Daily camera., 1897-01-16
[copyhrht, ,ss4. by J. B. Lipplncou companyl

GO where?" said young soldier
squatting at his tent door and greasing
pair of shoes with bit of bacon-rind.
He hardly deigned to look up.
THE captain wants you to go and get
that saddle mule he sent up last night.
Jake must have gone asleep and forgot
him.
would it be possible to send a wagon
for m, trunk? ?" interposed Lambert at
this juncture, appealing to his superior.
Close hesitated and made no immediate
reply 1t was the sergeant who took
the responsibility:
F, I'll tend to it, if you please, sir. The
wagons going up in ten minutes to
haul some grain. Be lively now, Fin
ney. Drop them shoes and start" And
Finney, conscious, possibly, of some
change in the military atmosphere,
gathered himself together and van
ished.
Meantime, III his anxiety about the
government property thus placed in
jeopardy, the captain seemed, lost to all
thought of the newcomers comfort. 1t
was Sergt. Burns who came forward
with camp stool and prefer of further
hospitality.
''If the lieutenant can put up with
such rations, I'll send something from
the cook-fire, SIR" said he, doubtfully,
looking at his commander very much as
though he thought it high time for that
official to. suggest something better.
Lambert said he should be most CRATE
full if that could be done--and if there
were no objections; and he, too, looked
expectantly at the senior officer
81 guess that's about the best we can
do said Close, slowly. ,'Tain't what
you've been accustomed to, but it's what
] always eat. Send us up, something,
sergeant-enough for two; I'll take an
other snack with the lieutenant"
And in less than five minutes Lambert
and his new comrade were seated by
little fire on which tin coffcepot was
Kissing, and with broad pine shelf
upon their knees. from big tin mugs and
broad tin plates. were discussing
smoking repast of pork and beans, to.
the accompaniment of bread and sirup
and creamless coffee. "It's the way l
always prefer to live when I'm in the
field" said Close, "and it only costs you
nine dollars a month"
Lambert was too hungry not to rel
ish even such a breakfast. He fancied
he heard something that sounded great
ly like suppressed .chuckle on the
part of the soldier cook at his seniors
remark upon the cost of living in the
field, but sensations and experiences
were crowding thicllly upon him and
there was little time for trifles.
Through the good offices of Sergt.,
Burns, a wall tent was pitched that
morning for tine new lieutenant" to
the left of the domicile of the company
commander; a wooden bunk was
knocked up in an "a" tent in the back,
and Lambert began unpacking his
trunk and setting up housekeeping.
81 suppose / can get what furniture !
want in town." said he to Close.
Depends on what you want" replied
the senior, warily, "and whether you
care to throw away your money.
What'd you want to get? They will
skin the last cent out of you there at
Cohen's."
Il merely wanted some cheap truck
for camp. and some washstand fiSings,
Lambert answered, falling into the ver-
naclIlar of his comrade with the ease of
IS r.+ioro1 cnhnn1
where every known American dialect
can be heard things | can throw
away when we leave"
Close was silent moment. 81 can let
you have everything you need, + you
amt particular bout their bein' new.
They're just as good as anything you
can buy, and won't cost you near so
much" Then, after little hesitation:
''They amt mine to give, or I'd let You
have them for nothing"
Lambert had precious little money
left, ,.even after drawing his November
pay in New Orleans; but he had a big
mileage account to collect, for in those
days nothing was paid to the young
graduate in advance, even though he
had to find his way by the Isthmus to
the mouth of the Columbia. He thanked
his comrade. ana t'u evening was put in
possession of an odd lot of camp furni-
ture, some items of which were in good
repair and others valuable only as relics
of the war. A camp mattress and
some chairs bore the name of Tighe,
and the soldier who carried them in re-
marked to his chum: '"They didn't burn
everything after the lieutenant died,
after all, did they?" From which Lam
bert drew inference that the property
in question had formerly belonged to
an officer of that name who succumbed
to the epidemic of the previous year.
But the principal question remaining
unsolved was that of subsistence. War
ing and Pierce had told him that in all
probability he would find that Close
was living on soldier fare and had no
"mcss arrangements" whatever. This,
as we have seen, proved to be the case
and Lambert inquired if there were no
81