Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-04-15
LIVING OUT The POTATOES.

EWING OUT THE POTATOES.
An Old Soldiers "Reminiscences of an
Event In Army Life.
Sometimes" said the old SOL
der, I'VE got considerable many
potatoes and then again we wouldn't
have any at all for weeks, very
likely nothing but hard bread and
coffee and pork and may be corned
beef, and perhaps beans, but wheth.
or we got them often or seldom po-
tatoes yer always more or less Of
a luxury.
ut was likely to be known in the
company when we had potatoes.
When we had something the men
didn't care anything about, or some
thing that we had been having right
along, 1t might be that not more
than half the men would get into
line at the cooks tent or at the fire
when the call sounded. There was
sure to be enough-there might be
some men who wouldn't want their
ration at all-and you would see
men struggling across the company
street, toward the fire singly and, lat
or, carrying theirtin plate and NOV
ing leisurely. No hurry. They were
quite willing to take their place at
the end Of the line, and, in fact, they
didn't try to get there until the line
had been pretty nearly all served,
80 that they wouldn't have to wait
long, and they wouldn't have cared
much il it had been all gone when
they got there. But on days when
we had potatoes it was different.
Then the whole company turned out
promptly and formed in line, F lie
file, the right resting on the coa1's
tent and the whole line moving FOR
ward as the men got their ratios.
There was no greater test of a
cooks management than the way
awhieh b gave out potatoes, and
the man who coui6S-do this to the
satisfaction of everybody# a
good deal Of a man. Is was impos-
sible to give everybody exactly the
same quantity, but an effort to get
as near to this as possible, a spirit.
Of fairness, was recognized instant
" and nobody expected more. The,
potato he got might not be so big
by a quarter as the one he saw put
on the plate Of the man ahead Of
him, but he said nothing. Somebody
mad got to have the other potato,
and it might just as likely have
come to him.
but something more than fair
ness was requiredto5 give out the POI
tatoes successfully. A man had got
keep the run of what he had
ven out and the number of men
lpplied and have some idea of the
lumber of potatoes left and of the
lumber Of men to come. He could
i've himself some margin by ,issu-
ng the big potatoes generally first.
On q pinch, along at the end, he,
oould give out to three. or four men
g. single one Of the biggest of,the
I,mallar potdtoes insteadsdf two
1t he must know whether there
r any men who had not come
ct and whether they We're likely
turn up or not, and he must keep
e!runsof all these thingsswithout
piping to think, as he forked up
potatoes from the camp kettle
lput them on the plates held out
him by the men as they passed.
generally he came out.iust
SS Morgthan once have known
to5put the last potato on the
mans plate.
BUT he did not always bring
gs out with that nicely. / have
vn as many as three men on the
ga line to be left without any
es-all gone. Well, now, there
situation-no potatoes issued
lonth before and none likely
sued for a month again. Here
re, all the other men in the
: eating potatoes at that
and none for them. You
" we'll describe just how
feel, but they never said a
hey looked at the cook and
looked at them. It was a
alton, and that was all
to it. The cook had given
n potatoes and had none
,lf, and the three men walk
the company street, look
r to the right nor to the
o their tents, and ate hard
a day when all around
was filled with luxury"
k Sun.
70 Only Exception.
xsutawney Spirit tells Of
ltleman in Jefferson coun-
NJ hod ,Ior~n tho ;,,d;o;o1