The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-08
AT A MILITARY POST,


But it is October and everything
about the post is so lovely that the
twenty minutes can be enjoyably spent
in walking about and seeing the beau
ties of nature.
Just as 1 am turning to go to an old
blcck-house, whose cannon once she'll
ed the wild Indians from the woods
below, hear my name called and two
pretty girls come tripping up.
Did you come out to see paradox
they asked. why didn't you come up
to our quarters instead of waiting out
/ here alone? Didn't you know our num-
Der? Fifty-two and a half, please re-
member, and next time come up
And then the talk is so bright, or
the girls SO charming, or something,
that the twenty minutes go like so
many seconds. Already last calP' has
sounded, and "adjutant's CALL" and the
companies are swinging across the
company parade grounds and forming
battalions. Riding down the line from
Officers row. come the mounted Off
GERS, their white plumes waving in the
October wind.
The adjutant waves his hand to the
drum-major
Sound off, he says
The drum-major whirls his baton, the
band bursts into full play, and the en-
tire regiment comes marching down
upon us in solid column Of fours"
Come with US" say the girls, land
we will show you the best place to see
the march past
So we go scampering over the green
lawns half covered with fallen leaves
fence
Tramp, tramp, tramp, come the
steady feet. Now they are passing us.
Each four as even and solid as peice
Of steel, the whole moving Ike a ma
chine. In the middle of the first bat
talon are the colors. AS they pass, I
remove my hat They are faded and
worn and blood stained and tattered.
The old regiment has carried them
through many wars, the war Of 1872,
the Mexican war and the great civil
war. They have waved over hundreds
Of bloody fields They have been plant
ed on the walls Of the City of Mexico
and in the snow drifts Of the Pine
Ridge agency. The salute to the old
flag is one Of the most beautiful cere-
monies Of the army. Watch the or
oCI1ACo dLlo oCIlLI les ali lItC way uOW II
the line uncover or present arms
as Old Glory passes.
Aren't our flags beautiful" say the
girls.
Yes" I answer, your flags are
gloriousr'
The companies have formed on the
line marked by the little blue guide
flags.
Now comes the sounding eff" Was
there every anything like Sounding
| OFF," How the flies screech and the
+ drums roll! And then right after those
three long drawn last notes comes the
loud boom! of the sunset gun. The
| flag is sliding slowly down the tall
staff, and from the band came the
stirring, notes of the 'Star Spangled
Banner" If it is done right the flag
reaches the ground just as the last
note dies away. How closely the girls
watch the guard as they lower it to
the ground. The band stops, the flag
| is down, and the girls breathe free
again.
Don't you think that was very wei,
| dOne?" they ask.
And now the adiutant is galloping
| down to report "the parade is formed,
sir" to the old colonel who sits in
front of the tall white iron flag staff.
The colonel returns the adjutant's
salute, and drawing his saber, assume
command and puts the regiment
through the manual of arms
1t is o clock ard the sun is just set
ting in the golden west Everything is
gold, or red or brown. How the sun
! gllters from the bayonets and rifle
barrelSl How straight and solid looks
that blue linei If there is any prtriot-
ism in you 1t will make itself felt up
and down your spinal column. [ cal.
tell by the CLEAN in their eyes that
the girls have any amount of it. They
are watching papas company very
closely. OF course his is the best com
pany in the regiment, and the regi-
ment the best in. the service. 1.-The
dear old til, you know"
1.-The march past is the prettiest o.
all, say the girls.
And L think so too. Each company
marches company 'front.'" the officer
OF the company. What beautiful form
alton! What superb marching! Here
they come, straight across the parade
Now they are nearing the reviewing.
point.
Port arms" comes the order.
There is quick movement Of the
white-gloved hands, and every rifle
butt rests at the right hip and every
rifle barrel points across the left Shout
DER And then as the reviewing point
is passed back go the rifles to the
shoulder, and the companies swing into
fcurs and march to the company pa
rades.
Dismiss your companies" says The
colonel
And parade is over.
This is the way day ends at a mill
itary post. Is it any wonder that mill
tary life has charm for so many? The
girls tell me that all their lives they
have awakened in the morning to the
boom Of the sunrise gun, and gone to
sleep at night with the last notes of
TAPS" still ringing in their ears They
born in the army and have grown up
in 1t, and some day they will marry
into It,
AS I stand here and reflect the bugIes
are sounding the dinner call" Off
GERS and men are hurrying to their
quarters.
Their days work is over. But the pa
tent guard is still pacing up and down
His work is never ended. Day and
night forever and forever, the guard
with his loaded rife, is pacing up and
down. Try to cross the line ne guards
and bayonet is at your heart
The bugle call dies away and every
thing becomes still. From far across
the praires comes the nnournful toot-
tcot of a locomotive. The sun has
dipped behind the hills, and the post
street lamps glin1mer brightly in the
dusk that is commencing to steal over
all.
The wind comes in cool gusts from
the river, and the girls shiver a little,
but the color In their cheeks becomes
brighter
"Of course you'll come to dinner"
they say. Robertson Howard Jr.
Vietoria's Queer Hobby.