Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-29

est disturbed their quiet neutrality, was
thelr chlef reaction, was the one slender
thread that connected these prisoners of
the desert with the world in which they
had been reared, had for awhile resign
ed aud hoped again to form a part.
This was Friday afternoon, and the
mail was overdue. The crowd had col
ected, awaiting its arrival. One could
ar the clattcr Ct poker chips in the
.icers' club Outside the general store
i)om were gargs of tethercd bronchos.
and near them, lying i'll their shadows
for protection from the san 5 rays, n
medley of NANCY ours and pelon dogs,
painting with the heat, while stretched
on the ground in the shade Of the adobe
store was u motley crowd of Mexicans
and Indians 20 unused to haste that pa
tience and waiting were instinct, hard
ly habit
Hodgson, the junior subaltern of the
cantonmeut new galloped through the
group of tethered ponies and flung the
reins of his hot horse into the midst of
pack of painting greyhounds that fol-
lowed and wero soon crout hing in the
scant shade OF the adobe wall against
which the Mexicans were lying. Hodg-
son was clad in service cords, jersey and
sombrero, for he had been chasing Jack
rabbits with greyhounds ON the me. a.
He entered the traders store brusque-
ly. Mail not in YETI he asked. "Ut
is not, lootenant, answered the trad
er's clerk from behind the lattice where
he sat working at the month 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
tho 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
snaring missives, corrupting alike to
rank and file, and believed they should
be prescribed from military correspond
ence or treated like mails from infested
districts, bringing maladies whose fires,
once lighted in the blood, will never
cease in the idleness of camp and can
tonment, disturbing alike good com
radeship, health and duty.
Coggins himself had been soldier.
serving two enlistments before getting
his leg shattered and shortened in an
Indian skirmish. Since service he had
clerked some 90 years for, Sullivan, the
trader, and seen scores of youngsters
join from the Point" at this frontier
breaking yard. Some were now captains,
returning for their second tour of
Arizona duty, with double bars well 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 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 the service. ="
At present the 'tindincies" displeased
| them.
"Oi'll tell you phwat at is, Coggins,
ut's thin weekly mails ull be sinding us
destruction yit, +" said O'Leary.
"And who would be knowing ay that
heforeninst me, Tim? Don't Oi handle
livery ship av ut from the purity pink
notes that's deceiving av the bhoy up to
the ordhers for the commanding orhcer
from the gineral av the army?"
"Oi moind that ye do, Dan'l, an ut's
divine service they'll be afther giving us
nixt-asking forgiveness av the Houly
Virgin for showing her Son disrespect--
an psalm singing for sojering, av some
av thin had ut's ordhering"
"An be drilling wild books instead
ay carbines Oh hear today there's an
ordher out for school, " added Coggins.
''School is ut2 SCHOOL, said Tim.
"Ut's cooks palace and camp cook and
camp herd guard they more be needing
Before nor week, Dan'l, as Oi predict
ON ut, the recruities'll be afther telling
men loike you an me phwat's sojering-
Gineral Harvey protect usl Peace rest
his sowli Widout school and wild good
free 'thumbing' and swearing--begging
pardon av the Lord av Oi countenance
the being too free in vain wild his houly
name--made sojers-sojers loike You an
me, Dan'l An the evil ay ut don e sthop
wild the recruities, fer ut's inyadin ay
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 craytnres, barTin
me own mother, who's been dead N Nir'
land these twinty years. Well he's
aftber running il full tilt ON some froek
In the east. Wan day comes photo
graph BY mail, AN no shows me the
sample aY his gO0ds--ut was falref nor