The Globe-republican., 1898-08-18

enough to follow. II he doesn't, ana
|unwarily thinks he'd like the privilege
Of selecting his own team. It is like
throwing himself to the wolves. He
gets no second chance Of salvation.
Once and out is the motto. They ming
themselves upon him and he Is dragged
thither and yon. A torrent of words
Is poured on to his quivering ear-drums
beside which the shrieks of bowling
dervfsh are as nothing. He makes for
one carriage, only to be snatched to-
ward another. on the step of which he
plants his foot to find himself hauled
down and uncermoniously pulled In
another direction. Not till he final
~ gains the seat is he safe; then the
defrauded retire with cheerful grins to
capture others unsuspecting. while the
victor starts stOically of, and the VIC
tim. mauled. disabled, but safe
5reathes thanks for those dangers sur.
vived and takes warning for the next
time.
Then comes the encounter with the
dust. When a road to a big camp isn't
muddy to degree that rivals an Irish
bog it is dusty beyond the power OF
words to express. and for more than
five weeks no rain fell in the vicinity
Of Camp Alger. Over and under and
into everything flies the dust in clouds
that are as binding fogs. The uncom.
promising Flooding of the horses kept
1t in constant state Of upheaval. and
the foliage along the way has taken
on covering of it that nothing short
OF food can remove. The color OF 1t
would make the New Jerseyman think
he was on his native heath; it has the
same reddish chocolate tint familiar
20 that State Of the mosquito. and you
can spot in an instant in Washington
a person who has just gone In from
here.
The officers of New York regiment
had great joke on a prominent doctor
of New York city who, accompanied by
a Congressman, drove out to see them.
He left Washington most immaculate
ly arrayed and wearing long, rough,
black frock coat-'just to show the
boys what the latest thing was in cts
in New York" He certainly gave
them a treat, though not of the sort
ne had expected. When he finally ar
rived at the coloners tent he wasn't
recognized. He looked like great
cinnamon bear His coat and mustache
and hair were all one color and his
face was dusty mask. With feeble
How are you. old man." as he grasped
the colonerS hand, in the same breath
did he demand a basin Of water, and
it was not until souSing had removed
some of the terra firma from about his
lineaments that the colonel recognized
him and fell upon his neck. The next
time ne came he wore linen duster.
The r. .e and fall of the pride of the
girls who drove out to see the boys was
simply heartrending. Like the doctor
they went first in full war paint in the
laudable endeavor to look their pref
test. Mostly they looked like squaws
on their arrival, and as each girl saw
the other and knew that she must look
the same the dominating emotion was
chagrin, not to mention the inner con-
victiOn that the gowns were ruined.
AS indeed they pretty much were. and
detected set it was when camp was
reached. But dear to the hearts OF a
soldier are the girls whom he knows.
and he is just as pleased to see them
as though they were the prettiest and
most Immaculate things that ever hap
pened. and he jollies them along by
saying how dear they are to endure all
that discomfort just to come out to see
him. and then with them all is forgot
ten and the lately devoted ''cit" is, as
usual when brass buttons are about.
RELOCATED to the picturesque back
ground. But the wise virgins took
heed. and thereafter when they went
out they wore the plainest frocks that
the dust will shake from, tied over the
faces and plain hats thick, dust-col-
ored veils, and when camp was reached
they had the satisfaction Of removing
the latter and knowing that their faces
at least, were clean.
When President Mckinley reviewed
the troops here few weeks after Camp
Alger was made, he was made unhappy
by the dust. For a while he bore it in
dignified and official silence, but final
ly he reached the limit Of endurance
and the order of the escort to camp was
changed His guard of honor was the
New York cavalry, with Troop A in
front OF the Presidential carriage and
Troop C following it. Before many
minutes Troop C beheld its revered
President being swallowed up by
binding cloud of dust thrown up by
the horses nf tho 6eynted from and