Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-05-20
Y

/ whirling dust-clouds from the crOoke
/ road. After night Of 50 much excite
ment camp slept late. Lambert wa
! aroused somewhere about seven by
! scratching at the tent flap, and Sergt
| Burns. answering the summons I
"come in poked his freshly shaved fac
| through a framing of white canvas t
ask if he might send the lieutenant som
breakfast from the cook-fire. 1t wa
barely 24 hours since his arrival in camp
and so crowded had these hours beer
with event. experience ard novelty tha
the young officer seemed to feel be ha'
been a month on duty. There lay hi
blue flannel blouse al the foot Of his cot
Unseen hands had tossed it from the
window at which on his first appear
nnce the previous night a slender, white
robed form had been piteously crying
for help. He drew it to him and
searched the left shoulder strap. Y
Even now three or four curling ha..
were twining like the teEdrils Of a vine
nbout its dead-gold border and across
the field of sLy-blue velvet-another
vogue to the day. she had time to dis
entangle the mass, but could not zee
these fine filaments in so dim light"
he laughed to himself. only fancy
what my Merrimac madre would say II
she were TO hear that pretty head-a
southern girls head-had been resting
on my shoulder the very first night l
got here! Only fancy what the damsel
herself would say, if she had chance to
say anything! And as her mamma--
well, what wouldn't she say|'
Lambert had lots to think of as he
made his soldier toilet and came forth
into the gloomy, moisture-laidcn air,
for the Foutheasterly wind was sweep
Ing the rain clouds up from the distant
gulf, and nature looked bleak and dis
NAL. Two items occurred to give him
comfort. No sooner had he stepped out
into the open space than the one sentry
ut the other end of the camp shouted:
"Turn ont the guard-coWmanding of
ficer' which was unnecessary at the
distance and under the circumstances,
yet clearly proved that the disposition
among the men was TO "brace up" in
recognition Ol the diiiNhi VI on Dh'~|i
who knew what discipline meant.
And then, looking suspiciously as
though he had been waiting for chance
a.. n1eTIons ~ aS9GA 9Afth h9fo 81 hif ii h4lfK5r ct
Burns tentstood Corporal Cunningham
company clerk; and the salute with
which he honored the camp commander
was as pregnant with good intent as IL
was clumsy in execution. Somebody
had placed an empty clothing box by
the side of the tent, covered IT with can
vas fly, and set this improyised table Tor
one with the best tins the company mess
afforded. Somebody else had carefully
blacked the lieutenant's boots and Shoes
and presently up came young German
soldier bearing the lieutenants break
fast on the company cooks breadboard,
which was covered with clean white
towel.
"Burns is one Of the oaks, at any rate, -
thought Lambert, as the sergeant fol-
lowed to see that all was in proper order.
Ham and eggs, Soldier coffee" u can OF
milk. corn-bread and hardtack, were set
before him with pardonable pride and
Burns explained that they bought eggs
milk. and corn-bread of an old darky
who came over from the village almost
every day. Then Lambert bethought
him Of his captured pail Of butter, and
brought It from the tent. This does
not belong TO me-" he said. 1T rolled
out from the Walton hedge last evening
DO you know who their regular GUS
toner isT'
81 don't, sir. Yet / know Mcbride
and others sometimes had butter-good
butter too, like this. The captain
doesn't buy any, and wouldn't allow the
company TO buy any there. Not that nc
cared, sir; only the old lady was so up
pish and made such II row when any o.
our fellows were seen even talking tt
her people that he gave regular orders
forbidding II. No one from the Waltor
place dare set foot inside camp, and he'll
make it hot for Riggs when he gets
back. Murphy is less TO blame, but val
have to go to Ship island all the same
reckon"
s'How are those two this morning?"
"Riggs is stupid drunk yet, but Muir
ply swears he'd only gone 10 try to gel
Riggs out of trouble; he'd hardly beer
| drinking at all. lie begs 10 see the lieu
tenant, sir. lie says he can explain th'
whole thing"
And so, later that morning, aftel
| Lambert had given his men a furthel
| lesson by inspecting both company an'
CHIMP and pointing out no end OF thing
| which could not, he said, be tolerate'
In future, Murphy was brought TO hi
tent. His face and hands were badl,
cut in places, but his bruises were o
little account. With the best inten
| tions in the world, the good lady ha'
| not the strength for the trouncing th
fellow had deserved NJ her hands. tn
story he told was hardly credible. Lam
bert could have ordered him back witt
gharp rebuke for his falsiilcntlons, bu
glance nt Burns war-worn face
clouded and pcrplexed, made the youni
commander pause. "Do you really eN
pcct me 10 believe this?" he asked, ap'
| Murphy answered: 'T'm ready TO MAX
oath 10 IL before the prusste, sorr."
And this, IN effect, was the Irishmau'
tale: He had known his "bunky
only since that worthy'a cnlistmen
In the company the previous winter
but this much Of Riggs almost every
body knew; that he had been a seI
gcant during the war days and wa
serving an enlistment In the reguia
cavalry when deprived, for persiHten
drinking, Of his chcvrons. The troo
10 which he WINS attached had been Sta
toned at Quitmau ana Ia this section g
the south for a year or more, but wa
ordered TO the Indian country Jus
about the time Of Riggs discharge b
expiration Of term OF service. Thci
after protractcd spree In New Oi
leans, he turned up at the barracks an
htooIs ou" aPaiu ~ the infantry, and J
the very company which. oddly enougi
was 10 soon ordered up TO the region l.
knew 80 well. Indeed, Riggs elaine
when drinking 10 have ocquaintanc
not only with the Walton ladies', b'
with some Of the most prominent me
in Quitmau county, and frequent