Evening star., 1896-02-29

therefrom fell upon the red-hot stove with
an fncense-like effect that was charming.
to 1t. And how marked was the increase
In gayety Of nations when one member of
the party UNNAMED because of his rank),
who objected to the odor of twice-burned
candle grease, so readjusted the candles
that the drip from the leakiest of the three
fell, unobserved for time, into one of his
overshoes, located near the stove that it
might dry.
Campfire Stories.
Lieut. Cavenaugh started the story-tell-
ing ball a-rolling by mentioning the pet
kitten of Fort Robinson, which at the time
Of its adoption was christened ''Ben,' in
honor of Ben. Paddock, then post trader.
After it had become feature of the gar
rison 1t proved to be not that kind of
cat, so Its name was changed to ben
Hur," which made everything harmonize.
That brought forth q reminiscence of an
army officer, now dead, VINO rose from the
ranks to shoulder straps. A hkely-appear-
ing young man, sturdy and evidently ac-
customed to manual labor, his captain con-
cluded that the recruit was precisely the
person needed to assist in the maintenance
of cleanliness and comfort in his-the cap
tain s household; good material for a
s.Tlker. sVa, or in plain terms. a servant.
tomorrow, said the captain to the ''rukie,'
and at the appointed hour the rukie re-
ported, with no testimony on his visage
lEdl ue entertained IDEAS IN any way at
variance with those of his troop COM
mander.
Now you shall help me in my garden"
said the captains wife. when the soldier
mad announced himself. What do you
know about gardening?"
Nothing, mum"
well. you can learn; it's very easy. You
can start out by pulling all the weeds out
of that big flower bed;'' the pride of the
pest that bed was.
Which are the weeds, mum?" was the
meek inquiry; and when the differences
had been explained to him he was per-
mltted to proceed without supervision. An
hour later the new striker tramped up
to the door of the captains quarters and
reported to the captains wife that his
TASK had been completed. The lady was
delighted. You are most Industrious"
she exclaimed; Il shall have to speak
pleasantly of you to the captain, for I did
not expect you to get through until noon"
Then she skipped out to the bed and dis
covered that every flower had been ruth
less!y torn up by the roots while every
weed was untouched. She screamed and
sobbed, and otherwise behaved herself like
one in deep distress She threatened the
military law, and abused him volubly. To
all of which he imperturbably responded
Did L make mistake, num-" while the
sufferers tears broke forth anew His
unfitness as a striker having been de-
veloped the recruit did duty with his troop
and after awhile achieved a commission.
Col. Randlctfs Watermelon.
"Once in year or two" suggested one
of the crowd, "the ignorance is by no
means assumed. Col. Randlett could tell
you about cook who was in his service;
one of the most verdant specimens of the
Irish race ever transported to American
soil. The incident occurred at south
western post, where the colonel was in
command. Some one had sent in a fine
watermelon, ripe and almost as rare in
ttat region as the proverbial hens teeth.
The paymaster was at hand, so the water
n nelon was saved as an especial treat. En-
gagged in preparing the feast, the Milesian
chef asked sergeant who chanced to be
passing, how watermelon was served and
he, being good deal of a wag, said that
sometimes they were boiled, but generally
they were put on the table in a raw condi-
ton.
&" I'm quite sure the captain (the c. O.
was a captain them likes them raw con-
t1ued the sergeant. You know how to fix
the dish? No! Well, you cut the melon in
two, scoop out all the red stuff you find in
side and throw it away, pare the green off
thin strips. That's the finest eating any
body ever tackled
Just what happened when the melon
was put on the table is not public property
Col Randlett smiles grimiy when question:
ed about it; the paymaster is even more
the unfortunate descendant of the
kings of Ireland says nothing, except TO
remark IN general way that Some officers
know do lose their temper entirely widout
s nShnt pro-vo-cation' "
The Red Cow Campaign.
great snorting and stir among the
mules and horses having suggested the ap-
proach of a wild animal-a little black bear |
said the tracks next morning-several per
Sonal "reminiscences came up and were duly |
discussed. OF these the most thrilling was |
the contribution of Private jackson Lewis. |
one of the frest-lookny soldiers in Capt. |
Days troop. Lewis served in the Pine |
Ridge campaign of 1S9O-'31, and probably |
missed as few meals as anybody in the |
field I1e is an expert foraser and can find |
things to eat in places where the average |
man would starVe. Several small de1ach- |
ments of the ninth Were out looking for |
dead or otherwise damaged Indians after |
the fight at Wounded Knee. Frequently |
these Indians were found In the little /
-'shacks' occupied by friendly Ogallalas |
until the turbulent I.rules came along ard |
drove the proprietors oar. and sometimes a |
wounded red man would make an effort 10 |
Kill at least one member of a searching |
party. The shacks were, therefore, ap- |
preached most carefully.
There were two OF lis in the searching |
business that morning. said Lewis "an1 |
We were Doth anxious to find 4 house with |
in 1t. Several of our boys had !
picked up nice little trinkets and knew of |