The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1897-03-31
AN ARMY

Wilson Joined the battery OF Fort Candy
a little while before the territory of Wash.
ington became a state. He had enlisted
at Seattle as a recruit and was therefore
classed as u '~'prairie chicken" as soldiers
then were who "took on anywhere west
of the Mississippi. W all had a good
many reasons for believing, however, that
as his Seattle enlistment record showed on
Its face. None Of US could remember nav.
ing soldiered with him anywhere, and his
face was unfamiliar to all. Nevertheless.
from the day he arrived at Candy In charge
of tile Seattle batch of recruits-of which,
according to the list he handed to the off
Ger of the day, ne was one-he carried him
self too much like a soldier to fool those OF
us who had been In the outfit q long time
Old Sergeant Fisher tool 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. Flo tried hard to sum
the recruits clumsiness, but we could zee
that the Job was n little too much for him..
Ho was too naturally graceful a man in
his carriage for that and his shoulders
were too square. At the command Of ex-
ecution 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 a recruit that he Ia pos
sessed Of u left foot. Old Fisher gave "To
the rear. marohl' suddenly, and 1t caught
Wilson mapping. Alone of the squad, he
whirled on the ball Of his left foot and
o II step rearward, while the rest of the
squad ignorantly plowed On. 1t was a
bad give away and Wilson's dark, hand
some face flushed. Old Fishers eye was
sharp, II no had been canteen sergeant for
six years.
"Haltr' he commanded tho squad of re-
cruits, and, In their own time, one by one,
they halted. Wilson, fall out" Wilson
fell out and for Il time stood by watching
old Fisher drill the rockies In the fscings.
After awhile the sergeant, having brought
the squad to n rest, walked ovur to Wilson,
looked him over for a minute with a sort
Of half smile, and said, whats the use9"
None" said Wilson, probably seeing
that the game was up 30 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
a time. 1t was a fine thing to see Wilson
handle his rifle when tho guns were dished
out to the rockies for the first time. A
young lieutenant, fresh from West Point,
happened to drop into the dayroom, and
he stopped for awhile to watch the now
men trying to get through the manual.
His eye naturally drifted to Wilson, who
would have attracted attention in the mid
die rank of a regiment, for he certainly
was a fine looking chap. Wilson was try
ing to handle his gun as If he had never
seen one before. We couldn't help but grin
ENTHUSIASTICALLY as we stood around, although
we were careful not to let the little West
Point shave tail see us do 1t, for we all
liked Wilson and didn't want to see him
get into any trouble. Wilson tried so hard
to make it appear that he didn't even know
what "a rifle was made for that he dropped
it while the squad was standing at a rifle
parade rest. 1t hado the deyil's w clat-
ter, and the little l~ieutennnt's eyes snapped.
"Gawkl' lie muttered, while Wilson,
red and LerVous. reached out and picked
up the gun.
"AtIention" shouted tho drill sergeant.
Wilson alone of the batch was like "a ram
rod before the echoes oil tie command died
away in the dayroom.
Fright shoulder--humsr' Wilson's gun
came 10 his shoulder W it'll II snap, the tree
movements perfect, While tho other fell
lows ot'tAe squad vore s~iugeishly coming
Continued on nert page.)