The herald., 1894-10-21

hear the clatter of poker chips in the
officers club. Outside the general store
room were gangs Of tethered bronchos.
and near them, lying in their shadows
Tor protection from the suns rays,
medley of NANCY ours and pelon dogs,
painting with the heat, while stretched
on the ground in the shade of the adobe
stcAs was motley crowd of Mexicans
and Indians SO unused to haste that pa
thence and waiting were instinct, hard
ly habit
Hodgson, the junior subaltern of the
cantonment, now galloped through the
group of tethered ponies and flung the
relns 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 bad been chasing jack
rabbits with greyhounds on the mesa.
He entered the traders store brusque-
ly. mail not in yet?' he asked. "Ut
is not, lootenant, answered the trad
er's clerk from behind the lattice where
he sat working at the month g 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
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 cam
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 slirmish Since service he had
clerked some 20 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 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 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 ut is, Coggins,
ut's thin weekly mails ull be sinding us
destruction yit," said O'Leary.
"And who would be knowing av that
beforeninst 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 OFFICER
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 ordering"
"An be dhrilling wild books instead
av carbines. Oh hear today there's an
ordher out for school,, added Coggins.
''School is ut? SCHOOL," said Tim.
"Ut's cooks palace and camp cook and
camp herd guard they more be needing.
Before nor 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 us! Peace rest
his sowl! Widout school and wild good
free 'thumbing' and swearing-begging
pardon av the Lord av OF countenance
the being too free in vain wild his houly
name-made sojers-sojers loike you an
me, Dan'll 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 Oh loike the lad, but moind
Olive no faith in the craytures, barrin
me own mother, who's been dead in Orr
land these twinty years. Well, he's
afther running it full tilt on some frock
in the east. Wan day comes 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
nt'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 a, pointer pup is to
dhrop his fust pigeon. -
"We must deploy the lads affec-
tions, DanL Av Oh had him fer bit
av brush on the bordher in skEmish
practice, wild a dozen Mexican damsels
he'd be all roight in less nor q week -
'There' g the guard calling / 2 clock.
Oi must bunk in,' said O'Leary.
can the mail not yit come? The
commanding OFFICER ull be afther sind
ing a detachment for ut tomorrow,
Dive been thinking, - said Copeins.