The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-06-08
CRANDALL'S MARCH.

y MANU-.
Tom Crandall, the orderly sergeant of
Company I, was a fine soldier and a fine
fellow as we'll, but he was something Of
a 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 I till they would have
welcomed marching orders for the north
pole as a release from the manual Of
arms and evolutions.
Nothing less than a surgeons order
would serve with Orderly Tom as an 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 a 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 a field
outside the guard lines.
Sentinels were duly instructed to per-
init all squads or companies in charge
of noncommissioned officers to pass out,
but under no other circumstances to al
low an enlisted man to leave the camp
without a pass, though all soldiers
might enter unquestioned.
Tom marched his company about a
hundred feet from the lines and had
just changed direction by the right flank
when his quick eye detected the two
skulkers stealthily emerging from the
quarters of Company Fl.
Company, haltp' instantly shouted
Tom. "You, Higgins and Stapleton, get
your equipments and fall in for drilli
Do you hear??"
Evidently they did hear, but instead
of obeying both started on the double
quick toward the cookhouse.
"In place, rest!'' shouted Tom to his
company. "Halt, there!'' to the skulk-
ers. But they quickened their pace.
Dropping his rifle into the hands of a
corporal, Tom started in pursuit. Across
the guard lines he sped to the cook
house, into which the two fugitives had
disappeared, and into which he also
quickly vanished.
Now, a large portion Of the members
of Company 1 were young fellows, rang
ing from II to % years of age, little
used to military restraints, while the
d%eprivations and dullness which they
were experiencing made them peculiar
ly eager for some sort of fun.
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 ace 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 COM
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-
Gus skulkers was greeted by the boys of
the company with first a shout of jeer-
ing laughter and then a 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 ranksr'
again commanded the orderly.
"Halt!" 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 pass!' gasped the aston
ished orderly. "Why not?"
"Orders," curtly replied the sentry.
"Orders! Well, what are your or
ders?"
"Oh, you know the orders well
enough" answered the sentry-''to let
nc enlisted man pass out of the camp
without a pass except noncommissioned
officers in charge of squads for drills"
"Well," exclaimed Tom triumphant
", 81 am a noncommissioned officer in
command of a company out for drill,
and there is my company, as you well
know"
Don't know nothin about that COM
pany. It's outside the lines, and you're
inside. Don't look much like a company
anyhow"
Indeed the sentinel's sarcastic allu-
sion to the company was justified, as
the men danced and roared and fairly
Rugged one another to see the difficulty
into which their stern sergeant had fall