The Holt County sentinel., 1898-10-14

6ud when mildly prOtesteu aSHihst LUIS
familiarity, he expostulated with me on
my lack OF hospitality and comman
courtesy. Joe is pretty good fellow anu
also, considering his size and the terri
BILE prlvations he has been enduring, Is
quite muscular. So | really couldn't get
offended at him, and explained to HIM
the cause of my distraction. With the
calm aud easy assurance OF one who lays
out work for another to do, he told ME
that "working buttonhoies was easy
enough" etc. After he had accomplish
ed his full purpose he went back to his
Washing and left me TO struggle on alone.
[ have never told him about my trials.
| can stand goo0 deal, but II he ever
tries to rub It in on me" about thus
matter there's going to be trouble. am
convinced that he did 1t on purpose.
am sorry 1 couldn't wear the thin.
bic the league furnished me. When L
was young, | remember, my musical rs
pirations were nipped IN the bud by the
difficulties | experienced in locating my
thimble finger wholly on single key of
the instrument. l surely have more than
my share OF this worlds troubles. When
| began operations al last, 1t was Just
like my first and only attempt to stack
gram. The stitches would "cave out 10
spite OF all could do. tried to "whlp
the edge like Conley said. | tried 1t with
single thread and double thread. loop
ed the thread over enc end, over the
other end and over both ends OF the
needle. | coaxed and twisted and fumed,
but take considerable pride in remem-
bering that | didn't swear. The prlva-
tious | am enduring may, after all, not
be an unmixed evil. They may 'chasten
my:proud spirit"
| got my thread tangled and untaDgled
| it twenty seven times on the first button
hole and then quit counting. L picked
out all the button holes | could lind and
| studied the mysteries OF their archltec-
ture, but | couldn't see how they were
done. You would probably have as
| much difficulty in seeing how | built
mine | stuck my fingers till they bled,
| but stayed with it, and when 1t was al!
, over, | had three of the queerest looking
| products that ever did duty as button
holes. No, I'm not proud of them. Tney
are unique and original; t1ey exhibit
| i've variety and some ingenuity, but for
good, common, everyday, sensible, ser
viceable button holes, there rs room for
considerable improvement.
! All the while | was at work the boys
were haying one OF their characteristic
good times IN the street. |! you could
see our boys at play you could not but
admire the heroic patience with which
they endure their sad lots. Starved and
slckly and downtrodden as they are, they
yet try to keep up an appearance OF
| cheerfulness; aEd they are so successful
as to sometimes almost approach the line
of hilarity. For instance, you should
see them playing game OF ball with a
boulder about the size of your fist. They
usually arrange the game SO that first
base is right IN front OF some tent 10
which some one is reading, writing, play
ing solitaire, or for instance sweating
away at button holes 10 a bedtIck. They
are such thoughtful lot OF fellows. BY
arranging their game in this way they
not only Rmuse themselves, but they al
SO make the poor fellow in the tent for
get his misery for little while at the
same time. You see the hot blals'
fired to first" frequently get by the first
basemen.
They we're playing ball while | was
working land it won't misrepresent any
If you emphasize that last word) button
what to my difficulties. A forlorn but
far from lonesome cat, that had been
boarding with us for a few days, was
present when the game begun. She ha:
moved.
Just at present quartette that has
come up from New York is singing acros:
the street They come up every few
evenings and give us an hour or two ol
musical entertainment. They, together
with our own choir, give us an interest
ing program. They never sang to more
appreciative audience. When they be
gin, the more rIotous sports almost in
variably cease. The interested grouI
gathered about the singers, others. who
have stopped their card games or read
ing, sitting about their tents listening
all forms a picture that will be remem
bered and treasured up in many heart
1t is amusing to notice the number o
different "lingoes" that are spoken in
camp. Some insist that they can distin
guish the representatives from any state
IN camp by their peculiarities IN thI'
respect. But there are some that fur
nish easy marks. or course ths Tennes
seean can not hioe his birth place. "No'tt
C'liney" has her mark Oh all her sons
"Injianny" has ''gib" that is all he
own, but ''de N'Yawk guys is de easiest
push of all" unless possibly they are ou
classed by thu 'Mizzoureans." | cant sa,
as to that; but the men from other states
do say they can pick us out OF any crowd
Charley Ross just passed the tent will
one OF the other boys. They stopped
and Charley asked what kind OF a fellow
his par.n ner was. "Was he any good?'
Dobyns promptly asserted that he wa
"all right" Having just read Polonius
sage counsel to Lasrtes, l, more guarded
ly, expressed a belief that she'd Co.
That's ALL" said Charley. II just be
hin, could find ten men in the compan!
who would say he wasn't worth a -
I'll find them, too" On they wantu |
the line, stopping at each tent with th'
same question. | don't knox how the,
came out; but the business Ike way
Charley was going at 1t was surely de
serving of success.
Next mornlng.-Charley won. Thing
went from bad to worse till the Other
fellow begged him to stop.
must start IN few minutes to tn
Red Cross Hospital on twenty four hour
guard duty; seven men and Sergean
(Gageby(. We take our own ratnns ant
will have to do our own cooking. ] VA
on a special fatigue detail yesterday
Three men from B assisted in hauling
rations from the Corps commissaTy {
the brigade store. We have inspect on
too, this morning. llomeslck? We'll