The Winslow mail., 1898-05-28
A CUBAN VOLUNTEER
By LAWRENCE BOONE.
-Copyri9ld, fseS. 4

" ES, Sammy. I'm back from the
war. Don't go laughing, asking
me how many Spaniards I 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 ard
talk and read the papers, till We all
got crazy about Cuba And don't you
recolfect that silly little company Of
Cuban Liberators' we organized, You
ought to, Sammy; you were first lieu
tenant. 4 lot of the fellows were in it,
and | doa't see how you've got any call
to kid me just because l was the only
one that had sand enough to start.
81 know, Sammy was the biggest
fool in the gang, and pobcdy's trying
to deny it; I've learned thing or two
since. I'd saved up S11.53 cents, and l
thought maybe that would do to begin
On. At first 1 meant to use part OF it
to buy a six-skooter, but 1 was afraid
they'd be suspicious at the store, and
decided to wait till got to New York.
I 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
snicker now.
Il was afraid to get on the train here
at home, so l walked over to kilkuck
and got on there-not from the plat.
form, either; l climbed up from the
further side of the track for fear some
body would see me. When the con-
ductor came along l told him wanted
to go to Cleveland. He locked sur
prised, but when told him had an
aunt living in Cleveland he said all
right And SO l have. you know, but
l guess it wasn't much different from
a lie just the same, and l felt pretty
cheap. It took lot of my money, too.
Do you know, Sammy, $11.33 cents isn't
very much money nowadays?
SIT was night when we got to Cleve-
land, and I had to hang round the big
depot there till morning l got some
doughnuts to eat. After awhile I got
so tired l crawled in under the iron
arms of the benches and went to sleep,
but a fellow with broom came around
and made me wriggle cut. just as
soon as the train was ready sneaked
on board and lay down on ene of the
seats. Those cushions felt good, can
tell you.
when the conductor walked me up,
we were going the fastest 1 ever saw.
l showed him my money and caid ]
was going to New York. He said 1
hadn't near enough, and his train only
went to Buffalo anyway. Then I said
I was going to stop over in Buffalo, and
told him u nasty little lie about my
uncle meeting me there l coulIn't
seem to help it, but / felt sick; I'd
started out to be patriot and not q
liar. You don't know, Sammy, how
much meanness there is in you till you
begin running away.
SAT Buffalo | got a banana and some
more doughnuts. l don't like bananas
much-they taste SO soapy-but
thought I'd better be getting used to
them. I handn't much money left, but
l got 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. heard
him say to the brakeman not to fire
me till they got to Rochester, and then
to put me in charge of the police. That
scared me, and l slipped off the ears
at a little bit of a station, l don't know
just where.
1T was dark, and they locked up the
depot right away. Only ore man had
got off, and he drove away in wagon.
There were hardly any houses, and it
looked like rain; but at last l found a
straw stack in field, with holes where
the sheep had eaten in at the bottom,
so I cTept under and made a sort Of
nest-and it really wasn't so bad as
you'd think.
early in the morning was walked
up by somebody yelling. crawled ont
in hurry, and sawit 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 his
shoulder was burned some, and his
| whiskers. Then I noticed the stack
was smoking.
'Ketched in under from me pipe
he said, an we two better be scootin',' >
And that same minute the whole thing
blazed up with kind of roar and
burned like tar barrel. Just fancy,
Eif | hadn't been walked by his squeal-
ing!
He'd started for the nearest woods
he ran pretty much like camel, but
he got over the ground-and / chased
after him. When we looked back we
saw lot of men aroundl the stack, but
they couldn't do the first thing. Guess
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 cold and drizzly, and we were hun
CRY enough to eat raw potatoes.
What's yer name, kid?' he asked
me, all GA sudden.
Paul. told him.
won't do; soun's too Script'ral AID
preachy. Call ye Polly fer short.
Where ye goin'?'
Wasn't it mean of him, Sammy, to
give me such nickname as that, after