Evening star., 1898-05-21

oh girls! Isn't that perfectly horrid!
Yellow! Just think of it! Yellow Is the
ly fetching in it. I wouldn't wear 1t just
now for anything on earth, broke In one
of his sisters. II should think President
Mckinley would change it to-oh, girls!'
with an ecstatic little sQueal, wouldn't the
uniforms of the cavalry be just too sweet
for anything If they had green trimmings
instead of yellow. Green and blue is such
swell combination
The hiatus of ideas that the young Off
Ger experienced after that brilliant episode
nearly gave him nervous prostration.
An old fellow with Grand Army badge
in one buttonhole, the bow of the medal
of honor tucked in beside. it and crutch
under oae arm. was explaining to n group
of young ladies what line" and "stan''
officers meant. This war business is so
complicated" one of the group finally OBJ
served. Now, do you know, l thought.
when l heard papa talking about the line
officers, that they must carry lasso ropes
on their saddle horns when they went into
battle. like Buffalo Bills rough riders!'
Two young ladies were seated on
poncho' outside one of the tents, sorting
over the buttons and other trophies they
had captured in tour of the camp, where
half the boys were known to them, and
one of them remarked that she was going
to have Charley get eagles when he drew
his shoulder straps, because she thought
they were prettier than just barsi The 9th
er rather Likes stars the best She thought
that those Gen. Miles wore at the army
and navy reception at the White House
made him very distinguished looking! They
evidently thought shoulder straps were
drawn like rations and tobacco.
Some improvements.
The veterans about the camp were much
interested in the drilling, the loading and
firing. Great Caesars ghost" exclaimed
one old fellow from the west. "Just catch
on to the way that tenderfoot handles his
A.. he bar of t,or
doors. Ought to give him stick of cord
wood till he gets limbered Up. BY jove.
don't they get there in great shape on the
hre' Lord, lord but they have the ad-
leaders. some of us did. all kinds of cali
bers smooth bores Springfield muskets.
any old thing eve could find, at first Let
me see, picking up gun, I'VE loaded in
eleven motions, 1 believe Then he drop
ped his gun to the ground and went
through the manual something after this
fashion: Cartridge box to the 'front.' 90
ing through the motion of pulling the box
around to the front from under his right
shoulder. Cartridge tox open, ramrod
out! cartridge out. bite off end of cartridge
insert cartridge in muzzle. ram homer
ana SO on. through the whole business
Wnlch took about a minute and a half
While he was showing how that one load
was put ready for use in the old-time gun,
a youngster of the Er,met Guards was
gong through the MOTORS of rapidly load
used now. Say he said. as he flung the
gun back in his tent, and turned to the
veteran, what was the Johnny Reb doing
all the time you were loading at that gaite'
on, ne had none the advantage ne was
cong the saine thing, or siower' was the
reply
Well remarked the Junior Boy B,ue
= loaded AMI fired fifteen times 70 your
cnce." 'NA
Yes, vas the veterans huffy response.
Gnu II is hkely that my one cool LOAD and
hre would do mere execution than all of
ytur nervous fifteen"
I'VE didn't have wall tents" remarked
anCther veteran, we used dog tents and
gao to Set them Only officers had as pa
latlal a thing as wall tent. Now, why
don't these kids dig trenches around their
tents ard fix II en- up properly. Well; he
ADDED, cominiseratingly, they have only
been out week, they will know more in
the course of year" and poor, heart
bl oxen mother standing by groaned "A
year Why, it will be an eternity,'
slender woman in rusty black with worn
Icok on her tired face, said: My husband
vent out thirty-four years ago, and all l
have known about him since was the one
awful word missing after his name in
the first battle he was ever in. He went
out 10 buy steak for breakfast and q COM
pany Just going to the train to be sent di-
rectly TO the front lacked two or three
men. He enlisted right there and sent me
PACK note by our little boy what he had
done Our boys son is going now
Making "a Bed.
The rain made the ground so damp that
1t was uncomfortable to sleep there. do the
best the boys could. Now, just go and
break off lot of the boughs of those cedar
trees, pull off the small twigs, and make a
bed of them. Put your poncho over them.
a pair of your blankets over that mako n
pillow OF your haversack, and YOU will
sleep ike king" said an experienced old
veteran he boys soon got the boughs
ana got to work on them. They used knives
to cut the branches off Here" said tho
veteran, pull them on this way" and he
yanked UP a bough and began tugging at
tne twigs; but all to no purpose They
wouiqn We. ia nreak worth cent. They were
not ire KIND of cedar the veteran had used
IN the south. 1t took the youth half an
1s, 1our 10 make the cedar bough bed This
.hs uLssustea ,l the veteran I'VE used to make
II was a sight for gods and men to 600
the pennsylvania troops march in from
Dunn Loring. These boys are all big. fine
loon, ,ookihs, Wen-kep pt fellows, and they have
peen camping at Gretna Green where their
s"eethearts and wives had taken good care
70 Keep them supplied with dainties and
Iancy arrangements for the toilet When
the boys started for Washington on daw
coaches, they brought all these littIe no
iongings with them. Some had hamnocks
other had pillows in handsome slips. The
housewives the brush and comb cases,
the siiFer-backed brushes and combs. lars
OF Jelly, bags of doughnuts, boxes of frni,
cake, all these the boys brought into Camn
Alger with them. ''toting'' them mile and
half along with their haversacks filled
with one days rations, their guns cart
ridge belts, ammunition, blankets over
coats. canteen lineup and Changes of IN
derwearH 1t must have weighed all of fiftv
pounds to the man. They tramped through
the sweet-smelling woods and the muddy
roads, mopping their faces, their toothnick
toed shoes simply instruments of torture
Ihey will shed most of that after the
hrst days real marching" remarked a vet
eran They will fire everything but blank
els, IRVING pan. tin cup, gun and cartridge
pelt They may carry one pair Of socks
but nothing else. The fellow that follows
In the wake of a raw army Will soon en-
rich himself from the clothing tossed into
the fence corners and along the sides of
the road 1t is an utter impossibility to
march loaded down with plunder.'
They Will Learn.
The Sth Pennsylvania boys are fairly sea-
soned veterans because of campaigns In
their own state. and they can forage" to
beat the band. The tenderfeet among tn.
District forces will know a whole lot more
by the time they get to the front" than
they did week or two ago. The officers
VIII not go round pleasing" their under