The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-03-08

est disturbed L--S@- AtAcl heuLraQfy, was
their chief 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 and hoped again TO form part.
This was Friday afternoon, and the
mail was overdue. The crowd had col
! Iected. awaiting its arrival. One could
hear the clatter of poker chips in the
eficers' club. Outside the general store
loom were gangs Of tethered bronchos.
and near them, lying in their shadows
for protection from the SUMS rays, 4
medley OF NANCY ours and pelon dogs,
painting with the heat, while stretched
ON the ground IN the shade Of the adobe
store was a motley crowd Of Mexicans
and Indians so unused to haste that pa
| tience and waiting were instinct, hard
| " habit
Hodgson. the junior subaltern of the
| cantonment, now galloped through the
group Of tethere6 ponies and flung the
reins Of his hot horse into the midst of
pack Of painting greyhounds that fol-
lowed and were soon crouching 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 mesa
He entered the traders store brusoue-
y. 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 months 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. It had
successfully made the same appeal each
| mail since HOdgson Joined the regi-
ment, 20 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'LeaTy, who
could hold his tongue. Coggins was
fond of the youngster, liking him a.
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-
sharing missives, coTupting 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
Torment, disturbing alike good COM
radeship, health and duty
CoSgins himself had been q soldier,
serving two enlistmcnts before getting
his leg shattered and shortened in an
Indian skirnaish. Since service he had
clerked some 90 years for Sullivan, the
trader, and seen scores Of youngsteTs
join from the Point at this frontier
breaking yard Some were now captains,
returning for their second tour Ct
| Arizona duty, with double bars we'll t;.-
nished- Frontier life eompels men &c
observation. so CCggins felt entitled e.
| his own opinions In the remeiIbrdpct
/ Of these veterans IN their calIcvT shave
tall 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, A" when, alone in the general bar
Of the traders store, they discussed the
''needs and tindincies av the service "
II
| them
''Oi'n tell you phwat ut is, Coggins,
ut's thin weekly mails un be sinding us
destruction yit, - said O'Leary.
And who would be knowing av that
beforeninst me. Tim? Don't Oh handle
livery ship av ut from the purity pink
notes that's decefving av the bhoy zp to
the ordhers for the commanding OFFICER
from the gineral av the arnIy?''
''Oi moind that We 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 sojerirg, ay some
av Thin had ut's ordering
An be drilling VIA DOCKS instead
av carbines. Oh Lear today there's an
ordher out for school, - added Coggins.
School Is ut? Schoolv' said Tim
cuts cooks palace G1ld camp cook and
camp herd guard they more be needing.
Before nor a week, Dan1, as Oh predict
on ut, the recruities'n be afther telling
men Ioike you an me phwat's sojering.
Gineral Harvey protect us! Peace resi-
his sowIi Widout school and wild good
free 'thumbing' and swearing-begginS
pardon ay the Lord ay Oh 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 Nv
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, barrln
me own mother, who's been dead IN Or
land these twinty years Well, he's
afther running it full tilt on some frock
in the east. Wan day comes photo
eraph 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 belolke
ut's in part the pink letthers, for On We
LondIad ivory one nv thin There'll be