Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-11

/F8 BW1 reminiscent MOOD,
$SS NS that makes one love
~ to sit and sip and
puff and talk lazly of pleasant memories.
Presently a captain Joined them, then some
first neutenants who wanted to be captains.
and later on all the bachelors strolled over
from the mess. The moon was coming up
over the buttes. the warm air was full of
the fragrance of spring. and after a from
tier winter spring and all the signs and
rumors of spring are pleasant subjects to
dwell upon.
aside from the additional pleasures de-
rived from the use of the clubs call BELL"
said the adjutaRt slowly, this reminds me
very much of a West Point evening in
June. just after the examinations. when a
cadet has nothing to do but dream Of a
summer of happy idleness."
And the fun he is going to have with
the plebes." put in the more practical
quartermaster.
There is something In that too" as
Sented the adjutant.
Then there was a long pause. Every one
was thinking of the days when he receiv-
ed his first lessons in the art of war. 1t
had been hard work and very little fun,
but now everything but the fun was for
gotten.
You KNOW" said the adjutant finally.
when I received my appointment to the
Military Academy, the one paper Of my
native hamlet devoted quarter of col
umn to paint my military future. They
praised my supposed brightness in getting
the appoin tment, styled me the future
Napoleon. and intimated that Keokuk,
Ohio would be celebrated in history as the
birthplace of great warrior. Every one
In town looked at me with pride. and the
editor and general news gatherer of the
paper rushed across the street to speak to
me. But oh, how I cussed that editor after
wards. For by some unlucky chance, this
paper was sent to my predecessor at the
ha fat arin crir
ton, and before graduation gave it to
lower classman. Well, I reported at the
academy, and after a week of preliminary
torture, l was sent with some seventy
brother unfortunatss to plebe camp, plac-
ed in a little tent with two fellows who
were equally as green as I was, and told
one hundred different things about keep
ing the tent in order. I'll never forget my
first night in that tent Just after return
ing from our evening meal, I thought 1
would write home and tell my people that
West Point was not all it was cracked up
to be, but before I could put the pen In the
ink, in rushed an upper classman. OF
course. I knew enough to jump up and
stand at attention my fins turned out, and
my eyes rigidly fixed on an imaginary spot
thirty yards in front of me. My visitor
eyed me first from one side, tssn from the
other. Are you Mister Newell?' he asked
In sepulchral voice. I murmured a weak
affirmative, and he rushed out of the tent
and shouted, I have found him. and a
number of voices responded in a forced
mates; as each one passed me, he saluted
and my tormentor howled at me to return
the salutes. One man laughed as he passed
me, and he was warned of untold numbers
of double step, and then sent out to come
in and go through the performance proper
ly. A fool laughs at his own foolishness
they say, but the one thing that kept me
from bursting out was the uncertainty as
to what was to follow.
The PIebe's Ordeal.
1fEina1ly oil NV falIau-plabas ,,,5o ,
proper entrance into the tent; the upper
classman faced them and raised his hand
as signal. Sire chorused the plebes, on
whose training the upper classman had la
bored all the afternoon; Sire said they,
looking at me. have We your majesty's
permission to be seated? One man back in
the corner of the tent laughed at this but
good dose OF the old second exercise soon
took the humor out of him, and then the
performance was resumed At the COM
mand of the upper classman 1 gave the de-
sired permission to sit Mister Newell
said the ghostly voice Of the tormentor
these plebes have been bothering me ali
afternoon. They want to hear the wonder
full story of your future. Mister Newell
Here he produced that awful clipping from
the newspaper. Take that he continued
and read it With appropriate gestures The
article began like this-Fll remember every
word of 1t to my dying day-'John T. New
ell IN iuck-Congressman Blakely has ap-
IL,
John T. Newell, to cadetship at West
Point. We congratulate you, John, and
predict that in a few years this little town
will be celebrated as the place wherein Won
first saw the light of day. Go forth to
glory; a brilliant career awaits you; and
when, in future years, you lead your coun-
try's army to glorious victories, &c. &c,
&C. Well, I began to read the thing AT
every second or third word 1 was compelled
to make some kind of a gesture, and az
every gesture my suffering audience was
commanded to applaud. Whenever any
Gre laughed ha was taken outside, his mirth
vented through vigorous continuance of
one of the setting up exercises, and then
we had to start at the beginning again. In
front of the open tent stood a crowd of
grinning upper classmen. Again, on the
following evening, l thought I would write
home, but brother plebe brought me word
that a first classman over in D company
wanted me. I presented myself at his tent
found my former audience of classmates,
and, much to the amusement of several
first classmen, the performance of the pre-
ceding evening was repeated. And for the
two months that encampment lasted I
counted every night happy one when no
one sent for me to deliver my speech on
myself. The unfortunate audience had been
trained to go through their parts, but, like
all other West Point haZing. this afforded
fun to both sides, and my audience of class
mates bore me no ill-will. But I'll never
forget the lines Of that newspaper clipping
nor the spread-eagle gestures I had to
make after every few words"
Taking Down Ones Conceft.
Speaking Of having ones conceit taken
down." said Capt. Beckley, when our class
was sent into camp every first and third
classman selected one of us to act as his
special dutyman, to carry water for him.
arrange his tent and run errands for him.
Zone day 1 was sent with some tobacco to
a first classmal who was in confinement
Tobacco being contraband, and priced &C
cordingly, I naturally expected that the
man to whom l was sent would be glad to
get it, and would receive me with open
arms. He was lying on his bedding when
1 gave him the coveted material for his CT
garette. What's your name?' he growled.
told him, commencing my answer with a
mister and ending 1t with respectful sir.
He growIed out the request for my native
state, and gave it with the same respect
full sir attached. He leaped from his bed.
and paced the floor of the tent in assumed
distress. In all Connecticut he finally
said couldn't they find better man than
you to send to West Point?'"
Did you ever make love to a broom
stick?'' inquired one of the younger lieuten-
ants. THAT was one of the masterpieces
of humor in my day. When I reported to
the cadet officers 1 was asked if 1 were
spooney man, and promptly said that l
was not. Then you need practice said
yearling corporal. Just take that broom