins spoke shortly, without
looking up, for he recognized the voice
as the youngsters pleading for square
letters, and it annoyed him. 1t had
successfully made the same appeal each
mail since Hodgson joined the regi-
ment, 10 weary months before, as Cog
gins could bear witness, for he knew
the secrets of the cantonment, keeping
them in mind having no cause to speak
of them to others, save to O'Leary, who
could hold his tongue. Coggins was
fond Of the youngster, liking him as
heartily as he hated women, whom he
thought minions Of the devil, made for
mans confusion. He even loathed their
dainty letters, regarding them as en-
snaring missives, corrupting alike to
rank and file, and believed they should
be prescribed from military correspond
toI Io
districts, bringing maladies whose fires,
once lighted in the blood, will never
cease III the idleness of camp and can
tonment, disturbing alike good COM
radeship, health and duty.
Coggins himself had been a soldier,
serving two enlistments before getting
his leg shattered and shortened in an
Indian skirmish. Since service he had
clerked some 20 years for Sullivan, the
trader, and seen scores Of youngsters
join from tho Point at this frontier
breaking yard. Some were now captains,
returning for their second tour of
Arizona duty, with double bars we'll tar
nished. Frontier life compels men to
observation, SO Coggins felt entitled to
his own opinions. In the remembrance
of these veterans in their callow "shave
tail'' days, knocking about badly and
hardly bride wise. he felt his opinions
were even entitled to respect, but he
kept them to himself, save when speak
ing them to O'Leary.
Tim O'Leary and he had joined as
''recruities" in the same batch from
Depot, SO O'Leary was a man of privi
leges. Many were the nights after
''hours, when, alone in the general bar
of the traders store they discussed the
"needs and tindincies av tie service. -
At present the ''tindincies' displeased
them
'tOi'll tell you phwat ut is, Coggins,
ut's thin weekly mails ull be sinding us
destruction yit," said O'Leary.
"And who would be knowing ay that
beforeninst me, Tim? Don't Oh handle
livery ship av ut from the purity pink
notes that's deceiving av the bhoy up to
the ordhera for the commanding OFFICER
from the ginoral av the army?'
''Oi moind that ye do, Dan'l, an ut's
divine service they'll be afther giving us
MKT asking forgiveness av the Houly
Virgin for showing her Son disrespect-
an psalm singing for sojering, av some
av thin had ut's ordhering''
can be dhrillipg wild books instead
av carbines. Oh hear today there's an
ordher out for school, added Coggins.
''School is ut? SchoolP' said Tim
CUTS cooks palace and camp cook and
camp herd guard they more be needing.
Before nor a week, Dan'l, as Oh predict
on ut, the recruities'll be afther telling
men loike you an me phwat's sojering.
Gineral Harney protect usl Peace rest
his sowl! Widout school and wild good
free 'thumbing' and swearing-begging
pardon av the Lord av Oh countenance
the being too free in vain wild his houly
name-made sojers-sojers loike you an
me, Dan'l! An the evil av ut don't sthop
wild the recruities, fer ut's invadin av
ther young OFFICERS an shpoilin thin fer
shport, whispered Tim.
''Oi moind phwat you say. Tim. An
yez know Oi loike the lad, but moind
Olive no faith in the craytures, barrin
me own mother, who's been dead in Dir
land these twinty years. Well, he's
in the east. Wan day comes a photo
graph by mail, an he shows me the
sample av his goods-ut was fairer nor
one from Connaught, an the face has
taken good hould av him. Most beloike
ut's in part the pink letthers, for Olive
handled livery one av thin. There'll be
breaking away there, Tim, for he's as
loath to let go as pointer pup is to
dhrop hrs fust pigeon"
eve must deploy the lads affec-
tions, Dan'l. Av Oh had him fer bit
av brush on the bordher in skirmish
practice, wild dozen Mexican damsels,
he'd be all roight in less nor week"
''There the guard calling 12 o'clock
Oh must bunk in" said O'Leary.
can the mail not yit come? The
commanding OFFICER ull be afther sind
ing detachment for ut tomorrow,
Olive been thinking" said Coggins
''And av the divils are afther again
disthurbin the dignity av the mail
O'Leary's the lad ull be first Oh the de-
tail, or John Connor is no friend av
moine." (Connor was first sergeant of
K troop.) "Oi must bunk in," said
O'Leary. "Good noightP'
Good noight'' and O'Leary saun-
tered over to barracks by route known
best to himself and unfrequented by pa
trolls after midnight.
<
The duty was not exciting 1t might
prove only a 80 mile ride on his favorite
saddle horse across the weary, brown
desert under a grilling autumn sun, but
it was Hodgson's first detached service.
He was to ascertain the cause of delay
OF the mail, and riding along he tugged
at his fatigue blouse to see if the order
given him by the adjutant on leaving
the post was still in his pocket.
Hodgson was secretly glad of this
field service and welcomed it as par
tial escape from himself, for he was ex-
pecting an important letter-just how
important this story is written to show
and with expectancy, inaction and
heat he was getting nervous. Chris
topherson might have drunk native
brandy and be lying by the roadside, or
his mule might have gone lame, as had
happened beforo for the road from San