The sun., 1898-12-18

Z
tlnctly thnt he would take that box back or TO
to the Ruardhouse for stealing. The volunteer
thought it over and took the box back. Then
he said some more things that would have
shocked the Chaplain. Again he consulted his
friend OF the regulars about his ill-success.
II forgot" said the regular. TO tell you
about the sentry on the post Was he a regular
OF volunteer7"
"a volunteer" said the volunteer.
THAT" replied the regular. makes a dif
Your fellows always get the orders mixed.
They're as long faced and solemncholy as lot
OF psrsons. just wait until there's regular
on that post and try Il again. u he says Halt 7
keep goln'. He has TO say it. you know but he
won't jab you. II he yells after you. keep Eoln'.
only faster. He won't hurt you. II he was n
volunteer he might get ratified and shoot. But
II he'e q regular he won't. He'll Just yell like
blRzes and let you Eo-provided you 40 fast
enough You know he dassent leave his post" /"
The volunteer waited as instructed. and then
tried IL again. As he slid down the ladder the
regular on guard stared sternly at the carlns
OF the dock above. When he reappeared with
his booty the Same sentry had his back to the
hatchway. and was looking very hard at Moth
ing. The volunteer was seemingly unseen
until he had start OF a good three PAGES.
Then the sentry suddenly turned. called
the hatchway 40 that the volunteer couldn't
have gone back II he wished. He gained fivo
PAGES more. and the sentry again called
Haiti" at the top Of his voice. The volunteer
disappeared through doorway. Twenty SEQ
onds later there rang through the ship. from
sentry to sentry, the sharp call. Corporal Of
the Guard-No. II"
Painting, the volunteer arrived at company
quarters. dropped the case Of canned
soups. threw blanket over II and sat on IL.
Then he waited for results. None came. At
intervals OF half an hour his companions would
hear the sharp summons. Corporal OF the
Guard-No. Z !" and that parsonage would walk
brislcly down the guard and very shortly walk
back. but with no prisoner. That was all.
But when a volunteer got post No. z they
would hear the summons no more. or. II they
did, the CORPORAL would come back with pris-
oner. They came to smile when they heard
that post called and to know that each time
new and absolutely unavoidable raid on the
TRANSPORTS hold had been reported by an alert
but discriminating sentry from the regulars.
SO the volunteers got an idea that both the
officers and enlisted men Of the regulars have,
under certain circumstances. a dry but very
keen sense OF humor.
Late that afternoon the volunteer and his
bunkie opened the case OF canned soup. They
u
balance over to the Quartermaster Sergeant
for the sick men Of the company. They made
baskets OF twine and took can each and
lowered them into the hot-water barrel that
stood outside OF the cooks galley. When the
soup had boiled until the ends otshe cans be-
gan to bulge they went to the hurricane deck.
opened them and lit in. While they were
smacking their lips over the soup their Captain
came along.
Men," he said. where did you get that
soup?"
1t was the come-in of the man who got the
soup. He was the clumsiest and least success
full liar who ever lived. and knew it. So he told
the truth The Captain didn't say a word. but
walked off with a medltative eye. That even
ing he was seen talking to the First Sergeant.
The next day soup was more plentiful In the
company.
Telling OF volunteer and regular officers re-
calls sensational and mysterious occurrence
on San Juan Hill. On the night of July 2.
when the lSpaniards made their dash at the
American lines. the available trenches were
packed full OF men. An excitable volunteer
Major. startled out OF his sleep. ordered the
men in support over the brow Of the hill into
the trenches. They grabbed their guns and
ran over the crest Of the hill, only to find the
intrenchments filled to the limit with their
the trenches without cover. The men In the
trenches were blazing away for all that was in
them. The new men sent up back Of them
were SO many that they could not all lie
side by side. but some had to lie one
behind another 1t was a dark night Or
ders were drowned in the volleys Of mus
kerry. and to many of the volunteers the bugle
and whistle calls were a foreign language. 1t
necessarily rested. with the individual mon in
the ranks back Of the trenches to display their
cool judgment by refraining from firing.
An excitable lad OF not more than IL or 1S
in the rear rank Of those back OF the trenches
loaded and fred At that moment comrade
Just In front Of him who had lifted himself on
his elbows to soc the advancing Spaniards
hattened out on his face-stone dead The
Spaniards were soon glad to gallop back to
their intrenchments. Then the support was
ordered back under the brow OF the hill again
and brought its dead with it.
The man who had been killed Just in front OF
the excitable lad had hole in, him that you
could shove wagon pole through. 1t looked
mighty like Springfield bullet from the rear.
man beside the lad had seen him fire and the
dead man drop. The lad himself admitted that
he had fired. The Captain of the company. his
men say, is a good officer. but excitable. In
this case he was Mortified and showed dis
pOSiIlOu W Uo HhSJy anu u HlIl6 VluulCJlV6 ft0
assembled his company. and in the course OF o
five-minute talk had the accused lad grovelling
on the hillside in abJect Mysteries. The Captain
talked OF II drumhead court-martial and firing
squad in the morning. The occurrence had
quite evidently been too much for his nerves.
Meanwhilean enlisted man had been sent for
surgeon. When one came he happened to be
q regular. He listened to the evidence. and 1t
didn't appear TO excite him or shake his nerve.
The lad was writhing and crying out In a kind
OF Mysteries at his feet. He looked down at
him. poked him with the toe OF his boot. and
said. Shut upl"
Then he stepped over few PAGES to where
the dead man was stretched out and examined
him by the starlight. He took quite a time. and
the men. who had gathered about. awaited
further Developments with tense interest. To
the lad writhing around on :he ground 1t prob
ably seemed an eternity. At last the regular
surgeon came back. He looked down at tho
lad indifferently. Then he looked the company
commander square in the eve and said:
Shot with Mauser bullet-from the 'front.'
Send this yelping whelp to your field hospital