The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-12-28

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HTL1HSIjHs could swear to it before
MTvSEtX ing only an adjutant,
MSG swear at it, and SO keep
\NN on even terms with his
.hief He bottled his wrath, as he did
the coloners commentaries, and kept
them both for future emergencies. A
relic of the Wanted old dragon days
was the colonel; one of the fast vanish
ing lot of hard-riding, hard-fighting,
and sometimes hard-swearing cam
paigners who had learned their trade
under masters of the art long years be-
fore the war. He had crossed the Llano
Estacado and camped on the Mimbres
and chased the Navajoes when Nava-
ioes were monarchs of the southwest
cfn plains, were bellicose not bucolic,
raised sheol instead Of sheep-a state
mont otherwise expressed by Kit Car
son, q keen scout and a keener judge
of aboriginal nature, who said that
when they were not raising hell or ha'r
in equal proportions the NavaJocs were
either dead or asleep. We were having
campaigns ten times more thrilling in
point of incident, ten time fiercer in
point of fighting and casualties, ten
times tougher in point of hardship and
privation-and the food we lived on
than those of the Navajo days, to be
sure, but the colonel would have it the
service wasn't to be mentioned along
side that to which he had been ac-
customcd when they secuted with
Kcarney or Fauntleroy and rode races
with the Mounted Rifles at Albuquerque
and Santa Fe. "They made cavalry
men in those days." said he. Then
with gloomy reference to the losses Of
the summer just gone by: "Now they
only kill 'em, and this set of summers
they are sending out to recruit us is
only at to be killed, anyhow. Why
the devil did you send me such
wooden-headed idiot for an orderly on
this day of all others?" he demanded
of his staff officer. "Why, he couldn't
speak English!''
Now, when the colonel began to ask
questions and invite explanations we
all knew that he had, measurably at
least, blown off his wrath; was begin
ming to regret anything sharp he had
said; was penitent, and wanted to be
Modified and forgiven and taken into
good fellowship again. Nobody knew
this better than the adjutant, or pre-
sumed on it more. At this stage of the
proceedings Bob became downright i'm
pudent. But his brown eyes twinbled
with fun as he stood facing the colonel
and waiting for an opportunity to
speak.
mo, sir; he couldn't speak word Of
English" repeated the colonel.
"We-ell," said Bob, refectively, SIT
wasn't civil service examination 1 was
running. He was the cleanest man on
guard, and your orders are
''Chen send me the dirtiest so long rs
impetuously. "What I want in an
orderly is just what don't want in an
adjutant-a man who can repeat what
say, and not think"
"Well, anybody ought to be able to
do that, SIR" began the adjutant, with
u twitch under the heavy thatch of his
moustache.
"Wpit till get through, young
man." interrupted the colonel again,
impressively; "then you may be as
harmless as you know how. What 1
need in an adjutant is one who can
think and not say anything-except
when 1 tell him to. Now, you sent me
q Dutch doll that couldn't even squawk
in English. He called me names in
some foreign lingo"
''Well, you wouldn't want him to do
it in English, would you, coloncl?'
Wouldn't? didn't-d-n it! where
are your wits this morning. Gray? He
he-what was it he called me, Fallon?'
sounded like O-burst; was all I
heard, SIR" said the quarternaster,
uncomfortably. But Sergt. Stein says
that's only the double Dutch for
colonel"
Mr.. Gray's eyes were dancing now.
81 never saw the man before in my
life, colonel" said he. HE came with
that big batch of recruits the other
day. Manning's first sergeant marched
him on. He looked spick-span neat
and clean and intelligent-byl long odds
the trimmest and most soldier-li]te fell
low ON guard"
s'Not excepting the officer of the day
and adjutant, I suppose" interposcd
the colonel.
mo exceptions whatever, sir. In
deed, not excepting any man in the
whole command, from the colonel uI
Il mean down. You were saying yes
terday that the only way to tell real
cavalrymcn from recruits was that we
looked like jayhawkcrs and they like
Jew-store dummies. Still, 1 though,
the sight of q man clean shaved, with
buttons and buckles polished, would
please your eyes after all this cam
paign's mud, SO sent him. OF course
if he could only call you names il
Dutch I'm sorry, and will see tina,
you're properly looked after next time.
But even ''Old Tintop" began to sec
the fun under the sedate gravity of the
adjutant's words
''Copfound you for a young rascal
What have You been making me say
anyhow? Come back here, Fallon, anG
stop your laughing, too, sirl You're {
nice pair to plar n on your old Wha
do you want, sire"
Turning suddenly, he addressed i,
ragged, tatterod, hungry-lool1ing part,
in hanting-shirt, buckskin breeche,
and Shoshone leggins, standing attcn
ton before the colorers ''shack--h,
had no tent-with bare brown hant
raised to his rusty brown carbiae i,
salute.
"I'm ordered to report to the colone
a. tho dirtiest man on guard, SIR" wa
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