Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-05-05
A CUBAN VOLUNTEER
By LAWRENCE BOONE.

'H IVES, Sammy, I'm back from the
war. Don't go laughing, asking
me how many Spaniards L killed, like
the rest of them. That's mean. You
know you wanted to go just as much
as did. Of course, Inever-quit laugh
Ing, will you, and I'll tell you all about
It.
only be fair and honest, Sammy.
You remember how we used to meet
evenings down'by fathers sugar shan
ty, and build fire and sit round and
talk and read the lRipers, till we all
got crazy about Cuba. And don't you
recollect that silly little company Of
Cuban Liberators' we organized. You
ought to, Sammy; you were first lieu
tenant. y lot of the fellows were in it,
and l don't see how you've got any call
to kid me just because l was the only
one that had sand enough to start.
u know, SAMMY was the biggest
fool in the gang, and nobody's trying
to deny it; I've learned thing or two
since. I'd saved up $11.33 cents, and |
thought maybe that would do to begin
on. At first l meant to use part of it
to buy a siX-shooter, but l was afraid
they'd be suspicious at the store, and l
decided to wait till got to New York
thought most likely they'd furnish me
arms and things for nothing when they
found out why I'd come. You see, l
had notion they were going to see
me. Oh, yes! it's all right for you to
smoker now.
81 was afraid to get on the train here
at home, so I walked over to Kilkuck
and got on there-not from the plat
form, either; 1 climbed up from the
further side of the track for fear some
body would see me. When the con-
ductor came along I told him wanted
to go to Cleveland. He looked sur
prised, but when l told him had an
aunt living in Cleveland he said all
right And so have, you know, but
| guess it wasn't much different from
a lie just the same, and l felt pretty
cheap. II took lot of my money, too.
Do you know, Sammy, $11,33 cents isn't
very much money nowadays?
at was night when we got to Cleve-
land, and l had to hang round the big
depot there till morning, l got some
doughnuts to eat. After awhile l got
so tired I crawled in under the iron
arms of the benches and went to sleep,
but fellow with broom came around
and made me wriggle out. Just as
soon as the train was ready | sneaked
on board and lay down on one of the
seats. Those cushions felt good, I can
tell you.
"When the conductor walked me up,
VIC were going the fastest l ever saw.
l showed him my money and said 1
was going to New York. He said 1
hadn't rear enough, and his train only
went to Buffalo anyway. Then l said
I was going to stop over in Buffalo, and
told him Il nasty little lie about my
uncle meeting me there. 1 couldn't
seem to help it, but / felt sick; I'd
started out to be patriot and not a
liar. You don't know, Sammy, how
much meanness there is in You till you
begin running away.
AT Buffalo got banana and some
more doughnuts. l don't like baganas
much--they taste so saapy-but l
thought I'd better be getting used to
them. I handn't much money left, but
| cot on another train.
"This time, though, the conductor
wasn't half so good-natured as those
others. When he found couldn't pay
he seemed to get pretty mad, l heard
him say to the brakeman not to fire
me ill they got to Rochester, and then
to put me in charge of the police. That
scared me, and 1 slipped off the cars
at little bit of station, don't know
just where.
at was dark, and they locked up the
depot right away. Only one man had
got oil, and he drove away in wagon.
There were hardly any houses, and. ii
looked like rain; but at last found
straw stack in a field, with holes where
the sheep had eaten in at the bottom,
so I crept under and made sort OF
nest-and it really wasn't so bad as
you'd think,
Early in the morning I was walked
up by somebody yelling. I crawed out
in a hurry, and saw it was an awful
looking tramp with his clothes on fire.
He'd got off his coat and | helped him
rip away part of his shirt; but lis
shoulder was burned some, and his
whiskers. Then I noticed the stack
was smoking,
"'Ketched in under from me pipe,
he said, am we two better be scootin','
And that same minute the whole thing
blazed up with a kind of roar and
burned like u tar barrel. Just fancy,
if l hadn't been walked by his squeal-
ing!
He'd started for the nearest woods
he ran pretty much like a camel, but
he got over the ground-and | chased
after him. When we looked back we
saw a lot of men around the stack, but
tNCN COuIuH uO llc JliSl tuiLS' puSS9
they'd have done something, though, if
they'd caught us there.
But we went on through the woods
till we came out on the other side. 1t
was Geld and drizzly, and we were hun
CRY enough to eat raw potatoes.
"'What's yer name, llid?' he asked
mo all of q sudden
paul, told him.
"'Won't do; soun's too Script'ral and
preachy. Call ye Polly fer short.
Where ye goin'?'
wasn't it mean of him, Sammy, to
give me such nickname as that, after
I'd helped him out of the fire? I didn't
say anything about Cuba; just told
him was going to New York.
"'Got any money! said he, looking
at me pretty sharp. 'Ye hain't?
Thought mebbe ye might hev nickel
or sunthin'. Never min, it's all right,
Polly. I'm goin' ter Moo York meself,