The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-06-15
FROM THE RANK
EXPERIENCES OF A BOY WHO WON
SHOULDER STRAPS.
How Americas Tommy Atkins Is
Drilled Into shape for Efficient
Service-SOme Amusing Customs of
the Boys in Blue.

My father had been an officer during
the war, and at the age of nineteen |
was fully resolved to become an officer,
if possible. There are every year from
sixty to seventy vacancies among the
commissioned officers of the army. OF
these the graduates of West Point take
all but a dozen or so, which are re-
served for meritorious young men
from the ranks.
Now, my district was already repre-
scented at West Point by IA bright
young fellow, who was sure to grad
uate, but had two years of the course
vet before him. 1t was no use to wait
for him. Two years at my age were
precious, and at the end of them /
would have no surety of being ap-
pointed. The only alternative was to
enlist n work my way up. 1t was
a pretty hard thing to do, | thought,
but the game was worth the candle.
Two days later, gripsack in hand, |
walked into the adiutant's office at a
large military post a few hundred
miles from home. and meekly said l
wanted to be a soldier.
| was Immediately asked a whole
string of questions, the answers to
which covered not only every detail of
my existence, but gave an extended
account of my ancestors. Then / vas
sen to the doctor.
That worthy asked me some more
questions, thumped and pounded me
after the I'M of the massage treat
ment, and then proceeded to train me
for athletics by having me run jump,
and go through a series of gymnaStic
exercises. When the programme Vas
finished the doctor said | would do,
and / was Immediately taken back to
the adiutant and sworn in.
In u Government Straight"
A day or two after enlisting the first
sergeant of the company to which |
had been assigned issued me a uni
form or. as the soldiers call it, gov
eminent straight" Arrayed in that
uniform l was q sight. The trousers
were high water" the coat 100 long
and the shoes. or 'bull hides" made
me think l was wearing clogs. The
cap was of the high variety known in
the barracks as ''two-story." When a
man has been in the service a few
months his figure s%traightens and fills
out by gymnastics and drills, and he
finds out Just what sizes of clothing
will fit him. If he is inclined to be Il
dude he can draw the material and
nave his clothes made by the COM
pany tailor. He also finds out that he
can reduce the altitude of his cap by
putting it under his mattress and
sleeping upon it.
A ROCKY" or recruit, acquires an
other thing besides a good figure from
his outdoor exercise, and that is a ire
mendous appetite. The soldiers have
a set of words for mess call:
Porky,. porky, porky, without any lean;
Soupy, soupy, soupy. without any bean;
Coffee, coffee, coffee, without any
cream.
But this doggerel must have been
composed years ago, when rations
were not so abundant, for | found
plenty of good, wholesome food,
though plain, and perhaps not so well
served as at D~elmOnicofs. The sol
diers have a name for every dish.
Stew is 'slum.' Hash in full dress"
is a rolypoly with hash inside. There
are other names quite as amusing per-
haps. but not to be mentioned in polite
society. BuUter Is not IL part III llc
ration, and under the explanation that
an equivalent in money is paid each
man by the captain, it is customary
for each ''rooky" to be sent to his
captain for his ''butter money! The
captain smiles and makes no attempt
to find out who sem him. The "rooky'
feels very cheap when he finds out
that he has been imposed upon.
Amenities of the Barracks.
A company of soldiers, some sixty
odd men, is quartered in a building
| called Il barrack. The s~ergeants and
corporals have separate rooms, the pri-
Yates occupy from one to four rooms,
usually up stairs. The "rooky's' bed
will be placed in the worst part of the
dormitory. which is at the head of the
stairs. There he gets the full benefit
of the draught, and when a comrado
comes home in the middle of the night
a bit the worse for pay day the bed is
a convenient resting place whereon the
aforesaid comradc may gather fresh
strength to reach his wv corner.
There is one rule of barrack life as
unvarying as the laws of the MedeS
and Persians. Any mar coming i'll
after lights are out must remOve his
shoes at the door. A violation of this