The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-16
AN ARMY STORY.

AA1t 4AItIl - NJ Il olU l.
Wilson Joined the battery at Fort Candy
little while before the territory of Wash.
ington became state. He had enlisted
at Seattle as recruit and was therefore
classed as a "prairie chicken" as soldiers
then were who took on' anywhere west
of the Mississippi We all had a good
many reasons for believing, however, that
/. Wilson was not quite 60 much of a recruit
as his Seattle enlistment record showed on
Its face. None Of us could remember hay.
ing soldiered with him anywhere, and his
face was unfamiliar to all. Nevertheless
from the day he arrived at Candy in charge
Of the Semitic batch of recruits of which,
according to the list he handed to the off.
Ger of the day. he was one-he carried HIM
self too much like q soldier to fool those Of
US who had been In the outfit long time.
Old Sergeant Fisher took the recruits
out to the parade ground the morning
after their arrival, to begin to lick them
into shape in the awkward squad Wilson
was among them. He tried hard to assume
the recruits clumsiness, but we could see
that the job was little too much for him.
Ao was too naturally graceful man in
his carriage for that and his shoulders
were too square AT the command of ex.
eoution he forgot himself every time and
stepped out with the left foot. A recruit
never does that 1t takes at least six
months to teach recruit that he il pos.
sessed of a left foot. Old Fisher gave "To
Ia g n 1
Wilson mapping. Alone of the squad, he
whirled on the ball of his left foot and
took step rearward, while the rest Of the
squad ignorantly plowed on. 1t was
bad give away, and Wilson'S dark, hand
some face flushed Old Fishers eye was
Rharp, If he had been eanteen sergeant for
six years.
Haiti" he commanded the squad of re-
cruits, and, in their own time, one by one
they halted. "Wilson, fall out" Wilson
fell out and for time stood by watching
old Fisher drill the rockies in the facings.
After awhile the sergeant, having brought
the squad to rest, walked over to Wilson,
looked him over for minute with a sort
of half siuile and said, "What's the usef''
None, said Wilson, probably seeing
that the gamo was up SO far as old Fisher
was concerned.
All the same not to make the officers
suspicious, the drill sergeant took Wilson
out with the awkward squad every day for
q time. 1t was a fine thing to see Wilson
handle his rife when the guns were dished
out to the rockies for tho first time. A
young lieutenant, fresh from West Point
happened to drop into the dayroom, and
hp gtp f,,r t.l Al,
men trying to got through the manual
His eye naturally drifted to Wilson, who
would have attracted attention in the mid
dio rank of a regiment, for he certainly |
was fine looking chup. Wilson was try
Ing to handle his gun as IL he had never |
seen one before We couldn't help but grin |!
as we stood around, although |
we were careful not to let the little West |
Point shave tail sec us do it, for we all |
liked Wilson and didn't want to see him
get into any trouble. Wilson tried SO bard |
TO make it appear that he ddn teven know
what ritle was made for that lie dropped
1t while the squad was standing at Il rifle
parade rest. 1t made tho DEVILS own elat-
Ter, and the little lieutenant 8 eyes snapped.
'Gawk!' he muttered, while Wilson,
red and nervous, reached out and picked
up the gun.
Attention" shouted the drill sergeant.
Wilson alone Of the batch was like u ram
cd before the echoes of the command died
way in the dayroom.
fright shoulGer-humsw Wilson $ gun
amo to his shoulder with snap, tho three
movements perfect, while the other fell
ows Of the squad were sluggishly coming
o port, present, carry, everything
tut right shoulder
tix-hay -o-nets" Wilson's was fixed
With the rapidity and precision of an ex-
ert
"Wellr' said the little lieutenant under
is breath, as he turned away with kind
I puzzled twinkle in his eye.
Wilson was put to duty the next day and
aught commanding officers orderly the
rst time he went ON guard. All of us
Tho occupied hunks in the old timers
quad room had to confess that Wilson was
slime soldier as we had ever seen.
None OF us ever asked him what outfit
had been in before he came to our lay
ut as recruit. Wilson was very quiet
IAN, we'll educated-we used to see him
aiding queer looking books in foreign
nguages, as he lay ON his bunk on rainy
we didn't care to bother
IN with questions. 1t was none of our
asted business, anyhow. A young whelp
q rookie was watching Wilson daddyaek
IS cartridge belt one day, and, like the
Up that he was, he said so that the other
llows In the room could hear him: {
"Oho, but hasn't Wilson done that a !
of times before, I'd just like to knowl"
One Of us reached over, caught the cub
the scruff of the neck and dropped him {
or the banisters Of the double decker ,
larters. Wilson said nothing, although :
ere was an odd sort of CLEAN in his black
es. There were no illusions to his past '
ter that, you can bet. Z
Fort Candy is beautiful, gloomy post. 9
Is at the mouth of the Columbia river, 6
der the shadow Of the mountain that U
ms the extremity of Cape Disappoint- 8
mt Oh, but the Pacific batters wildly, =
Idly at those black rocks In the quar- q
8 we could always hear the roar of the o
!. The sound used to break some of us O.
little, kind Of at night, after the u
hts went ont I don't know why. The
is mournful anyhow, l think. A hun
ID salmon fishermen from Astoria and
Waco got upset and drowned on that B
liked Columbia bar while we were there d.
Veil, anyhow, Wilson used to spend pi
rly all of the time that he wasn't on b.
~ down by the sea. He had big fe
gon tattooed on his knotty left arm DE-
barkentine In three colors on his pc
asst. Besides, he knew great deal as
ut Japan and South America, as some 70
10 found out without being inuuisitiye Ia