The Holly chieftain., 1898-12-23
PASSING IT ALONG.
New Our Sick ana ssAering Sci.
aiers Showed the 0enerssity
of Their Natures.

diers Showed the 0eneRosity
81 Their Natures.
War brings out the best and the WORT
of human impulses. The man who Is
naturally kind and unselfish fnds 20
much opportunity TO exercise his good
qualities that they stand out empha-
sized in him, and the man himself seems
TO his friends transdgured, while the
selfish and base man, seeking his own
safety and comfort above all other
things, il marked In the sight Of all men
- q coward. A correspondent Of the
Companion writes:
On the steamer Seneca. returning
from Siboney to Fortress Monroe with
passengers and sick and wounded. here
was young volunteer soldier whose
name I could give II had . right 10 do
so. He had been very Ill. and was pale,
weak and emaciated. He was not yet
20 yearx old, and when the war broke
out he was sophomore in great uni
versity. Leaving his beloved studies
and his lifo OF comfort and scholarly
elegance, he enlisted as private SOL
dier.
Doubtless he was physically unAt for
the hardships and privations which the
American soldier, and especially the
american volunteer, has had to endure
in this war A1~----,----s------- --7--s as
Of service IN a camp Of instruction. then
long and terrible journey to Cuba in
troop-ship. in which the men had little
cir and little food, brought on a pain
full malady, which led the surgeons to
send the young man home on the Sen
eca. It was a great grief to him 20 be
sent home, and he talked already Of
the time when he should be strong
enough to go back to the regiment.
What he needed as much MS anything
was something good to eat, and es-
| ecially little fruit. There was neither
fruit nor anything else good to eat on
| the Seneca. Sent home as a soldier,
the young man had only soldiers fare.
and soldiers bunk amidst the forest
of rough pine hunks between decks.
| Military service reduces man SO low
that this youth, accustomed to the COM
forts of life and to delicate home at
tentions, sat on the deck and accepted
the gift from passing waiter of 4 bis
cult or any other bit of food left from
the captains dinner, as the tray was
carried back to the galley.
He rested sometimes in the scrap of
shade along the forward deck-house.
and often talked with him there; but
he was missing for hours together. and
found he was doing what he could for
the sick and wounded soldiers below
he knew every case among them.
At Fortress Monroe the cases OF sus-
picious fever on bonrd caused our ship
to be detained day, and then sent to
New York. There came change in the
fare OF the passengers, for the ship
took on stores of fresh meat and veg
etables. We had with us an army Off.
Ger, a captain, whose wife had come
to Old Point Comfort TO meet him. and
elthough she was not permitted to come
aboard, she managed to send her hus-
band a mysterious parcel.
What this parcel contained soon be-
came apparent to some of us. for the
captain was generous man. He be-
gan to produce oranges, bananas and
-4L.- s---.tA-. --.- ~-~.s .sSemegYsI we
had not seen an egg in Cuba, and scarce
ly fresh one in Tampa.
The size of the captains parcel did
not warrant him in distributing his
fruit among the whole ships company.
He was an invalid himself, and his wife
doubtless thought Of him as eating
every particle Of the food; and yet per-
haps she knew him better.
The captain took early pity on my
cwn lean and hungry look, and began
tc slip banana now and then into
my hand. As he plainly meant the
fruit for me, would begin to peel the
banana; then the vision of the pale and
starved young soldier would rise SO be-
fore my eyes that could not get the
fruit to my lips, hard as tried. Iwould
furtiveiy get the banana into my jacket
Locket, make some excuse, and go off
and find the boy.
When 1 found him, would slip the
banana into his hand. He would thank
me, and mnke the same pretense of
eating it that had made with the cap
tain. even saw his jaws moving but
] did not see any OF the banana d.sap.
pearing in his mouth.
Then he would make some excuse and
go away with his hand spread sus-
piciously over the pocket in his brown
service blouse-and knew we'll enough
that he had gone TO give the banana to
some poor fellow who. he thought, need
ed It worse than he did.
In fact. caught him doing this very
thing by watching-and did no. let
him know that had caught him nor
that ] even supposed that r.. did nor
cat the fruit himself. This was no
more than fair. for the captain never
required me to eat the fruit In his pres
ence when he gave 1t to me.-Youth's
Companion.
| Church Lost In London.