Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-20

fA1 :, when the spread was
|. ! ! ! ! !:
H3SSMsnn MihiItiMHA brought in. 1t is a
ESzV2M IVA < bachelor rule in the
.kyKW4iXN\ \ Blank Infantry te
lEyMMStfMl M\ have six men for a
IHNTZgS|lAyIN NM whist party, so that
NlAT Jhhe while four play cards
WNWUl the odd two may pre-
EM VI pare soothing concoc-
SV lions to offset the
MI Fort Barrenall tenn
perature-hot concoc-
items for winter and cool ones for summer.
1t is good rule, and the Blank are stick
lers for their old customs. They say this is
what makes the Blank better than other
regiments, but, of course. that is matter
of regimental feeling. If the youngsters
who join the Blank bring with them the
large idea self-importance engendered while
upper classmen at the Point, they have an
exceedingly hard row to hoe, but the ex-
ceedingly close-mouthed youth named
Crossing, who was giving the whist party.
was youngster beyond his years. He had
Joined only the year before, but he had
brought with him the faculty of never ex-
pressing an opinion; in fact,he rarely spoke
unless it was absolutely necessary. Off
cially he was as correct as the regulations
themselves, and by keeping silent and not
exposing his ignorance on outside affairs,
he rapidly acquired reputation for learn
ing and brilliancy. He thought four times
before he spoke once, and this gave him
time to choose words that would express
his exact meaning. For these reasonS-and
some others-Crossing stood hand in glove
with the older officers of his regiment, but
some of them shook their heads and said 1t
was only a question of time until he would
go to pieces.
Had there been no Crossing in the Blank,
this story would not have been written.
No one else-even had he discovered the
clue to Barrenall's mystery-could have I'M
folded 1t before the colonePs eyes with the
nicely and precision of Crossing. Another
man would have blurted the thing out and
in the time lost by needless red tape the
culprts would have been warned. Perhaps
Crossing knew this; perhaps it was merely
his way of doing things.
Ordinarily the officers of the Blank do
not talk shop at their whist parties, but on
this occasion the conversation was SO inter
woven with "reminiscences that the slSnt
departure from their customs was allowed
Perhaps the soothing connections brought
on the talk, for the liquor question has al
ways been the worry of the post. fort
Barrenall the station of the Blank, Is IN
the center of an Indian reservation, and
the state that incloses the reservation is
one whose laws do not countenance the
sale of intoxicants. Thus ,doubly guarded,
one would suppose that liquor would be
scarce at Barrenall, but alas such is not
the case, for. despite the utmost vigilance
on the part of the commanding officer. the
Indian agent and the state authorities,
soldiers and Indians alike get drunk as
often as they please. Now, drunkenness Is
expected of a soldier, but the nation In
congress assembled has decreed that for its
wards, the Indians. intoxicants are wrong
and not to be tolerated.
The regimental quartermaster, who was
one of the six whist players. was telling
how he discovered his painters draining
the turpentfne from the paint in order to
get a stimulant. This of course, was at a
time long past pay day. when the painters
had no money to buy whisky direct. Then
the adjutant of the regiment told why one
of the best clerks in his office always
passed his work to another clerk when 1t
was necessary to rule in any red lines
IF allowed him red ink" said the adju-
tant. "he would kill himself drinking it,
The man in charge of the Indian scouts
said that in the absence of whisky the red
mans preference was for favoring eX-
tracts. And, said he, you have no idea
of the condition in which a man can get
himself by drinking vanilla"
Il once had a case in my company"
chimed in an old captain. that baffied the
hospital corps. The man had worked in a
distiilery before his enlistment. and one
day my first sergeant reported to me that
this man was crazy from drink. l told the
sergeant to send him to the guard house,
but 1 thought afterward that it would be
better to go to the barracks and take a
look at the man myself. By the time 1
got there six men were holding the poor
wretch down while the post surgeon ex-
amined him. 1 pass over the details be-
cause they are not pleasant but when the
surgeon finally reported him out of danger
l learned that the poor devil had rugged up
a homemade still and had got black,
poisonous liquid from CASTLE soap. Yes,
sir. from CASTLE soap; and from what 1
know of a soldiers love of drink" con-
tinued the old captain. Il think the COM
handing officer had better give up his at
.-l,., THyr.
is not so injurious as red ink or CASTLE
soap; and, besides, the parties who are
selling the stuff here are too clever to be
caught"
quietly, IF the colonel would let me do it
in my own way"
How would you do it?' asked the adju-
tant.
cigars around. A smile in case like this
means something just a trife more bril-
liant, more profound, than the wisest an
swer you, the questioner, can imagine. 1t
makes You feel very foolish to have asked
such question, and gives you great re-
spect for the wisdom of the other party.
The morning after the card party the
commanding officers orderly presented the
commanding officers compliments to Lieut..
Crossing and said that the commanding
officer would like to see him at the office.
MIR. Crossing" said the colonel when
the young man obeyed the summons ''you
men who are selling whisky at this post,
and. if possible, how they get the stuff
here
No one but Crossing would have received
such a free lance order from the old COL
onel.
Il shall have to go to Dellman," said the
young man. going straight to the point,
land I shall need a ron-commissioned Off
Ger and one private
every WELL" answered the colonel; turn
their names in to the adjutant. and l will
see that you have all possible help
Il shall leave today with the canteen
wagons" continued Crossing; land when
I return / shall send a man to your quar-
ters sir. He will have something to tell
Then the colonel began to wonder how it
would all end. Probably some man in Del
man had an inkling of the Illicit business,
and Crossing was going to bring him to
the post. But why was he going to ride on
the canteen wagon? True, this was one of
the wagons that would bring the grocery
orders and express packages from the rail-
read to the post, but no one could smuggle
whisky in those wagons, for every box was
examined, and it was loaded on at the sta
ton and opened by an officer when it ar
rived at the post.
AS a matter of fact, what puzzled the
colonel most was how any one could get
liquor into the post. OF course, twas easy
to sell when once it was there, but Bar